Nutrient Removal and Soil Health on the Prairies
As harvest rolls across the Prairies, it’s time to start thinking about what this season’s success pulled from your soil and how to replenish what was removed. Your yield tells a story. Every bushel you pulled off the field came with a cost in nutrients. Understanding nutrient removal rates is essential for building next season’s nutrition strategy.
What Is Nutrient Removal?
Nutrient removal is the process by which crops take up essential nutrients from the soil to support their growth; and those nutrients leave the field with your harvested crop. If they’re not replaced, soil reserves decline over time, leading to lower yields and imbalanced soil conditions.
Typical Nutrient Removal by Prairie Crops
While actual nutrient removal depends on your yield, here are general estimates for the nutrients removed by key Prairie crops per metric tonne of harvested grain:
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These numbers are averages and can vary with hybrid, variety, and yield potential. Higher yields mean greater nutrient uptake and higher nutrient removal.
Soileos and Micronutrient Support
Zinc and iron deficiencies are becoming more common as Prairie soils continue to be cropped intensively. These micronutrients are critical for early root development, enzyme function, and overall plant health. Soileos delivers crop-available zinc and iron through a climate-smart formulation that supports:
- Faster emergence
- Stronger root development
- More vigorous plant growth
If your fields showed strong early growth this season, Soileos and the microbiome likely played a part and now is the time to think about how to maintain or improve that advantage next year.
Starting Points for Next Season’s Nutrient Strategy
When developing your crop nutrition plan:
- Estimate nutrient removal based on your actual yields. Using tools like the Prairie Nutrient Removal Calculator, which helps you calculate nutrient removal based on crop and yield data specific to Western Canada.
- Soil test to understand your current nutrient reserves.
- Match crop needs based on removal rates and crop sensitivity.
- Adjust for rotation and past performance. Fields following canola or cereals may have different micronutrient dynamics.
- Supporting the soil microbiome with organic matter, cover crops, and inputs that encourage microbial life and nutrient cycling.
Think Beyond NPK
While macronutrients matter, long-term soil performance depends on a holistic approach:
- Crop rotation with pulses or cover crops can improve nitrogen fixation and break pest cycles.
- Cover crops like oats or clover add organic matter, reduce erosion, and support microbial life.
- Organic matter feeds the biological engine of the soil and improves water retention and nutrient exchange.
Together, these practices reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers, lower costs over time, and build soil resilience.
You Watched It Grow. Now Feed What’s Next.
This season, Soileos helped your crops get out of the ground quickly, built robust roots, and finished strong. As you plan for the next crop, remember: better yields mean more nutrients removed—and more to replace. With the right tools, insight, and support from Soileos, you’re ready to fuel next year’s success.
