539 N2O emissions, disease control with composts, and using tillage responsibly

Plants Dig Soil™

#RealisticRegenAg | In this month's regenerative agriculture news, I have six stories. I'll start with some new research that shows that cover crops may not be a net benefit to the nitrogen loss equation. While they can prevent leaching, they may contribute more to nitrous oxide emissions. On the topic of nitrous oxide emissions, work in the Prairies is continuing to show that inhibitors work to reduce emissions. However, the yield impacts for producers are not worth the cost of using them. On the disease front, promising work shows how a specific combination of compost inputs may tackle one of our toughest potato diseases. This dovetails well into another story about biodiversity. It's not about putting everything into the system and looking for resilience; it's more about finding the right combinations that lead to the desired outcomes. This principle has been used by a farmer in Ontario who has gone back to tillage. As I've talked about before, it's not about no-till or reducing tillage; it's about using it properly. Finally, I'll point you to an article that discusses future forecasting and the problem of assumptions.

Welcome to Plants Dig Soil, a podcast about #RealisticRegenAg. I’m your host, Scott Gillespie, and I’m an agronomist from the western Canadian prairies specializing in climate-smart agriculture. I discuss scientifically proven practices that benefit the planet and, just as importantly, farmers' economic sustainability. Be sure to visit my website, www.plantsdigsoil.com, for resources and information about the services I offer.

Transcript is available: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/n20-cover-crops-manure-tillage

Articles mentioned in the podcast:
https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ael2.20103
https://canadianagronomist.ca/reduced-emissions-with-eef-fertilizer-but-little-agronomic-benefit
https://www.potatoesincanada.com/poultry-manure-and-potato-early-die
https://csanr.wsu.edu/whats-so-good-about-biodiversity-in-crop-production
https://organicalberta.org/article/well-chosen-tillage-part-of-organic-familys-innovative-crop-system
https://tdaynard.com/2023/10/26/serious-flaws-in-new-ontario-report-on-climate-change-and-ontario-agriculture-and-food

My consulting packages:
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SCAP overview: https://youtu.be/0icitHJR2lk
SCAP program details https://www.alberta.ca/sustainable-cap.aspx

My course: Profitable From the Start: Cover Crops for the Prairies:
https://plantsdigsoil.thinkific.com/courses/cover-crops-prairies

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