Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The Future of Agricultural Technology, Today

Veris Technologies has become a name known as the go to tool for advanced soil information.  Offering 3 different sensing systems Veris Technologies can provide information on Soil Type, Organic Matter and PH levels individually or in any combination of the 3.  Here is the 3 types of soil sampling systems available and how you can benefit from knowedge gained.

Soil EC Sensing- Is soil electrical conductivity, a measurement of how much current your soil conducts.  It’s an effective way to map soil type and texture because smaller soil particles such as clay conduct more electrical current than larger silt and sand particles.  You may ask why does this matter?  Soil texture has a major impact on productivity, affecting water holding capacity, cation-exchange-capacity (CEC), drainage, top soil depth, and nutrient use efficiency.  Mobile nutrients like nitrogen are leached through light soil and lost through de-nitrification in heavy soils.  Immobile nutrients like P and K will vary with reason- especially crop removal variances.  Soil EC maps define the soil texture variability, so your samples are in the right spot and your prescriptions change where your soil does.

Soil OM Sensing- Is the measurement of the level of organic matter contained within soil.  If you want to vary inputs based on productive capacity, a precise map of organic matter is crucial.  Soil OM is an indicator of past productivity, and a driver of current productivity.  Because OM forms slowly over time, soils that are higher in OM possess the combination of soil texture, internal drainage, landscape position, and other factors that over a long period of time have consistently generated additional plant growth-resulting in higher soil OM.  Now, that increased soil OM level also leads to even higher productive capacity-due to better water and nutrient-holding ability, nitrogen mineralization, and soil structure.  On fields where organic matter is added through manure and other amendments, an OM map reveals where levels are low, and could benefit from additional OM.

Soil PH Sensing- Is the measurement of the levels of PH contained with soil.  Soil PH is an important factor in crop production.  Nutrient usage, crop growth, and herbicide activity are all affected by the PH of the soil.  Grid samples are simply not dense enough to do the job.  Within 2 ½ acre (1Ha) grids, there is a wide range of PH values, often ranging from soils that call for lime to soils that are extremely high in PH.

 

Growers, consultants and suppliers are using Veris Technologies to devise management zones, set sampling locations, vary seed rates, irrigation and nematicides, variable rate population, nitrogen management, soil amendments, herbicides, cultivar selection.  With inputs at an all time high, with no relief in sight.   Put lime and other inputs in its place with unmatched precision.

The Veris Technology available through Northern Equipment Solutions in Ontario allows you to obtain a better understanding of exactly what your farm requires and ways to improve growth. This tool is helping to change the face of Agriculture for the future.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paul Smith is the owner of Northern Equipment Solutions and based in Central Ontario, Canada. Providing Quality Potato Equipment, Precision Agriculture and Other Advanced Equipment, Northern Equipment Solutions ensures that your profits and yields are maximized. www.northernequipment.ca or sales@northernequipment.ca

Views: 222

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

*Webinars* Strategies for Reducing Calf Losses: Veterinary Insights from Across Canada

Are calf losses cutting into your beef operation’s productivity and profitability? You are not alone! The BCRC is hosting two 90-minute webinars featuring veterinarians from across Canada who work directly with cow-calf operations like yours. A March 18 webinar will feature veterinarians who work with Eastern Canadian cow-calf operations, sharing insights on practical prevention strategies to implement before, during and after calving to increase calf survivability. During the March 25 webinar, Western Canadian veterinarians will outline regionally relevant approaches for reducing calf losses, highlighting essential pre-calving strategies and practical management techniques to use during calving to help ensure healthier outcomes for both cows and calves.   Both webinars will include an extended Q&A session, giving you plenty of time to ask questions. Each webinar will also be available for?one continuing education (CE) credit for veterinarians and registered veterinary technologists

China halts tariffs on some Canadian ag

Some Canadian ag products will have tariff-free access to China as of March 1

Farmers Face Harsh Truths While Refusing to Abandon Their Way of Life

A recent post on social media by a friend asked to add a line from a movie that fans of it would instantly recognize. One of my contributions was, “You can’t handle the truth.” While that line came in a courtroom scene from one of my favorite movies with Jack Nicholson yelling it at Tom Cruise, it actually got me thinking about farming. Many of us who grew up on a farm have seen both good and tough times. That is the truth. But what are we currently experiencing and can we handle these truths? American Farm Bureau recently said there was a 46% increase in farm bankruptcies in 2025. That’s pretty sobering. Those of us who grew up during the farm crisis in the 1980s, when more than 250,000 farmers filed for bankruptcy, never want to hear about someone losing a farm. For a few years I’ve personally been concerned about what’s happening in our farming communities. Interest rates have been plenty high; input costs don’t seem to come down when market prices do. Farmers have always been pr

As US agriculture flails, farmers see big corn acres as best bet to break even

U.S. farmers, though punished by slumping prices after last year’s monster corn harvest, are expected to cut back only slightly on their plantings of the grain in 2026 as they brace for a fourth straight year of narrow profit margins or even losses. Farmers expect corn, the most widely grown U.S. crop, to hew close to break-even levels this year, supported by strong usage. Some see soybeans as riskier, given rising competition from Brazil and a volatile U.S. trade relationship with top buyer China. “Right now, you absolutely cannot make money on beans,” said Tim Gregerson, who farms in eastern Nebraska. “You can probably break even on corn, but you are going to have to have an extraordinary yield, or a price increase,” Gregerson said. Most growers in America’s Midwest farm belt grow both crops, alternating what gets planted on each field from year to year to boost soil health. Many add wheat, sorghum, cotton or other crops to their rotations. But among farmers who have some flexible

This is Agriculture: Producer, advocate, industry leader

Jill Verwey lives and breathes agriculture. Her roots growing up on a mixed grain and cattle operation in rural Manitoba lend themselves well to her current roles – the office manager for Verwey Farms Ltd., president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), and first vice president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA). Jill’s pride in Canadian agriculture is unmistakable. Learn more about her career and advocacy journey below. Describe your job or product in one sentence. My role includes managing the day-to-day administration and financial operations of our family farm, overseeing food and animal safety and human resources, and representing agricultural producers provincially and nationally through leadership roles with KAP, CFA, and various boards and advisory groups. Where did you grow up? Was it an agriculture or urban environment? I grew up in rural Manitoba on a mixed grain and cattle operation. I have been married for 32 years, and my husband and I are involved in

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service