Resources links

Learn more about struvite from the Manitoba Cooperator:

https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/struvite-fertilizer-from-winnipeg-sewers/

Organic Federation Canada published a detailed article on Phosphorus cycling in organic systems that can be found here:

https://mailchi.mp/organicfederation/phosphorousstruvite

Sponsor

Our podcast is supported by generous donations, grants and sponsorships. This episode was funded in part by Conservation Trust.  If you would like to sponsor an episode, contact us at info@manitobaorganics.com.  

Guest bio  

Ian and Jo-Anne Cushon, along with their son...

Creating a nutrient budget will help you evaluate the effect of nutrient management on your fields’ sustainability and help you assess efficiency and improve resource allocation. The Nutrient Budgeting Web App was developed to help with multi-year nutrient management planning, especially for producers that rely on biological nitrogen fixation and/or occasional inputs of manure or other soil fertility amendments. This multi-year approach to nutrient management planning can help to optimize production while decreasing nutrient loss to the environment by doing a better job of matching soil nutrients to crop needs.

The Nutrient Budgeting App will help yo...

Resources links

Canada Grazing Exchange

A free online platform connecting livestock owners with landowners across Canada who have available grazing land or cover crops. A great tool to help improve soil health and make the most of forage opportunities.
 www.canadagrazingexchange.com

Gateway Research Organization (GRO)

Based in Westlock, Alberta, GRO is a local Applied Research Association offering practical, science-based information on topics like soil health, pasture management, and livestock. They host regular winter "CropTalk" sessions and pasture webinars—perfect to catch live or rewatch later. Many producers enjoy tuning in...

Today Scott talks with John Cote who runs John Boy Farms near St. Agathe Manitoba. John shares about his experience growing vegetables for the local market and how and why he chose to focus on garlic. They also cover a few other topics such as soil health, cover crops and inputs.

In this episode, Scott interviews Cody Straza and Ian Cushon in a live panel format, recorded at the Organic Connections show in Saskatoon. Both are experienced organic farmers and they cover a wide variety of topics including species diversity, green manures, soil fertility, livestock and more.

Resources links

Rodale Institute has some excellent information around composting as well

https://rodaleinstitute.org/why-organic/organic-farming-practices/composting/

Resources links

One fantastic way to build soil health and improve the water infiltration capacity of your soil is to integrate livestock onto your land.  For grain farmers who don’t own livestock, MOA and MFGA have built a website to help facilitate partnerships between grain and livestock farmers. It’s a great way to terminate and reincorporate your green manure and build your soil biology. FInd out more here: https://manitobagrazingexchange.com/

The panel mentioned Mark Shepard’s keyline permaculture design, so we thought we’d include a link to a presentation he made last year...

Resources links

You can contact Neal Wagar, Manitoba Technical Sales Rep via email neal@overtonee.ca or  phone (204-218-2221) for any questions about Ecotea.

Recent study results have been uploaded to our website as well in the Resources section: https://manitobaorganicalliance.com/podcasts/season-3-episode-6-biologicals/

http://www.eco-tea.ca/

https://youtu.be/sIsfmR7NK1Y

https://youtu.be/KZzACqUuSYk

www.overtonenvironmental.ca

www.ecotea.ca

Sponsor

Our podcast is supported by generous donations, grants and sponsorships. This episode was s...

Resources links

Curtis mentioned Manitoba Agriculture’s Soil Management Guide as a great resource in learning more about soils in general and how to manage them:

https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/environment/soil-management/soil-management-guide/

Sponsor

Our podcast is supported by generous donations, grants and sponsorships. This episode was funded in part by the Canadian government through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Prairie Organic Development Fund and the Conservation Trust. MOA is also thankful for its gold sponsors, Millview Farms, La Milanaise, SeCan, Kroeker Farms and XiteBio. If you would like to...

Resources links

Check out the Rodale Institute resources, webinars and courses

https://rodaleinstitute.org/why-organic/organic-basics/

Education Course

https://rodaleinstitute.org/education/

https://courses.rodaleinstitute.org/p/rodale-institute-transition-to-organic

Contact Nic for more information about accessing consultant services and takin the 

Education courses: nic.podoll@rodaleinstitute.org 

+1(218)789-1044 (based in Minnesota)

Get some financial support during your transition to organics through The Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) “Support Organic Change Fund”.

https://www.canada-organic.ca/en/what-we-do/market-access/organic-conversion-support-program

Spo...

