In 2024, the team at Sollio Agriculture’s research farm conducted many research projects in sustainable agriculture. We tested a smart sprayer, herbicide banding, and the use of drone technology to sow cover crops, all in an effort to reduce risk indices and improve soil health. The results are promising, both agronomically and economically.

Farmers who want to adopt best practices for sustainable agriculture need look no further than Sollio Agriculture’s agri-environmental agri-advisors, who are always up on the latest innovations and developments in the field.

As part of Congrès végétal 2024, agri-environmental agri-advisors from across Québec and Eastern Ontario came together for two day–long training sessions on sustainable farming.

Sollio Agriculture’s crop production research farm has been innovating for 45 years. These days, scientists at the farm are busy testing seed varieties and agricultural practices aimed at helping farmers adapt to climate change while optimizing crop profitability.

At the Sollio Agriculture crop production research farm, scientists are testing seed varieties and agricultural practices to help Canadian farmers adapt to climate change while optimizing crop profitability. Here’s what they’re working on in 2024.

The Sollio Agriculture website is a reliable source of information that gives farmers in all sectors access to a treasure trove of tips, trends and expert advice. While you wait for new content, don’t miss our top 5 articles of 2023!

For the past two years, Sollio Agriculture’s research farm has been testing management practices and conducting research to train agri-advisors and help farmers adopt new sustainable farming practices. Like these three projects:

1. Harvesting rainwater with an irrigation pond

Although it isn’t a research project per se, the farm pond collects rainwater that is used to irrigate the fusarium nursery.

Analyzing soil in the field with a smart probe may not be such a distant dream after all. For some time now, staff at the Sollio Agriculture crop production research farm in Saint-Hyacinthe have been testing a probe from ChrysaLabs that could be used to adjust farming practices quickly and improve crop fertilization.

For the past two years, members of the research farm’s team have been lugging ChrysaLabs’ futuristic-looking, smart soil-analysis probe around their plots.

Developing new seed varieties requires about 10 years of testing, improvements and innovation. In this interview, Lucie Kablan, agronomist and researcher in field crop management, details the scientific process behind Sollio Agriculture’s research farm.

What are the major stages involved in developing new varieties?

The easiest way to explain it is by using the diagram below of the stages of seed production.

Here at Sollio Agriculture’s research farm, we leave nothing to chance. It takes several years of research and field work all over the country to get a product to your field. Our team even bakes bread and hand makes certain crop varieties. It’s that kind of attention to detail and commitment to sustainable innovation that ultimately helps farmers improve their yields.

Here at Sollio Agriculture’s research farm, we leave nothing to chance. It takes several years of research and field work all over the country to get a product to your field. Our team will even hand make certain varieties and use them to bake bread. It’s that kind of attention to detail and innovative spirit that ultimately helps farmers improve their yields.

Elite Seeds brings together researchers and advisors who work hand in hand to promote excellence. For the research farm team in Saint-Hyacinthe and the advisors, the goal is the same every year: to provide grain farmers with the most high-performance and consistent seeds.