• Many Manitoba soils are suitable for growing crops such as canola.A field of Canola in Canada image by Christina McWilliams from Fotolia.com
  
  While there are more than 1,000 identified soil types in Manitoba, about 550 of those are in agricultural areas. For farming purposes, these soils can be broadly divided into categories. The Canada Land Inventory, a federal government project, developed a classification system of soil capability for agricultural use, divided into seven classes ranging from very productive to very poor soil.
  
  

Class 1

• Class 1 soils have no significant limitations in terms of agriculture and are capable of high productivity for a number of different crops. The land is fairly level and both drains well and can retain necessary water. These soils have little damage from erosion and are easy to maintain.
  
  

Class 2

• Soils in Class 2 have moderate limitations and are not suitable for quite as many crops as Class 1 soils, but are still highly productive. They may also require some additional management practices, but in general farmers should not encounter many difficulties. Limitations include adverse climate, low but correctable fertility and moderately sloping land.
  
  

Class 3

• Class 3 soils have similar but more severe limitations than Class 2 soils which further restricts crop options. But under good management, this soil type can still achieve moderate productivity. This type of soil often has a combination of factors leading to its agricultural limitations, including poor drainage, severe stoniness and moderate salinity.
  
  

Class 4

• Soils in Class 4 are only suitable for a few crops and the risk of crop failure is high, but a specially adapted crop may fare better than regular crops. These types of soils have a combination of the factors that affect Class 2 and Class 3 soils, or other limitations such as a very restricted rooting zone or severe past erosion.
  
  

Class 5

• Class 5 soils have such severe limitations that they cannot sustainably grow annual field crops. With intensive management techniques, some of these soils can be used for cultivated field crops, but production of perennial forage crops is more feasible. Limitations of this type of soil include severe salinity and shallow soil coverage over bedrock.
  
  

Class 6

• Class 6 soils can only be used for forage crops, and even good management cannot improve the soil to the point where it can sustain other crops. Some soils in this class are physically unable to be improved by farm machinery and others may have inadequate watering facilities, in addition to the limitations that affect other classes of soils.
  
  

Class 7

• Soils in Class 7 are so severely limited that they are not capable of growing crops nor even being used as pasture land. Land that contains this type of soil is best put to other purposes.