Proper Nutrient Management Starts With Soil Test

 

The province's soil fertility specialist says big yields means big nutrient removal and that leads to big fertilizer decisions.

 

John Heard notes a soil test is the best way to determine what rate of nutrients may need to be applied.

 

He talked about where current levels are sitting.

 

"Nitrogen levels, certainly are testing lower this year and so they may need to be brought up in accordance to the soil test levels and the yield potential and the other nutrient levels I think they supplied nutrients for a big crop," said Heard. "We don't expect that we'll see large differences in them on these clay soils in the short term but in the long term farmers may need to step up their fertility levels if these high yields are common."

 

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?