? Integrating cover crops into cash crop systems doesn’t have to mean adding livestock or completely reworking existing farm practices. Saskatchewan agronomist Kerry Nell says on this episode of Farming Forward that integrating a cover crop successfully requires a practical, low-disruption approach to balance limited water resources, tight seeding windows, and short growing seasons. He's... Read More
Category: Regenerative Agriculture
The National Farmers Union (NFU) held its annual convention in Moncton, New Brunswick, last month where delegates from across the country gathered, debating and adopting policy resolutions. Among the items that drew national attention this year was a proposal supporting the exploration of a guaranteed annual income for farmers. NFU vice president of policy Phil... Read More
There’s growing interest in how cover crops influence soil health and their role in managing diseases, but the biological mechanisms driving those plant-soil-interactions is still a work in progress. Understanding underground interactions is part of new research exploring how different cover crop groups shape the soil microbiome and affect disease pressure in subsequent crops. Dr.... Read More
When drought or flood threatens forage supplies, flexibility becomes the foundation of profitability. That’s a principle Bluesette Campbell and her family have put into practice at B-C Ranch (pronounced B bar C) in northwest Saskatchewan, where rotational grazing is key to both profit and sustainability. In this episode of RealAgriculture's Profitable Practices, Campbell explains that... Read More
The Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-food (CANZA) has announced the launch of the Million Acre Challenge aimed at scaling regenerative farming practices across the country. A founding $7-million contribution comes from the Weston family, part of their broader $50-million commitment toward regenerative agriculture in Canada. The initiative is called the Million Acre Challenge to signal... Read More
Riparian areas, those green, ribbon-like zones along streams and rivers, are some of the most productive and ecologically important parts of the landscape. But when it comes to grazing livestock, they’re also among the most fragile. How do producers balance water, forage, and habitat without sacrificing one for the other? This episode of Ruminating with... Read More
At AgSmart in Olds, Alberta, RealAgriculture caught up with Dr. Karthi Narayanan, technical director at Cropland Analytics, to talk about Soil Chek, a comprehensive soil analysis tool. Unlike traditional tests that focus mainly on chemistry, Soil Chek integrates physical, chemical, and biological properties to give farmers a clearer picture of soil function, he says. Narayanan... Read More
When the nights turn crisp and the drill is parked, is it still worth chasing green? This Ruminating with RealAg episode tackles the late-fall question: what to do when it feels “too late” to seed cover crops, and whether a few leaves before snowfall can still pay back in soil health or livestock feed. Host... Read More
"You're growing soil, that's your crop, and your plants and animals are tools to do that." In this episode of Ruminating with RealAg, Dr. Kris Nichols, founder and principal scientist of KRIS Systems, joins host Amber Bell to discuss the world beneath our boots. While the two discuss a lot of the finer details of... Read More
The division between urban and rural populations has existed for generations. It’s understandable—someone living in a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Calgary might find it hard to grasp the challenges a rancher faces to produce the high-quality ribeye steak on their plate. Conversely, that same rancher might struggle to relate to the Calgarian’s daily life and... Read More