Polycultures: Harnessing Grazing Power August 10th, 2023
Join Rural Routes to Climate Solutions and the Train the Healer Initiative of the Regenerative Agriculture Lab in a hands-on polyculture learning opportunity.
Polycultures December 7th, 2022
Join Young Agrarians, Rural Routes to Climate Solutions, and Dr. Jillian Bainard of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to learn everything you need to know right now about polycultures.
Farming as though the Earth Matters – Brenlea Farms – Camrose, AB
Brenda Bohmer, a grain farmer at Brenlea Farm in central Alberta, realized she’d been draining sloughs for years in an attempt to farm more acres. She would seed around duck nests, but in order to deal with weeds, she’d farm right up to the edges of the wetland. “It’s a mindset you get locked into,” she admits. Bohmer’s goal? Create a year-round wetland and invite nature to help rehabilitate the natural wetland ecosystem and water cycle.
Several years ago, Bohmer partnered with Cows and Fish – Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Society. Within a year, nature took over the wetland and Bohmer was amazed to see the transformation of the riparian habitat. “I can still grow crops between the wetlands,” explains Bohmer. “But now I have a buffer which provides a separation between farming operations and the natural habitat. Bohmer points out that 80 percent of all types of wildlife in Alberta spend all, or part of their lives in a riparian area. “We can co-exist,” she says. “I like to think of this as farming as though the earth really matters.”
Podcast Trailer
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Hear about the farmers, ranchers, scientists, industry experts and people in Alberta who are leading the way in good land stewardship and reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint.
Project Coordinator – Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project
Are you a delight to speak with, thoughtful, flexible, and passionate about either Mokaksin (traditional Blackfoot knowledge), agriculture, community health and food security (or maybe it is all of the above)? Are you passionate about empowering Siksikaitsipoyi (Blackfoot people)? Do you believe in people and their ability to bring about positive change?
Project Manager – Siksikaitsitapi Agriculture Project
Are you a delight to speak with, thoughtful, flexible, and passionate about either Mokaksin (traditional Blackfoot knowledge), agriculture, community health and food security (or maybe it is all of the above)? Are you passionate about empowering Siksikaitsipoyi (Blackfoot people)? Do you believe in people and their ability to bring about positive change?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above questions, we’d love to hear from you!
Project Manager – Regenerative Agriculture Lab
Are you a whirlwind of innovative thinking, a champion of change, and deeply passionate about regenerative agriculture? Does your spirit find joy in the idea of shaping the future of farming and rural development? Do you see the immense value in collective action and empowering communities to drive sustainable progress?
If you’re nodding along, we’ve got the perfect role for you!
Project Director
As the Projects Director, you’ll be at the heart of our efforts. You’ll play a pivotal role by steering and guiding our projects, engaging stakeholders, and securing funding and exploring alternative income streams that propel us forward.
EP 78 – Everybody Wins – SoR Part 10
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Our Stories of Regeneration tour concludes at Ottawa’s Just Food Community Farm, a 150-acre testament to sustainable, small-scale agriculture, including initiatives like Chi Garden and Urban Fresh Produce. Emphasizing agroecology and land stewardship, the farm champions local food sovereignty and transforms newcomers into farmers through its Start-up Farm Program. In our series finale, participants Chadwick Lewis and Sun Shan highlight the farm’s impact on sustainable agriculture and community regeneration.
EP 77 – Healthy Food, Healthy Environment – SoR Part 9
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
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 traditional beef farm to a regenerative model. They now grow over 10 types of grass and clover, use less fertilizer, and produce some of the healthiest, most nutritious beef you can find.
EP 76 Partners in the Ecosystem – SoR Part Eight
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Meet Rebecca Harbut and Mike Bomford from Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in Richmond, BC—prime examples of such trailblazers. Now, you might wonder, how do university professors fit the description of being ‘on the ground’? Well, let me tell you, KPU isn’t just any university; it boasts a farm that lies at the heart of Rebecca and Mike’s endeavors.
Moreover, as we’ve touched upon throughout this podcast series, with Canada’s population nearing the 40 million mark, farm and ranch operators, along with farm laborers, represent a mere fraction—around 1%—of the populace. The takeaway here? It’s going to require a collective effort, involving many of us outside the traditional farming community, to partner with that crucial 1%. This collaboration is key to expanding regenerative agriculture from a niche practice to a widespread one.
EP 75 From Pastures to Cheese – SoR Part Seven
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
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 Quebec.
EP 74 Niitsitapi Agriculture Certificate
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
You never know what Mother Nature is going to dish out, whether it is going to be the good, the bad or the ugly, so being able to observe, learn and adapt can be just as handy as mechanical skills.
And now we have educational programs that blend Blackfoot ways of knowing and agriculture.
In this episode of Rural Routes to Climate Solutions, we are taking a look at the Red Crow Community College’s Niitsitapi Agriculture Certificate Program with JR Weasel Fat of Kainai, Alberta.
EP 73 Diversity is Resiliency – SoR Part Six
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
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 provinces around harvest time.
This next phase of our journey brought us to Cawston, British Columbia, acclaimed as the Organic Farming Capital of Canada. At Snowy Mountain Farms, managed by Aaron Goddard and his family, you will find a 12-acre farm that boasts over 70 varieties of fruits such as cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, pears, apples, and quince. Aaron employs regenerative agriculture practices to cultivate and sustain living soils, which are essential for producing fruit that is not only delicious but also rich in nutrients.
