Researchers are studying what might happen if livestock were removed from the landscape.

Research solidifies cattle’s role in soil health

British scientist argues that higher stocking rates and uniform distribution of animals lead to better soil structure

Glacier FarmMedia – Long-term grasslands studies have made researchers like Taro Takahashi a believer in the environmental value of livestock and grazing. Takahashi is a research scientist whose work at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire, England, includes a life-cycle assessment of pasture-based cattle production systems. Rothamsted Research is one of the oldest agriculture research institutions in […] Read more

A new report has put a dollar value on the stewardship provided by Alberta's leaseholders.

Polycultures: A cocktail forage mix for semiarid prairies

Producers rely on grazing native, tame perennial pastures or stockpiled forages to typically feed their cattle. Annual diverse forage mixtures give producers an opportunity to provide high quality feed while also gaining additional benefits for the soil and ecosystem. Polycultures could even be integrated into a crop rotation or used as green manure (working it […] Read more


A teaspoon of productive soil generally contains anywhere from 100 million to one billion bacteria, says Dr. Elaine Ingham, microbiologist and founder of Soil Food Web Inc.

Building healthy soil for forages

Research group targets five basic principles to improve soil health

Feed the soil and everything gets better, says Brian Harper, Manitoba beef producer and 2018 Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) winner. Harper’s focus has moved from the livestock, down to the plants and now to the soil and the below-ground activity. “I have realized the cattle are just a tool.” Many ranchers are starting to acknowledge […] Read more

The grazier’s magic bullet

The grazier’s magic bullet

Grazing with Steve Kenyon

We live in a world of band-aid solutions, symptom solvers and we are all looking for that next magic bullet. Agriculture has become dependent on these quick fixes to address symptoms. If there is an issue in agriculture, such as a pest, a weed, or a parasite, then somewhere in agriculture we have developed a band-aid solution to address the […] Read more


Photo: Thinkstock

Four ways to increase your organic matter

A question that I hear a lot is, “How do cover crops fit into a grain operation?” Lots of grain farmers have no desire to get into the livestock business and no interest in producing hay. But many have some soil issues that need to be addressed. This can be done by buying more iron[...]
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Six limiting factors in your soil that will make or break your operation

Six limiting factors in your soil that will make or break your operation

Without these six key ingredients, your soil — and your farm — could be in trouble

Farms and grazing operations — organic or otherwise — are only as good as their worst resource, according to Oregon-based grazier Abe Collins. “Soil is our primary infrastructure on the farm,” said Collins, who spoke at the recent Organic Alberta conference. “Biologically, chemically, and physically, you need to be looking at the limiting factors in[...]
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pile of dirt

Avoid recycled paradigms when it comes to soil

How do plants grow? This might seem like a pretty simple and harmless question, but Jean Baptista Van Helmont was curious about this so he did a pretty basic experiment to find out. The downside to his experiment was that he was arrested for it! Here is what he did in his own words: “I[...]
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