30 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA JULY 2026 COVER CROP CORNER MANY OF THE challenges producers face tend to repeat themselves. Herbicide-tolerant weeds, erosion, soil compaction, and high input costs are common frustrations. Sometimes these issues resolve on their own; other times, marketing offers a quick fix. The answer often seems simple: spend money and make the problem go away — at least temporarily. But when we take a systems approach, the path to real, lasting solutions becomes clearer. In most cases, the problems we face originate from our own management, often compounded by environmental conditions. If management created the problem, continuing with the same practices certainly won’t fix it. As the old saying goes: if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. The first question should always be: are we treating a symptom, or the actual cause? A symptom is merely a sign of an undesir able situation. A cause is what creates it. When we only treat symptoms, they may fade for a short time, but the underlying problem remains. Meaningful change requires identifying the cause and adjusting management, so the issue doesn’t return. STOP TREATING SYMPTOMS: WHY FARM MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS NEED SYSTEMS-THINKING SOLUTIONS By: Kevin Elmy Elmy is founder of Cover Crops Canada. His book Cover Cropping in Western Canada is available through Friesen Press, Amazon, and digitally through Apple Books, Kindle, and Google Play. For more info on Cover Crops Canada visit covercrops.ca Compaction: A Classic Case of Mistaking Symptom for Cause Zero-till was once seen as the cure for soil compaction. While it helps slow further compac tion, it doesn’t eliminate the underlying issue. Common symptoms include hard soil, poor infiltration, shallow rooting, reduced nutrient efficiency, low beneficial organism populations, erosion, and declining yields. Producers often respond with deep ripping or other one-step “solutions” that may provide tem porary relief. But compaction usually stems from deeper causes: excessive nitrogen use, over-tillage, limited functional plant diversity, removing resi due, and leaving soil bare for long periods. Solving compaction means working with natural processes — not fighting them. A more complete solution might include a stra tegic rip combined with biological amendments like hydrolyzed fish and humic acid, followed by deep-rooted cover crops. It could also involve reevaluating fertilizer strategies, adding relay or perennial crops, increasing plant diversity, adjust ing tire pressures, and managing axle loads. The more causes you address, the better the results. Weeds: Indicators, Not Enemies Weeds are often treated like a problem to be eradicated, but they’re really indicators of soil conditions. They reflect our management choices. Jay McCaman’s When Weeds Talk offers valuable insight into why certain weeds appear — and what they’re telling us. Many weeds are early-successional plants. Trees sit at the top of the succession ladder, while our crops fall somewhere in between. Elaine Ingham demonstrates this with the fungal-to-bac terial ratio, which shows where a plant commu nity lies on the succession scale. Importantly, this ratio fluctuates quickly, so it must be viewed as an average over the growing season. Wild Oats: A Biological Issue, not a Chemical One Wild oats fade when the fungal-to-bacterial ratio remains above 0.3. Achieving this means encour Wild oats fade when the fungal-to-bacterial ratio remains above 0.3.
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