Darren Sander, owner and operator of Crop Aid Nutrition Ltd. at his company's booth at Ag in Motion.

New soil treatment targets saline patches

Product focuses on water flow through the soil, offering an alternative to gypsum and organic ammendments

Crop Aid SS is a Saskatchewan-made spray for managing saline soils, designed to help leach salts from the root zone.

A picture of some saline soil in a field in Manitoba.

Soil health focus can avoid salinity

Glacier FarmMedia – An alternative approach to soil testing could help farmers combat high soil salinity. “Soil is alive,” said Blaine Hjertaas, one of the speakers during a late 2024 soil health workshop hosted by the Assiniboine West Watershed District, with support from the ALUS Growing Roots program. Hjertaas was joined by Michael Thiele, a […] Read more

The agriculture industry says Saskatchewan is behind other jurisdictions in terms of education about water management, and there is a need for “one big table” where everyone involved in water can discuss issues.  |  Karen Briere photo

Network promotes better farm drainage communication

Farmer-led initiative says producers, public need better information about how to handle too much or too little water

REGINA — A new collaboration in Saskatchewan is meant to improve communication about agricultural water. The Saskatchewan Drainage Extension Network (SK DEN) is a partnership led by farmers and farm organizations who want water better managed. Related story: Landowners struggle with unapproved drainage “When it comes to drainage management and irrigation, I think we have […] Read more


Visible salt deposits coat the surface of a field in southern Manitoba after the 2024 melt.  |  Alexis Stockford photo

Use soil tests to manage salinity

Glacier FarmMedia – Producers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are asking plenty of questions about how to manage salinity in their soil. Jeff Schoenau, a soil science professor with the University of Saskatchewan, is among those fielding questions, although he says the amount of visible salinity in his province is “normal” for April. “I think probably […] Read more

Tile drainage offers producers a tool to reduce or control soil salinity (foreground), which can be a significant limitation to crop production across the Prairies.  |  David Whetter photo

Manage saline soil and weeds with tile drainage

It can take years for tile drainage to improve soils, and the practice doesn’t make economic sense for every field

Glacier FarmMedia – Tile drainage may be the best tool in the toolbox to manage saline soil in fields, a southwestern Manitoba farmer told an audience at Ag Days in Brandon, Mb. Aaron Hargreaves, who co-owns Harwest Farms south of Brandon, said he and his four partners have struggled with soil salinity on their farm […] Read more