Seeding Change: Polycultures at Work at Muddy Creek Ranch
At Muddy Creek Ranch in Fairview, Alberta, rancher Garth Shaw is blending generations of farming tradition with new regenerative approaches to create a more resilient future for his land, livestock and family.
Rooted in the rolling grasslands of the Peace Country, Garth’s operation is centred on cattle, community and a growing commitment to soil health. His journey into regenerative agriculture began with a healthy dose of skepticism and a nudge from his daughter to try something new: polycultures.
What started as a small trial turned into a game-changer. Diverse forage mixes not only kept Garth’s cattle grazing through the harsh Alberta winter, but helped reduce feed costs, improved soil structure and sparked curiosity among his neighbours.
This blog explores how Garth’s shift to polycultures is transforming more than just his fields. From balancing winter feeding strategies to building community resilience, Garth’s story highlights the power of staying open to learning and leading with care—for the land, the animals and the people connected to both.
Whether you’re a seasoned rancher, just starting your regenerative journey or simply curious about what’s possible when you plant diversity, this story offers insights and inspiration from the ground up.
Talking Circle: Niitsitapi Kaakiisin & Agriculture
Join us for a special Talking Circle event as we gather to explore the intersection of Nitsitapi paatapiisini (Blackfoot ways of knowing) and agriculture. This day-long event is an opportunity to listen, share, and discuss how traditional knowledge and sustainable practices can work together to support resilient agriculture and land management within the Blackfoot Confederacy.
A Day in the Field – Crops, Cows & Carbon
Are you ready to enhance your farming practices with innovative solutions for feed and soil health? Join us on July 5th in Coalhurst, Alberta, for an engaging and informative field day filled with guest speakers, practical advice and plenty of networking opportunities.
EP 78 – Everybody Wins – SoR Part 10
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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
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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 75 From Pastures to Cheese – SoR Part Seven
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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 72 Connecting People to Place – SoR Part Five
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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 Lightfoot still finds ways of being optimistic even after her farm got hit by a polar vortex, a dry spring and a very rainy summer all in the same year.
EP 71 Sharing the Land – SoR Part Four
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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.
EP 70 Maximizing Soil Function – SoR Part Three
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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 the existence of this vast and diverse soil microbial community.
In the soil, you’ve got well-known critters like earthworms, bacteria and fungi and lesser-known ones like protozoa and nematodes, who have this tendency to eat the bacteria and fungi.
In this bustling environment where a lot of things are eating each other, there is an exchange between soil organisms and plants so both sides of the equation get what they need to survive and thrive and produce food for the rest of us living above ground. This interaction between the soil and plants is something that fascinated Blake Vince, who farms mainly soya and corn in southwestern Ontario, it fascinated him at a young age.
EP 69 Loyal to the Soil – SoR Part Two
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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 commitment to growing healthy grains, Axten Farms takes a regenerative approach focused on enhancing their land’s soil biodiversity, creating a thriving environment for food production. Their unwavering dedication is captured in their motto, “Loyal to the Soil.”
