Soils were the topic of conversation at the National Farmers Union (NFU) annual convention, which took place in London, ON last week.

The NFU's regional coordinator for Manitoba, Ian Robson, says organic matter was one of the highlights, adding that over the past 100 years, we've lost around half the organic matter in soils on the Prairies. He says it's important to find ways to rebuild that organic matter.

"That involves using perennial crops, which support livestock production, and green cover crops, green manure crops — we're just beginning to know about the life in the soil. It's a fairly new area of research," he says.

Robson says some of the convention's guest speakers spoke about soil life, and one of the resolutions brought up for discussion called for the establishment of a green cover program.

He says because soil is the base of agriculture, a strong commitment is needed to build up organic matter.