Resources links

The WADO annual report with its 2020 results can be found here:

https://mbdiversificationcentres.ca/westman-agricultural-diversification-organization/

You can also use their search tool to find the results from all the trials they’ve conducted over the past decade.

Southeast research farm in Redvers SK also does lots of intercropping research:

https://southeastresearchfarm.org/

Sponsor

Our podcast is supported by generous donations and sponsorships. This episode was funded in part by the Canada and Manitoba governments through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and the Prairie Organic De...

The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security supports a national Participatory Plant Breeding Program - PPB - with the University of Manitoba that puts farmers in the driver's seat to select varieties that are adaptive to their organic growing conditions, and their climates. To find out more about this innovative work, please visit www.seedsecurity.ca

You can also learn more about the PPB program on the University of Manitoba’s Natural Systems Agriculture page:

https://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/naturalagriculture/ppb.html

Sponsor

Our podcast is supported by generous do...

Resources links

Check out Dr. Kris Nichols’ website to learn more about her work and soil health resources:

https://kris-systems.com/

She has a method in her Resources section for COLLECTING SOIL AGGREGATES AND MEASURING AGGREGATE STABILITY

https://www.cog.ca/every-day-should-be-world-soil-day/

For more about the Canadian Organic Growers “Canadian Access Project”:

https://www.cog.ca/the-canadian-access-project/

The Canadian Organic Growers are looking for participants in the Canadian Access Project

We are looking for organic pea, oat, beef, carrot, and blueberry producers who would...

Resources links

You can get involved as a Farmer For Climate Solutions by going to their website and clicking on the Take Action button

https://farmersforclimatesolutions.ca/

Find more information about the newly released policy report here:

https://farmersforclimatesolutions.ca/budget-2021-recommendation

Rural Routes to Climate Solutions

https://rr2cs.ca/

Manitoba Organic Alliance

https://manitobaorganicalliance.com/

Sponsor

Funding is provided in part by the Canada and Manitoba governments through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and Millview Farms.

...

Guest bio for Dr. Doug Cattani

Doug received his BSA and MSc. from the University of Manitoba (Plant Breeding) and his PhD. from Wageningen University, The Netherlands in Plant Production Ecology. He has worked with herbaceous perennial for over three decades with emphasis on breeding and seed production. His current position is as Perennial Crop Breeder in the Department of Plant Science at the University of Manitoba with the breeding of intermediate wheatgrass and perennial sunflower for grain production as the major focus.

If you're in Manitoba and interested in growing a small plot of...

Resources

Our resource list this episode is directly from our guest Ward Middleton and includes the resources he has found helpful on his own farm.

For farmers who may be interested in integrating livestock that they do not own, like winter feeding someone else's cows and are concerned about cost effective ways to make that possible, here are some articles I used:  

Assessing Chaff Feed Value:  https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/livestock/production/beef/increasing-cow-calf-profitability-using-chaff-and-chaff-straw-feedstuffs.html

Value of using hay as a means of nutrient import as pa...

Resources

Find out more about the CARA soil health lab 

https://www.carasoilhealthlab.ca/

Want to get out on your field and do some measurements? 

The CARA soil health lab has some videos demonstrating water infiltration and using a soil penetrometer here:

https://www.carasoilhealthlab.ca/gallery-1

The NRCS also has great soil health and assessment resources.

Methods to do a water infiltration test:

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052494.pdf

And lots more tests to do fo...

Resources links

Read about soil health research on organic farms conducted by the Organic Farming Research Foundation:

https://ofrf.org/research/reports/

Dig deeper into Soil Health on the National Resources Conservation Service’s website: 

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/soils/health/?cid=stelprdb1245890

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/

If you're near Quebec City and are interested in participating in Professor Kallenbach's research, she is always looking for additional good field sites, particularly with areas of...

