Motivations for following regenerative agriculture practices vary from producing quality food to ecological stewardship
Regenerative agriculture is gaining momentum across the Prairies, but it’s far from a one-size-fits-all approach. Still, the diverse practices share a common thread — a commitment to leaving the land, and the world, healthier for future generations. Regenerative agriculture has become somewhat of a buzzword but can be broken down to mean farming practices that […] Read moreTag Archives regenerative agriculture
Agriculture prepares for transformation
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Anastasia Volkova is the type of person who gets right to the point. During a coffee break at a sustainable agriculture conference, held in early October in Minneapolis, she provided a six-minute, rapid fire explanation on how farming can be transformed in North America and around the globe. That transformation needs to […] Read more
![A top-down approach [to regenerative agriculture] can work, maybe, but it does have limitations. Some food and agriculture companies have realized that this movement should be handed back to farmers, says University of Washington geologist David Montgomery. | File photo](https://static.producer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/22141434/03-RKA121018_david_montgomery2-660x420.jpg)
Regenerative agriculture resumes bottom-up approach
MINNEAPOLIS — In 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of artificial intelligence, David Montgomery was encouraging farmers and the agricultural industry to make a major shift. The University of Washington geologist and author of the book Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations was a regular speaker at farm conferences across North America. Related stories […] Read more
Sustainability has a problem
MINNEAPOLIS — Mars has a problem. Not the red planet, but the company. It’s one of the largest human and pet food companies in the world, posting $50 billion in revenue last year. Related stories in this issue: Global sales have been increasing, and this year the privately held company acquired the Kellogg’s line of […] Read more
Forum finds common ground on climate issues
When 36 farmers and ranchers from across the Prairies with widely varied views came together, consensus was the goal
How do you get three farmers to stop arguing over climate change? You send two of them home. That didn’t happen at this particular meeting but, as expected, when farmers and ranchers participated in the Prairie Farmer & Rancher Forum held by Farmers for Climate Solutions last year, there was no shortage of divergent views. […] Read more
Innovation in intercropping saves time
Infield separator allows crops to be sorted before leaving the field to simplify both on-farm storage and sales
MIDALE, Sask. — The long winter’s work of separating mixed crops is getting easier on Rosengren Farms. Colin Rosengren has been intercropping for 20 years and staff used to spend months cleaning and separating grain after harvest. So, he designed and built an infield separating system to do exactly what it says: separate each crop […] Read more
Permaculture inspires Manitoba hobby farmer
One of Slade Doyle’s biggest priorities on his 240-acre hobby farm is sustainability. While Doyle has learned about many different sustainable practices, the one that spoke to him the most was permaculture. “I became a champion for soil health, and of course, that led me down to the roads of regenerative agriculture and then permaculture,” […] Read more
Working with crop farmers provides another feed source
Cattle producers and grain growers who enter into grazing partnerships are urged to write a rock-solid agreement
Working with crop farmers may be one answer for cattle producers struggling with feed shortages. Kevin Elmy told the recent Advancing Organics conference in Saskatoon that he started looking for alternative management practices when he moved back to the family seed operation near Saltcoats, Sask., in 1999. What he came up with was a partnership […] Read more
Food giants set out to sell producers on regenerative ag
Pepsico and Walmart want to see regenerative agriculture practices used on two million North American acres by 2030
HOUSTON, Texas — Adam Kiel has some advice for farmers confronted by the dizzying array of regenerative agriculture programs. “There are many opportunities, and they are confusing, I’ll be the first to admit. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try something,” said the managing director of the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, a program run […] Read more
Corporate Canada moves ahead on sustainability
Companies such as McCain and McDonald’s aren’t waiting for consumers to catch up as they develop a new food system
OTTAWA — The public might not be there yet, but some major buyers of farmers’ products are beginning to develop a “sustainable” food system. “Consumers, they don’t get it. They don’t. They will, eventually, but we’re not going to wait,” Matt Kohler, McCain Foods Canada’s managing director, said at the Future of Food conference. “Our assumption […] Read more
