Knowing what's in your soil is a key to growing a successful canola crop.
Farmers are being encouraged to make soil testing a part of their cropping plans, especially if they're growing canola, which often calls for high quantities of soil nutrients.
Ken Panchuk, Provincial Soil Specialist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, recommends doing a soil test as part of your growing plans, adding canola has a high demand for soil nutrients
“A 35 bushel canola crop would use about 100 pounds to 123 pounds of nitrogen, 46 to 57 pounds of phosphate, 73 to 89 K2O that’s potash and 17 to 21 pounds of sulphur, but we know 35 bushels is a small crop today, we are growing crops twice that size today,” said Panchuk.
Panchuk adds spring is the ideal time to do soil tests, but since that is already a busy time for farmers and staff at the ministry; he's seen more tests being done in the fall.
“Also testing gives the producers in the industry lots of opportunity to get rapid turnaround for those that want small band nitrogen, urea, and hydra-ammonia. Ample time for those that want to go into the winter season to do crop planning for next year,” he said.
Source : Discoverestevan