Biodiverse Organic Grain, Custom Grazing, and Plant Breeding for Seed Security – Midmore Farms, Sturgeon County
For Ward and Joanne Middleton, organic grain and oilseed farmers, planning for environmental and financial resiliency has become critical to adapting to extreme weather events on the farm. Over the past 27-years, the couple has managed Midmore Farms, an 850-acre certified organic farming operation, located northwest of Edmonton in Sturgeon County.
Today, Ward and Joanne are practicing with a wide variety of climate solutions, including intercropping to reduce soil tillage and integrating livestock on the land through custom grazing. They’re also investing in renewable energy technology and participating in seed saving initiatives. But these solutions haven’t happened overnight. Farming, says Ward, has been a dynamic, evolving process in observing interactions between soil, environment, climate, animal and plant vitality. “We’re always striving for continuous improvement,” he says. “There’s always room for improvement.”
No-Till Farming for the Future — Jackson Homesteaders Farms Ltd., Strathcona County
As a fourth generation grain and pulse farmer in Strathcona County, Colin Jackson has seen many changes to the way food is grown on the Canadian prairies. He grew up on the very land he stewards today with his wife, Laura, and their family. They run Jackson Homesteaders Farms Ltd., a multi-enterprise farm that resides on 180-acres of land, located north of Sherwood Park, Alberta. The Jacksons farm around 5000 acres (owned and rented) of grain and pulse production, manage a horse boarding operation, tend honeybee hives, run a community garden and care for a huge flock of ‘rescued’ chickens and ducks.
EP41 New Farmers Part Two
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The conclusion of our conversation with Dana Penrice of Young Agrarians on how new and aspiring farmers and ranchers can be a farm solution that is also a climate solution.
EP40 Grazing for Water Infiltration
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A recent report by the University of Alberta provides new evidence that AMP grazing improves water infiltration in ranchlands on the Prairies. Hear from the researchers involved in the study
Solar Installations on the Farm
September 16th, 2021
Join us and Lee Sinal of KCP Energy to discuss solar installations on the farm.
EP39 New Farmers
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Dana Penrice of Young Agrarians discusses how new and aspiring agricultural producers are a farm solution and a climate solution that could do a lot good on the Prairies.
Communications Strategist
Rural Routes to Climate Solutions (RR2CS) is an Alberta-based initiative providing learning and capacity building opportunities for farmers, ranchers and rural communities to find how they can benefit from climate solutions. RR2CS is seeking a communications strategist to join Rural Routes’ skilled team of rural-based community organizers, facilitators and communications specialists. The communications strategist will […]
Farming with Nature Webinar
June 10th 2021
Please join RR2CS and Carrie Selin of EcoServices Network to learn more about ecosystem services and the Grasslands Conservation Exchange Pilot project.
Acreage Owners and Climate Solutions Webinar
June 4th 2021
Please join RR2CS for a discussion for acreage owners and how they can implement climate solutions on their property.
EP38 Passive Solar Greenhouse 2.0
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Agricultural producer Jianyi Dong talks design, growing potential and extending the growing season with his commercial passive solar greenhouse in Olds, Alberta.