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.

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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

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