Join us in February and March of 2022 as A&L Canada Laboratories offers its Soil Fertility Workshops online with weekly education sessions:
- Each webinar will be held on Thursday and will be 1 ½ hours long, beginning at 1:30 pm EST starting on February 3rd, 2022
- CEUs will be offered in Crop Management for Certified Crop Advisers
- Registration is required with a nominal $40 CAD fee for NEW programming, $30 CAD for current programs
- For full workshop descriptions are listed below
- For all registrants, a video link to the webinar will be provided after the session and available for viewing 7 days after the original event.
- If registrants are unable to attend but have paid for the session, they will still receive copy of the video for viewing.
- SPECIAL OFFER: register and attend all 6 sessions and receive 2 sessions at no cost*
*The registration fee for 2 sessions ($80 CAD) will be refunded (via PayPal) to the attendee upon completion of all 6 sessions of the A&L Soil Fertility Workshops
FULL WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
Week #1: Feb 3rd - 1:30 pm (EST)
Cover Crops | Register on Zoom
The use of Cover Crops play an important role in maintaining soil quality and productivity on farms. Usually, we think of cover crops in terms of reducing soil erosion and adding organic matter to the soil - but they can do much more. Learn more about the use of Cover Crops and how they can assist in reducing soil erosion, support organic matter levels, improve soil fertility, and maintain soil microbial activity.
Week #2: Feb 10th - 1:30 pm (EST)
pH, CEC, Optimum Nutrient Levels by Soil Type and Variable Rate Applications | Register on Zoom
How much do you really know about soil pH and CEC? These two soil parameters can have a huge impact on the availability of many of your macro, secondary and micronutrients.
A&L has completed years or research to demonstrate how CEC and pH levels should be used to determine the nutrient availability within a soil profile. Hear about the different methods for testing of pH and CEC and some of their short comings.
Learn how we are often managing pH and CEC as opposed to 'fixing' them within our fields…CEC is really a measurement of the soils ability to hold and release nutrients, so when we try to determine the amount of nutrients to include in a variable rate application recommendation, it is imperative we first understand how available and tightly bound those nutrients are within the soil.
Week #3: Feb 17th - 1:30 pm (EST)
Soil Health Research Update | Register on Zoom
The topic of Soil Health has had a lot of buzz recently. During this 1.5-hour session, hear about the numerous research findings that A&L has led, including developing new methods and tests to quantify soil health. An update on current research findings will also be shared.
Soil Health is a function of the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of a soil and many complex interactions between soil chemistry and microbiological have now been directly correlated. Find out how some of the key functions of a healthy soil impact topics such as: acting as a reserve for microbial biomass and nutrients; numerous microbial activities that can aid in the fixation of nutrients; disease suppression; production of Bio-stimulants; and buffering environmental stresses. Soil health management practices will also be discussed.
Week #4: Feb 24th - 1:30 pm (EST)
Potassium and K/Mg Ratio | Register on Zoom
The big brother of the cations, potassium is one of the essentials that is directly tied to over 60 enzyme systems in plants and it is one of the nutrients most used by the plant (hence it is called a macronutrient).
K is the fuel for photosynthesis and is critical to many plant processes including the ATP production pathway. Low K levels are also known to attract leaf sucking insects. Cations should be rated on their optimum level for their soil type (called base saturation) and the ratios of cations like K to Mg (and Ca to Mg) can have a very significant impacts on the availability of other nutrients within the soil.
Improper K:Mg ratios can also have a significant impact on quality and diseases severity. This session will do a deep dive into the role of potassium in your soils.
Week #5: March 3rd - 1:30pm (EST)
Sulfur and the Micronutrients | Register on Zoom
In this session we will discuss sulfur needs by crops and soil release of sulfur plus a discussion on Micronutrients. Although they are called "Micro" nutrients, a deficiency in a micronutrient can have a MACRO impact on yield! For many years, micronutrients have often been left out of fertilizer blends and farmers relied on existing soil levels to meet the plant's needs.
With an increased focus on essential secondary and micronutrients like sulfur, zinc, boron and magnesium (to name a few) and new fertilizer coating technologies that allow micronutrients to be impregnated onto fertilizers, more and more growers and retails are including these products in modern fertilizer blends…that's a great thing as these nutrients are critical to fuel our new high yielding racehorse hybrids.
This 1.5-hour session will do a thorough review of numerous different micronutrients, including nutrient sources and availability, complex nutrient interactions & tie-ups, micronutrients and their relation to critical crop stages as well as their impact on disease and quality.
Week #6: March 10th - 1:30pm (EST)
Plant Tissue Nutrient Analysis and Interpretation | Register on Zoom
Many producers are starting to incorporate plant tissue testing and Plant Monitoring Program "PMP" into their crop production practices. Tissue testing is a great way to demonstrate how nutrient release from the soil is occurring through the growing season. It is also a valuable tool to help identify potential deficiency areas in fields before they can be visually seen.
This allows growers to apply "timely" applications of foliar nutrient products to save yields and improve quality prior to the deficiency taking hold, or to adjust their fertilizer plan for the following season. Reading a tissue report is much different that reading a soil report and understanding the local soil conditions as well as the crop physiological stages from when the sample was taken is imperative to gain value from a tissue test.
By geo-referencing both your soil and tissue sample locations, growers can also "track" over time how their fertilizer and application practices impact nutrient availability in the plant. Best practices for tissue sampling, collection and interpretation will all be reviewed in detail during this 1.5-hour session.
A&L Canada Laboratories' Mission is to help growers and their trusted advisors understand soil and the role it plays in crop production and by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices.