In this bonus episode of the SAP series, we sit down with two of our coordinators from our Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project (SAP): Riel Houle and Nathan Provost. Both are proud members of the Piikani First Nation and bring Blackfoot cultural knowledge and their own personal connections to the land and agriculture to their work. This conversation…

In this episode of the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast, we’re reconnecting with an old friend of the podcast, Api’soomaahka (translation: Running Coyote). His English name is William Singer III. Api’soomaahka is an artist, land-based educator and founder of Naapi’s Garden and Katoyiss Seed Bank. He returns to the podcast to share updates …

Welcome to Restoring the Margins, our brand new podcast series, in partnership with the Prairie Precision Sustainability Network (PPSN). This series explores how agriculture producers in the Prairies can take their marginal lands and turn them into something both more profitable and more beneficial for the environment. In this opening episode, we’r…

In this episode of the Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project (SAP) podcast series, Lance Tailfeathers sits down with Wolf Caller (Elliot Fox), a leader in land management and now a member of Kainai First Nation’s Council. They discuss the past, present and future of agriculture in Kainai First Nation in southern Alberta, exploring how Blackfoot ways …

Wrapping up our Stories of Regeneration tour, we land in Ottawa at Just Food Community Farm, a 150-acre farmstead located in Ottawa’s Greenbelt that is championing small-scale, viable agriculture businesses and initiatives like Chi Garden and Urban Fresh Produce. Dedicated to cultivating a thriving local food economy and sustainable farming sector,…

On the second-last stop in our Stories of Regeneration tour, we returned to Alberta, making a stop at Peony Farms in Lacombe. Facing his daughter’s health issues, rancher Craig Cameron and his family turned to regenerative farming to grow the healthiest food possible for her. Craig, alongside his father-in-law Peter DenOudsten, shifted their tradit…

In these final three episodes of the series, we’ll be doing some light exploration into the relationship between society and regenerative agriculture and how one can help advance the other. But the real meat and potatoes of the last three episodes, just like in all the other episodes in this series, will be about getting to know and understand the …

For this very special French-language episode of the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast, recorded in the late summer of 2023 during the Stories of Regeneration tour, Sara Maranda-Gauvin of Regeneration Canada talked with brothers Vincent and Simon-Pierre Bolduc of La Station: an organic farm and cheese factory in the Eastern Townships of Que…

If you are a lifelong learner, being an agricultural producer is almost the perfect profession for you. Other economic sectors evolve and adapt over the years, but since nature doesn’t work off of blueprints, learning and adapting in agriculture can happen over days, even hours. You never know what Mother Nature is going to dish out, whether it is …

During the growing season of 2023 as summer turned into fall, the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast and Regeneration Canada were on the final leg of the Stories of Regeneration tour. After covering most of the Prairies and most of central and eastern Canada in the summer, our months-long journey came to an end in Canada’s two most western p…

2023 was a challenging year for Canadian farmers and ranchers and for humanity in general. We had droughts, wildfires, floods, an affordability crisis and a number of armed conflicts. According to scientists working with the European Union, 2023 smashed temperature records globally. And yet, someone like Nova Scotia agricultural producer Rachel Lig…

Fifth generation farmer, Rébeka Frazer-Chiasson believes strongly in the practices of regenerative agriculture. Located in Rogersville, New Brunswick, her farm Ferme Terre Partagee currently operates as a coop based on common values and objectives including peasant agroecology and food sovereignty. Welcome to Stories of Regeneration, a podcast seri…

Soil is very much alive. And hungry too. Some estimates go as far as saying that there is more life in a teaspoon of healthy soil than there are people on the planet. You just need a microscope to see the vast majority of it. Or you do what grain farmer Blake Vince did, and bury a pair of “tighty whities” (underwear) in the soil to produce proof of…

During the growing season of 2023, Rural Routes to Climate Solutions teamed up with Regeneration Canada to connect with agricultural producers across Canada who are tackling the pressing social and environmental crises through the adoption of regenerative agriculture. One such farm is Axten Farms, situated in Minton, Saskatchewan. With a steadfast …

If you’re still wondering how best to incorporate regenerative technologies into your daily operations then you might need a crash course, or at least a motivating podcast episode, that speaks to the business of bacteria. In this kick-off episode of the Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project podcast series, we sit down with Joshua Day Chief to discuss…

In the summer of 2023, a diverse group of storytellers, organizers, and strategists visited 10 farms and ranches in Canada. These farms and ranches were carefully chosen to represent different aspects of Canadian agriculture, including fruit, grains, beef, veggies, and even a vineyard. The purpose of this project, which included videos, articles, a…

During the growing season of 2023, the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast travelled to ten farms and ranches across Canada to find out how regenerative agriculture principles were being applied by agricultural producers involved in different types of agriculture production: grains, livestock, viticulture, vegetables and fruit. What we discov…

Have you ever found yourself scratching your head trying to make sense of all those terms like polycultures, cocktail crops, intercropping, cover crops, companion cropping, and relay crops? It’s understandable! They all seem to be part of the vast landscape of good land stewardship practices, like sustainable agriculture, organic agriculture, agroe…

Welcome to the conclusion of the Getting Through Drought series, where we look at the best management practices cow-calf producers in Alberta can use to build up their resiliency against drought. Our hope is that the series can help with the mental health issues the agriculture sector is grappling with right now. Farming and ranching are stressful …

Dugouts play an important role in cow-calf operations across Alberta. While some farmers have access to well water, most rely on these man-made reservoirs to provide the necessary water that their cattle need to thrive. However, building, repairing or expanding these dugouts can come at a high cost, which is why it’s smart for producers to seek adv…

What do you do when grass, which is often considered a finite resource, is limited by drought and cold weather? In this episode, we discuss management practices that you can use to extend the growing season and avoid feeding expensive bales of hay earlier than necessary. Ben Stuart, who runs two successful farming operations (one in Saskatchewan an…

In a drought, you’re probably more focused on the lack of water falling from the sky than the water table beneath your feet. We’re talking about the groundwater that contributes to the wells and wetlands that have various uses on ranches, from watering cattle to creating critical habitats for wildlife to providing water to do the dishes with. Makin…

Have you ever given any thought to what the perfect cow would be for the conditions we experience in Alberta? Between the punishing winter temperatures, frequent droughts and the occasional flood, perhaps the ideal cow would be a cross between a wooly mammoth and a camel with gills. All jokes aside, we know how stressful a drought can be for a prod…

Welcome back to the Rural Routes to Climate Solutions podcast’s Getting Through Drought series, which looks at the best management practices cow-calf producers in Alberta can use to build up the resiliency of their ranch against drought. For the remainder of the series, we’ll mainly be focusing on grazing management and adjusting grazing during a d…

Sometimes the public’s perception of agriculture doesn’t quite fit the reality. For many, when thinking about agriculture, the farmer is often tall, broad – and let’s be honest – masculine. With the number of female farm operators increasing, you’ve got to wonder if this outdated image is about to change. You may be wondering why we’re doing an epi…

In recent years, mycorrhizal fungi have become a hot topic, especially when talking about soil health. You may be wondering how fungi can improve and foster soil health. Well, mycorrhizal fungi are vast networks of nutrient exchange between plants and other microscopic critters you can find in the soil. Fortunately, the management practices for mai…

Riparian areas can be a value-added project of the wetlands on your land if you choose to leave your wetlands intact. The wetland itself is great for maintaining the water table and can become an important source of water for your cattle. The value added to a wetland that can be found in a riparian area is seemingly endless: water filtration, food …

You could argue that compared to other livestock, cattle are pretty simple to feed – get them grazing during the growing season and feed them bales in the winter. However, this relatively simple feeding system begins to fall apart when you get hit by drought; forage isn’t growing in your pasture and the price of hay goes through the roof. During a …

If you manage them properly, riparian areas can be a savings account that you can tap into during a dry year. There are plenty of good reasons for fencing off and protecting bodies of water on your land, like giving biodiversity a boost or keeping water clean for livestock. Not to mention how handy that strip of greenery adjacent to a wetland can b…

When it comes to soil amendments, charcoal is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But if you really think about it, charcoal is carbon that’s been locked up in the same way that coal is carbon, perfectly sequestered. There’s a catch though – you can’t burn it. But if we can’t burn it, how do we activate the carbon in biochar? In this e…

Welcome to another episode in our Getting Through Drought series. If you live in Alberta and raise cattle, odds are you will try every possible way to keep that spring melt, or heavy rain, on your land. While you may throw in a shelter belt or an eco buffer, we hope that you’re also giving your pasture adequate rest and recovery so moisture can soa…

Welcome to the launch of an exciting new series called Getting Through Drought. It’s safe to say that when it comes to droughts in Alberta, it’s less a matter of if and more a question of when. So, in this series we are exploring the best management practices that cow calf operators in Alberta can use to prepare for the next drought, whenever that …

With fertilizer prices hitting $1,000 a ton, it’s no surprise that cover crops are a hot topic. It makes sense that non-synthetic inputs like cover crops are becoming more and more appealing to producers. There’s many benefits to cover crops – including feeding livestock and pollinators, improving water filtration, suppressing weeds, building soil …

We’re celebrating a pretty cool milestone – 50 podcast episodes! This episode is all about reflecting on the past and anticipating the future. We’ve covered so many great topics and had the most amazing speakers join us. While we can’t highlight or cover it all in our “podcast tour”, we picked ones that impacted the podcast’s trajectory. Since it t…

