Evolving Sustainable Practices on a Fifth Generation Ranch — Valley View Ranch & Flying Heart Meats, Strathmore, Alberta
Sustainability is a shared family value at Valley View Ranch and Flying Heart Meats, a fifth generation family ranch located east of the town of Strathmore, a short drive from Calgary, Alberta.
Rod and Beth Vergouwen’s agricultural roots in Strathmore stem back to the early 1900s when Beth’s great-grandfather emigrated from Illinois with the vision to farm and ranch in southern Alberta. In 1909, he named the land “Valley View Ranch” — a name that Rod and Beth, along with their children, who represent the next generation of farmers on the family ranch, have preserved and continued to date. “We have a long, deep rooted connection with agriculture on both sides of the family farm,” explains Rod, whose own grandfather emigrated to southern Alberta from Holland in the 1920s.
Biochar, Compost, and Agroforestry May 4th, 2022
Join Young Agrarians, Rural Routes to Climate Solutions, and Rob Lavoie of AirTerra to learn all about AirTerra’s vision is to increase nutrient cycling efficiency on farms using biochar.
Cover Crop Custom Blends April 13th, 2022
Join Young Agrarians, Rural Routes to Climate Solutions, and Kevin Elmy to learn all about the steps and thought processes when designing cover crop blend creations for your farm.
*BONUS* Bridging Echo Chambers Part Three
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Feedlot manager Andrea Stroeve-Sawa shares low-stress livestock handling tips we can use to have constructive conversations on the livestock and the environment issue.
*BONUS* Bridging Echo Chambers Part Two
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Communications strategist Sarah Wray discusses communications techniques we can use to have constructive conversations on the livestock and the environment issue.
*BONUS* Bridging Echo Chambers Part One
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Author and leadership advisor David Irvine discusses the strategies we can use to have constructive conversations on the livestock and the environment issue.
Producing the Perfect Potato and Soil Health to Handle Environmental Stress—The Perry Farm—Chin, Alberta
If you’re enjoying a bag of potato chips in Western Canada, there’s a 1 in 5 chance the potatoes were grown by Harold Perry and his family at the Perry Family Farm, a fourth-generation operation located in Lethbridge County in southern Alberta.
Together, Harold and his brother, Chris, and his father, Gerald, work collaboratively as partners to manage 5000 acres of irrigated land producing potatoes—varieties of chippers, russets, and red Mozart potatoes—along with other field crops, including hard red spring wheat, winter wheat, barley, sunflowers, green peas, seed canola. The Perry family prioritizes environmental stewardship through their approach to soil management and a number of exciting renewable energy projects that they’re implementing on the farm.
Transitioning to No-Till Organic Agriculture for Climate Resiliency—Sundog Organic Farm, Sturgeon County
Jenny Berkenbosch and James Vriend manage Sundog Organic Farm, a 14-acre certified organic vegetable and herb operation, located north of Edmonton in Sturgeon County. They grow a wide range of field and greenhouse vegetables and herbs, and sell their organic produce to customers through a summer and fall Farm Share program, and as well, at Edmonton’s Strathcona Farmer’s Market.
Agroforestry and Erosion Control
January 27th, 2022
Join RR2CS and the team from AWES to discuss how agroforestry practices can be used to reduce soil erosion on Alberta landscapes.
From Urban to Rural Agriculture — Reclaim Organics, Leduc County
Ryan Mason, owner of Reclaimed Organics, a certified organic vegetable and herb farm in Leduc County, spent most of his twenties traveling the world studying agriculture and food systems. He travelled across several continents, working alongside campesinos in Mexico and wakulimu (small farmers) in Tanzania.
But Ryan’s roots on the Canadian prairies travel even deeper. He spent the first eighteen years of his life on his family’s farm — a small-scale chicken operation — in Pigeon Lake, Alberta. Ryan has fond memories of growing up on the farm, helping feed the chickens, and picking raspberries with his brother. After graduating from high school, Ryan pursued an undergraduate degree in global development studies at Augustana University in Camrose. “It was there where I rediscovered my passion for food and food studies,” he says.
