An additive that helps moisture retention and long-term soil health is becoming increasingly popular with farmers. 

And it probably doesn't hurt that precipitation has been at a premium over the last couple years. 

Westmoreland Mining owns the Sheerness Mine just outside of Hanna, Alta. The mine has a humalite deposit that has uniquely high concentrations of humic acid (60 to 90 per cent), and low concentrations of heavy metals. 

Humalite is a soil-amendment product that is naturally occurring and environmentally friendly. 

Humalite in hand

"It works well in your soil to help your soil microbes increase the healthiness of your soil. As well, it helps your plants uptake nutrients, increases root growth, has all kinds of benefits," said Westmoreland Mine Engineer Clay Williams, who is the Agriproducts lead at the Sheerness Mine. 

Williams said its ability to retain moisture is very impressive. 

"It's got excessive water-holding capability. It holds 20 to 40 times its weight in water. So in drought years like this, it holds water in the ground really well carrying through drought a little better. It's got all kinds of soil beneficial properties to it." 

The soil-building additive has been the subject of much study, and it's performed well through dry conditions. 

"It creates more space in the soil to hold water," Williams said. "It carries it through a drought pretty well. We definitely noticed it this year at a bunch of the research stations that we were doing work with, that it carries a plant through just that little bit longer to get a little bit further stage before the drought kind of took over this year with the intense heat we had. The extra moisture that held in the ground definitely made a big difference on the crops." 

Customers have been impressed with early returns from the additive. And an early harvest frees up more time for applying the product. 

"[Interest in humalite] has been growing every season," said Williams. "Typically it's a spring and fall-type product, and definitely a big opportunity for this fall being an open fall and having a little more time to get it down with harvesting a little earlier. But it's definitely taking up interest. 

"Out of customers that have come to look at it and trialed, almost everyone has come back to use it on a bigger scale after." 

The focus on humalite continues to ramp up for Westmoreland as well. Williams said they're doing a lot of research on the additive at the Chinook Applied Research Station in Oyen, Alta, and the University of Alberta. 

"They're pretty excited about what this product can do. We've developed this product quite a bit and got it so that it's very user friendly." 

Humalite is screened to a quarter inch and under, so it can be used in any type of application equipment typically used for fertilizer, including thin spreaders. Williams said it's been run through air drills, floaters, and most other applications and is easily hauled in Super Bs. 

You can find out more by calling the Sheerness Mine at 403 854 5200.