The main goal of our experiment was to determine the main factors determining yield of green biomass of spring barley in the conditions of Southern Alberta. To analyze soil properties in the field, grid sampling was conducted at 1-ha grid. Soil samples were collected from the depths of 0…15 and 15…60 cm and analyzed for over 20 different characteristics including soil organic matter content, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and the concentrations of macro- and micronutrients. Spatial variability of green biomass in the field was estimated using normalize difference vegetation index (NDVI) calculated from a multispectral satellite image (Landsat 5TM) collected at the peak of the growing season. In addition, surface curvature was calculated for the same field using high-resolution elevation data. As a result of analysis, it was determined that soil organic matter content was strongly correlated to the NDVI and field surface curvature, whereas the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus had only a weak correlation with the vegetation index. In the conditions of Southern Alberta, field topography determines the level of soil moisture. Therefore, the amount of plant available water in soil was the most important factor determining the uptake of nutrients by plants and crop development in the field. The strategy for nutrient management in Southern Alberta should be oriented to the optimization of soil moisture to create favorable conditions for the uptake of the main nutrients.