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Grain on the BrainAuthor: Karen Klassen, Scott Beaton
Tune in as we are joined by industry experts and farmers to discuss important issues in organic grain farming. Check out our website at www.manitobaorganicalliance.com and www.pivotandgrow.com and see what organic grain production can do for you. We bring the resources, tools and expertise you need to get growing! Grain on the Brain podcast is created by the Prairie Organic Grain Initiative; working to create resilience and stability in the prairie organic grain sector. This podcast is partially funded by the Prairie Organic Development Fund. Language: en-ca Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Nutrient Budgeting
Episode 2
Tuesday, 4 November, 2025
Creating a nutrient budget will help you evaluate the effect of nutrient management on your fields’ sustainability and help you assess efficiency and improve resource allocation. The Nutrient Budgeting Web App was developed to help with multi-year nutrient management planning, especially for producers that rely on biological nitrogen fixation and/or occasional inputs of manure or other soil fertility amendments. This multi-year approach to nutrient management planning can help to optimize production while decreasing nutrient loss to the environment by doing a better job of matching soil nutrients to crop needs.The Nutrient Budgeting App will help you calculate whether nutrients are accumulating or being depleted from your fields over time. It makes it easy for you to add up the nutrients you are bringing onto your fields (including through N fixation by legumes) and subtract the nutrients that leave your fields to help you plan your crop rotations and soil amendments. The NBA is meant to be used alongside other nutrient management tools, such as soil testing.Whether you are an organic producer, transitioning to organic production or a conventional producer wanting to better understand how legumes in your rotation can help you reduce synthetic nitrogen use, the NAB will help you understand the efficiency and flow of nutrients in your fields.Resources linkshttps://pivotandgrow.com/resources/grain-resources/grain-production/nutrient-budgeting/SponsorOur podcast is supported by generous donations, grants and sponsorships. This episode was funded in part by Conservation Trust and Farmers for Climate Solutions. If you would like to sponsor an episode, contact us at info@manitobaorganics.com.Guest bioJoanne Thiessen Martens Dr. Joanne Thiessen Martens is Assistant Professor of Soil Chemistry and Fertility in the Department of Soil Science at the University of Manitoba. She teaches and conducts research on soil fertility and nutrient flows in agroecosystems, especially phosphorus dynamics and alternative crop production systems, including organic production. Her current research focuses on the interactions among soil, plants, and fertilizers, especially with recycled phosphorus inputs like struvite, as well as strategies to increase sustainability and resilience in prairie cropping systems. Joanne has worked with farmers, agronomists, extension personnel, and researchers across Manitoba and Canada, as well as internationally.
