28 Our Advertisers Appreciate Your Business Better Farming | January 2024 BENEFITS OF CALCIUM Calcium is an essential nutrient that has been slowly depleting from Canadian soils over the years, and it’s possible that your farm is starting to feel the lack. What is calcium? According to Morgan Duggan, the head agronomist with Norstar Agriculture in Edmonton, Alta., “calcium is a lot of things, but overall, it’s a macronutrient that is required to grow a crop.” Like calcium is good for bones in humans, it also has “a big role for the ‘bones’ of the plants – like the cell walls, membranes, and plant structure.” Nutrients are considered either micro- or macronutrients and are categorized by the amount needed in the crop. As their names imply, micronutrients are needed in tiny amounts, and macronutrients are needed in large amounts. Calcium is considered one of the six macronutrients: N, P, K, S, Ca, and Mg. If it’s a macronutrient, why is it not always included with regular fertilizer blends in Canada? Duggan explains that “here in Canada, we broke the land pretty recently – about 100 years ago. The calcium numbers in the soil held up really well until the last couple decades, so we never needed to add it back into the soil.” However, regular removal of a nutrient without replacing it will eventually lead to a deficit, no matter how much you start with. “We are starting to see that deficit now.” What does that deficit look like? Turns out, calcium deficiency is pretty subtle. “You don’t actually see the calcium deficiency outside of a tissue sample, or low pH in a soil sample,” explains Duggan. “You might see deformities in new growth, but often Morgan Duggan photo GOT MILK? By STACY BERRY YOUR CROP & YOUR SOILS COULD BENEFIT FROM MORE CALCIUM
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