Winter 2017–18 was cold, with little snow fall, and spring has begun as a very dry season with many predicting another drought year. Call it climate change, global warming, or any other term you prefer, but our growing conditions across the prairies are becoming hotter and drier.

The change in weather patterns, especially rainfall, is exposing many regions around the world to drought conditions. According to the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative (PARC): “…potential negative impacts include changes in the timing of precipitation, more intense precipitation events, the emergence of new pests, and, especially, the increased frequency and intensity of droughts.”

I’m sure you’ve seen how hard water can leave its mark in and around plumbing fixtures and on clothing, but have you taken the time to consider what it means for your spray solutions?

Water across the Prairie provinces varies from moderately hard to very hard. If you are farming on the Prairies, you are, without question, dealing with some degree of hard water. And, as you may know, hard water goes hand-in-hand with high pH (greater than 7). Not only will hard water decrease the effectiveness of your crop protection products and foliar fertilizers, repeatedly spraying high pH water can make the soil acidic, creating a stressful growing condition for crops.