Major Trends in Farming Practices in Saskatchewan, Canada

Canadian prairie agriculture is currently undergoing significant structural change in response to changing economic, environmental, and political conditions. Adoption of technologies to improve nitrogen use efficiency will have the potential to significantly reduce energy use and GHG. Application of all nitrogen at seeding or split with in crop application will reduce the risk of loss of income due to under or over fertilization. Producers are increasingly adopting extended and diversified crop rotations together with conservation tillage practices. Many of these newer cropping systems are recognized as being more environmentally sustainable; however, often there is conflict between achieving the goal of resource sustainability and the short-term goal of economic viability. long-term Including oilseed and pulse crops in rotations that have traditionally been monoculture and cereal based, and reducing the frequency of summer fallow, contributes to higher net farm incomes in most regions, despite the higher production costs. In general, the profitability of cereal–oilseed–cereal pulse systems is > cereal–oilseed > monoculture cereal rotations in these more humid regions.