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.

So far, the only thing predictable about the weather of 2018 is its unpredictability. From a winter that brought us an unusually low snow cover in most parts of the Prairies, to a very snowy March and a cool/cold April, it’s anyone’s guess how May will play out. 

Even though it is not without its challenges, producers usually want to get a jump on seeding, knowing that early seeding usually translates to bigger yields and better quality at harvest. However, early seeding isn’t the only factor in maximizing yield potential and quality.