Most of us are familiar with the Canadian Agricultural Partnership or CAP. It is the funding agreement between the federal government and provinces and territories supporting many programs and services for the agriculture sector. CAP is coming to an end this year and right now a new Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) is being negotiated. In fact, …

In our first two episodes of this series, we looked at farming and ranching at the Kainai First Nation, located in Southern Alberta. If you’ve had a chance to listen, you may have noticed a theme – the importance of the Iinnii (buffalo). In this episode, knowledge holder Dr. Leroy Little Bear shares his work to restore the Iinnii. Little Bear sheds…

Cattle ranching on the Blood Reserve can be a very rewarding experience and endeavour, however, it does come with challenges in today’s changing times. In this episode, Blackfoot knowledge keeper and cattle producer Mike Bruised Head shares his early beginnings as a cattle producer and how his understanding of Blackfoot ways of knowing has contribu…

Three Alberta agricultural producers discuss what the ‘regenerative mindset’ is and why it is important for those transitioning to regenerative agriculture. This episode features Daryl Chubb, Tim Wray and Sheldon Atwood. Highlights: Coming soon… Alberta agricultural producers mentioned in this episode: Tim Wray of WR Grazing (Irricana). Read about …

Feedlot manager and proponent of holistic management and regenerative agriculture Andrea Stroeve-Sawa shares low-stress livestock handling tips we can use to have constructive conversations about the livestock and the environment issue. Even if we don’t agree with the other person. Andrea also shares what it was like for her to sit down and have th…

Filmmaker and communications strategist Sarah Wray discusses communications techniques we can use to have constructive conversations about the livestock and the environment issue. Even if we don’t agree with the other person. The Bridging the Echo Chambers project is a Food Water Wellness Foundation project that delves into the debate about the imp…

Author and leadership advisor David Irvine discusses the strategies we can use to have constructive conversations about the livestock and environment issue. Even if we don’t agree with the other person. The Bridging the Echo Chambers project is a Food Water Wellness Foundation project that delves into the debate about the impacts of livestock on th…

The thrilling conclusion of our exploration of post-secondary research and regenerative agriculture with Jason Bradley of Olds College. Useful Links: Rural Routes to Climate Solutions Regenerative Agriculture Lab Want to learn more? Our Farmer’s Blog is a great go-to source for stories of producers in Alberta who are going the extra mile with their…

Take a deep dive with Jason Bradley of Olds College into post-secondary agriculture research and how research can assist the acceleration of regen ag in Alberta. Useful Links: Rural Routes to Climate Solutions Regenerative Agriculture Lab Want to learn more? Our Farmer’s Blog is a great go-to source for stories of producers in Alberta who are going…

Kainai First Nation members Cyrus and Roy Weasel Fat share their success story of farming and ranching on the Blood Reserve in southern Alberta. The father and son team discuss some of the challenges of farming on the reserve and how they built a successful small business and educational outlet for the community. Useful Links: Rural Routes to Clima…

Co-operatives have a long history in Alberta of getting the job done. We ask Rod Olson of YYC Growers if co-ops can assist in advancing regenerative agriculture in the province. Want to learn more? Our Farmer’s Blog is a great go-to source for stories of producers in Alberta who are going the extra mile with their management practices for the land,…

Cutting hay is not the only thing an agricultural producer can do these days when the sun is shining. A crash course in on-farm solar from A-Z with Lee Sinal of KCP Energy. Alberta agricultural producers mentioned in this episode: Vaudet Dairy in Ferintosh: Investing in Solar Energy for Tomorrow Northern Lights Farms in Manning: Low-Carbon Market G…

Agriculture in Alberta and in other parts of the world is going through a bit of a ‘personnel change’ right now. You can still find those agricultural producers whose families moved out to the Prairies about a century ago to try their luck at building a better life for themselves, but there is not as many of them as there used to be (there are 62% …

Agricultural producers who move fence and cattle (or some other ruminant) daily or every few days during the growing season have talked about the benefits of adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing, sometimes called rotational grazing, for soil health, plant diversity and their livestock for quite some time now. A recently released study on AMP grazin…

There’s an interesting demographic shift going in agriculture right now. The agricultural population is drastically shrinking—right now there is 62% less agricultural producers in Canada than there was fifty years ago. Out on the Prairies, farms and ranches are becoming fewer (in Alberta, 34% less than in 1966) and larger (farms that are 5,000 acre…

Jianyi Dong and his passive solar greenhouse. Highlights: Alberta agricultural producers mentioned in this episode: Jianyi Dong of Freshpal Farms in Olds, Alberta https://rr2cs.ca/passive-solar-greenhouses-without-borders-growing-technology-on-albertas-prairies/ Useful Links: Want to learn more? After listening to this episode, we recommend downloa…