Guest bios

Iris

Iris Vaisman is the Prairie Regional Coordinator for the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security and the Grains Program Manager at Organic Alberta. In these roles, she has the joy and privilege of partnering with farmers, researchers, industry, government and various stakeholders to work on diverse projects. The projects aim to contribute to the resilience of seed systems and organic grain production systems. Before taking on these roles, Iris worked at the University of Manitoba as a research technician, working on research that included participatory plant breeding, cover crops, organic no-till...

Sponsor

Funding is provided in part by the Canada and Manitoba governments through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

Additional sponsorship has been provided by Secan.

SeCan is the largest supplier of certified seed to Canadian farmers with more than 600 independent seed business members from coast to coast engaged in seed production, processing and marketing. We are a private, not-for-profit, member corporation with the primary goal of accessing and promoting leading genetics.

https://www.secan.com/

Resources links

The Xerces Society has some great resources:

https://xerces...

We recorded today’s episode in March at the 2020 Prairie Organics Conference in Brandon Manitoba. 

Scott gets into the weeds with Sam Hitchcock Tilton as they discuss ways to control weeds at all stages of their life cycle throughout the growing season.

Sponsor

Thanks to Regen Ag Solutions for helping to sponsor this episode. If you’re thinking about trying out some of the machines Sam and Scott were talking about, check out their website at https://regenagsolutions.ca/ or give them a call on 1-204-999-1232.

Their farming solutions aim t...

Our host, Scott Beaton, chats with Kevin Elmy from Cover Crops Canada about …..wait for it….cover crops. 

They talk about why we should all be growing them in the first place and then get into some of the nitty gritty details about some timing issues, how to plan a cover crop mix and how cover crops actually work to improve your soil aggregates and water infiltration.

Thanks to Imperial Seed for helping to sponsor this episode. If you’re thinking about growing a cover crop this year, check out their website at https://imperialseed.com/ or...

Join our host Scott Beaton in conversation with Transitioning organic grain farmer, Alex Boersch from Elie, MB, interviews Alan McKenzie, an experienced organic grain farmer from Nesbitt, MB. . With host Scott Beaton, they discusses strategies, perceptions, challenges, and opportunities of transitioning into organic grain. Hear their perspective on rotations, managing weeds, markets, paperwork and more.

Bio: Alex Boersch has a bachelor and Masters in Agri-Business and science from INP Purpan (University in Touluse, France). He has worked for two years in Toronto for DG Global Inc as a grain trader and moved back to the farm July...

Join our host Scott Beaton in conversation with Brenda Frick, organic expert on weeds in organic cropping , to talk about practical and helpful tips for managing weeds in organic cropping. With host Scott Beaton, she discusses how to prevent and manage those tough weeds like Canada Thistle and Bind Weed. Learn understanding weed cycles and what practices farmers use to reduce them.

Bio: Brenda Frick is a partner in Resilient Solutions Consulting. Brenda has a wealth of experience in organic research extension having authored many resources for organics along with an expertise in managing weeds in organic...

Join our host Scott Beaton in conversation with organic grain expert Joanne Thiessen Martens to talk about taking soil samples and plant tissue samples. Learn when to take sample, how to take the sample, where to send your samples and how to interpret the results. Sampling and testing can help you understand what's happening on your farm and make management decisions or interventions if required. In organic systems, mainstream soil tests might not capture everything that you need to know to make management decisions and by adding plant tissue samples it can give you a better picture of what's...

Join our host Scott Beaton in conversation with Organic grain farmer Ian Cushon and organic buyer Scott Shiels to learn about the opportunities and challenges that come along with marketing organic grain. Organic farmers can take advantage by paying attention to what's happening in the market place and planning crops accordingly . The organic industry is a smaller community and everyone wants to help each other so learn the network and learn to ask questions. Learn what might be a good crop to start with and how to approach speciality markets. Hear about the importance of maintaining grain quality on...

Join our host Scott Beaton in conversation with Katherine Stanley to talk about strategies for designing organic crop rotations that build soil fertility, manage weeds and prevent disease and pests. Learn about planning green manures that will set you up for a successful cash crop. Scott and Katherine discuss applying manure, integrating livestock grazing and options including perennials in your rotation.

Bio: Katherine Stanley is a Research Associate at the University of Manitoba's Natural Systems Agriculture. She has a MSc. in plant science from the University of Saskatchewan and a B.Sc. in Agroecology from the University...