What makes soil healthy? How do soil structure, organic matter, biology and nutrient availability work together? What role do bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes play beneath the crop? These are questions growers face when evaluating field conditions and planning for the next crop. Have 5 minutes? Watch Episode 1 of the TriCal Group Soil Health […]
There’s a lot of conversation in agriculture about reducing soil disturbance—and for good reason. Protecting soil structure and biological function matters. But potato production requires more nuance. Seedbed preparation, planting, hilling and harvest all move soil. So rather than asking, “How can I disturb the soil less?” consider a better question: Is the disturbance helping […]
During my interview with Joy Youwakim, an agroecology scientist at Biome Makers, she defined some key differences between organic and regenerative agriculture that bears repeating. Joy: “There’s a difference between regenerative and organic agriculture. In organic, there are rules about what you can and what you cannot use. With regenerative ag, there is nuance: there […]
WHEN — Tue, Dec. 13, 2022 at 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ESTVisit https://strikefumigants.com/potato-school-2022/ to sign up before Dec. 13. WHAT — Potato School is a half day, free-to-all virtual learning event hosted by TriCal Group for anyone in the potato business. Since soil-borne disease is our passion, Potato School focuses mostly on best practices, new research, and notable findings around […]
Recently, SpudSmart published the first article in a 3-part series titled, “Ontario Potato Farmer Notches 100% Yield Increase”. You can access the article here: https://spudsmart.com/ontario-potato-farmer-notches-100-yield-increase/ or read on! PART I: Ontario Potato Farmer Notches 100% Yield Increase Four years ago at a farm show, I happened to cross paths with a long-time, forward-thinking potato grower […]
I’ve been busy writing up some of the great work being done to support farmers with disease suppression, yield increases, and soil health restoration. Read on for more information that we hope will be useful on your farm… What’s Biting into Your Farm’s Economic and Environmental Sustainability? In this article, I discuss the hidden yield […]
Improving sustainable potato production is an admirable goal for the potato industry. The basic concept of sustainable crop production is to produce an economically viable crop while maintaining or improving soil health and reducing the potential environmental impacts of farming. As farmers have long known, there is a link between the economic and environmental sustainability of the […]
Soil Health is a relatively new phrase in agriculture that describes the important role soil plays in the long-term sustainability of crop land. Soil health involves a productive balance of soil chemistry (nutrients), soil physics (structure), and soil biology (soil microorganisms). The potato industry needs productive, healthy soils to remain competitive. Therefore, it is good to […]
