Knowledge For Resilience in the Peace
The cross-commodity podcast series touches on our primary agricultural commodity players including grains, oilseeds, forage seed, forage, livestock and horticulture. Margins in agricultural businesses are often small. Adopting new farming practices can bring a costly learning curve. Having access to knowledge from researchers, experts and peers who have already walked the path of trying a new practice or technology, affords more producers the opportunity to adopt production practices they may not otherwise have implemented.
Episodes
This grazing series chat is with Norm Ward, Norm shares his passion for intensive roational grazing and how it lead to the development of the original Range Ward products, he shares some of his early lessons learnt, why electric fencing does neither have to be intimidating nor frustrating and some of his key tips on how to make your transition to electric fencing more easeful. This episode was recorded ...
This grazing series chat is with Dr Nitya kanal, a forage researcher with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based out of the Beaverlodge research farm. We talk about the potential of fodder galega or goat’s rue as a forage legume. It fixes a lot of nitrogen, tolerates acidic soils, has good winter survival rates, and overall just sounds like it is one of those plants which sounds almost too good to be tr...
This grazing series chat is with Dave Semmelink from Lentelus Farm. Originally from South Africa, Dave now calls the Comox valley home where he runs a mixed farm. Our discussion ranges from pasture raised livestock, grazing management progression, whether it is worth integrating hogs into a crop rotation, a new chicken mobile and business diversification into meat processing.
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This grazing series chat is with Joseph Moilliet from Aveley Sheep Ranch. Joseph’s runs a sheep and beef operation about 2 hours north of Kamloops in the upper north Thomson. He shares how wolf predeation originally pushed him into more intensive rotational grazing, lessons learnt on where to actually place your fence, and electric fencing tips for sheep. For context, this chat was recorded in mid-summe...
This grazing series chat is with Eugene Wittwer from W Diamond Ranch near Talkwa in the Bulkley Nechako area. He describes his operation as a community building regenerative farm. Eugene shares how his operation evolved, how the BSE crisis forced him to re-invent his business, how his rotational grazing practice evolved and how they manage not just animals but also a meat processing and custom cutting ...
In their own words, Kole and Coline from Nordic Vale Honey describe that they started looking at creative options to help them feel fulfilled while also being able to provide for their family. Both Cole and Colleen were raised on farms out of town in northern rural communities so Agriculture in the Peace Region was a natural choice for them. Managing bees was an innovative way for them to start their adventure. After working with t...
Peter Lundgard has long-term expertise in forage seed production. Peter was specifically drawn to the long-lasting yellow blossom alfalfa as he came across early research information and learnt about stands persisting well beyond 30 years in very harsh northern climatic conditions. Stand by for some great stories of the history of yellow blossom alfalfa, it’s many benefits to forage and livestock producers and why it is so well ada...
Evan Keen is a Peace Region producer who likes to challenge himself with on-farm trials. In a recent project, Evan converted a corn planter to a canola planter. If you are a canola grower or simply interested in the technology of a canola planter, you definitely don’t want to miss this one, as Evan walks you through his process and results.
Mark Wilson and Brett Jans from Diverge Business Development (DBD) will share the scoop on gypsum, why it might be a good choice for soil health, when and how best to use it, and where you can get it right here in British Columbia. Gypsum is certainly not a new nutrient in town but maybe one that hasn’t gotten as much fanfare as it might deserve. If you are struggling with acidic soils, which are very common in the peace region, Gy...
Today I sit down at the Kitchen table with Bess Vanzandwyk, a local force in horticultural production. A transplant to the Peace region herself, she has put down roots and is exploring how local communities can be more food secure with the growth of more local food producers.
Bess holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Environmental Studies. Bess and her husband Mike also started Hip Peace Produce in 2015, at the time located a...
Darrin Qualman shares his thoughts and insights about how the Canadian farming community can manage their nitrogen use by gearing down the treadmill and at the end of day maybe even putting a few more dollars in their pockets rather than the input provider’s.
Darrin is Director of Climate Crisis Policy and Action for Canada’s National Farmers Union. He is a fo...
Dylan Biggs, along with his wife Colleen, own and operate TK Ranch which is located in the endangered Northern Fescue Grasslands of east-central Alberta. Dylan has an extensive background in ranching, holistic management, and cattle stockmanship, and provides sought-after workshops and training seminars on those topics.
TK Ranch
Dylan Biggs Cattle Handling Clinics
Canadian Cowboy Magaz...
The Critcher family has been farming in the Peace River region near Taylor, BC since 1984. Together with their son Michael, daughter Jennifer and son-in-law Steve, Irmi and Barry have grown the family farm from when they started with 160 acres in 1984 up to 4,800 acres today. Critcher Farms grows grain and oilseed crops including wheat, barley, oats, canola, peas as well as grass seed and hay.
Today’s chat is with Kelly Sidoryk, a long-term rancher and holistic management practitioner. Maybe you have heard about Holistic management in passing, maybe it’s a new term for you and maybe you use holistic management on your operation all the time. Kelly will walk us through what holistic management is all about, a course coming up in the Peace region and how attending it can be perfect for those who would like to cross of the ...
Today we are talking about integrated pest management with independent agrologist Rob Dunn. Rob will discuss his field approach of to help build soil and crop health, the importance of bees to your bottom line, and how beneficial insects can help tip the scale towards winning the battle against the bad guys. Rob iterates that it’s not about eliminating the use of pesticides but to reduce our dependency on them while also building a...
Forage seed production is a bit of a strange bird – neither is it an annual crop although it has components of it, like preparing a field for seeding similar to annual crop management, neither is it a true perennial crop although it has components of it – like leaving the same crop for 2-3 years.
Looking at how forage seed crops could integrate with annual crop rotations, is Nitya Kanal
Dr. Khanal can be reached by email nityananda...
Did you know that the AB and BC Peace Region is one of the main forage and turf seed producing areas in the world? If you are growing forages or are admiring your lush lawn, chances are good that a Peace region grower was the source of that seed. Here to talk to us today is Talon Gauthier, general manager of the Peace Region Forage Seed Association. The forage seed association is unique in that it spans both the AB and BC Peace reg...
Soil carbon is probably one of the biggest current buzz words. Although it seems like everybody is talking about soil carbon, we still have a lot to learn about the movements of soil carbon and especially about the dynamics of soil carbon specific to the Peace.
One the people working hard to unearth the soil carbon treasure map of our regions is Kimberley Cornish with the Food, Water, Wellness Foundation. Kim and her team are using...
The BC Young Agrarians help to connect folks who have land available with farmers who are looking for that perfect parcel of land to farm or ranch. The Young Agrarians offer many services beyond their land matching program. Here to give us a behind the scene look is Darcy Smith. Darcy has spent the last decade working to support farmers and food systems. She lives and works on the unceded Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh terri...
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