Experimenting on the Farm, Part 2

While 2020 has been a year of boredom, new hobbies, and time to catch up on reading for many house-bound folks, on the farm it's been a bit different.  Now that winter has arrived, I've had a bit of time to slow down and write, so I thought it would be fun to tell you, my readers, about some of the new things I've been working on at the farm.

My main objective on the farm is to improve the health and quality of the soil by building biology, rather than focusing on fertility.  A healthy soil biology leads to good soil fertility.

How am I working to improve the soil on the farm?  I have embarked on three experiments this year.  The first two are described in a previous post.

Experiment #1: Rotational Grazing

Experiment #2: Compost

Experiment #3: Cover Crops

A new experiment this year was to implement cover crops with my barley crop.  This experiment had a few objectives.  First, I wanted to increase the biodiversity in the field.  Diversity of plant life above the soil can decrease pest pressure on a crop.  A diversity of plant life below the ground contributes to more efficient nutrient cycling and soil building due the difference of plant needs and root structures.  

Second, I wanted to have living plants growing in the field after harvest for the cattle to graze.  These plants would give me extra grazing days, allow for efficient fertilizer spread (the cows put down the manure themselves), and hold the soil in place once the crop was gone.  

Third, I wanted to be sure to have useful plants (rather than weeds) growing in the field in case of a crop disaster.

The cover crop mix I used was 40% Italian ryegrass, 30% Berseem clover, and 10% kale.  I used this mix with barley in two different situations.  

In one field, we encountered a serious weed problem, as well as significant moisture in some low areas, which meant that we had to wait until late spring to seed most of that field.  The barley-ryegrass-clover-kale mixture was harvested as green feed (similar to hay), because the barley would not have had time to ripen having been planted so late.  After harvest, my cousin was able to graze his cattle on the stubble, as well.  In this situation, the cover crop was meant to add nutrition to the feed harvested.

The green feed mix next to the ripe grain (barley only) in the field that could only be partially seeded early in the spring.

In the second field, I planted the barley-cover crop mix at the regular time and harvested the barley as a feed grain (cattle feed).  The cover crop here was mainly meant to allow for post-harvest grazing.  As it turns out, we had a very wet spring and summer, which caused some crop failure in all of the barley fields in the community, including this one.  However, in every place where the barley failed, the cover crop (especially the ryegrass) thrived.  I was able to harvest some barley from that field, but the real value came from the post-harvest grazing allowed by the cover crops.

In the cut area, you can see the green cover crop growing underneath the golden barley.

In some areas, the kale outcompeted all else.

From a distance, it looked like I had allowed weeds in my barley, but most of this is cover crop peeking through the crop.

In some wet areas, the Italian ryegrass grew where nothing would.

Here are some things I had learned from this cover crop experiment:

• the Italian ryegrass out-competed everything else in wet or slightly wet areas
• the kale was a big hit with the cattle (not so much with my dad)
• the kale grew best in soil located where we had fed the cows the previous winter and tended to out-compete the crop in those spots
• the straw ended up with a lot of green plants in it, which will likely result in the cows eating most of their bedding

Let me know in the comments what types of experiments you have tried on your farms, in your homes and gardens, or in your businesses!

Experimenting on the Farm

While 2020 has been a year of boredom, new hobbies, and time to catch up on reading for many house-bound folks, on the farm it's been a bit different.  Now that winter has arrived, I've had a bit of time to slow down and write, so I thought it would be fun to tell you, my readers, about some of the new things I've been working on at the farm.

My main objective on the farm is to improve the health and quality of the soil by building biology, rather than focusing on fertility.  A healthy soil biology leads to good soil fertility.

To illustrate this objective, consider the photo below.  Both handfuls of soil came from my garden, from spots several meters apart.  The soil on the left has higher levels of organic matter and fertility than the soil on the right.  This can be seen in the difference in colour, texture, and the amount of roots present in the soil.  The problem with these two handfuls of soil is that I cannot figure out what I did differently from one half of the garden to the other to produce such different results.  If I had thought to take a picture of the difference in the crop produced, I would show that, too.  Suffice it to say, the plants grown in the soil on the left were far healthier and more productive than those grown in the soil on the right.

Two different handfuls of soil taken a few meters apart from each other.

How am I working to improve the soil on the farm?  I have embarked on three experiments this year.

Experiment #1: Rotational Grazing

I've been working for a few years to implement grazing programs that allow the land and plants to rest in between grazing periods (previously, the pastures were grazed continuously throughout the growing season).  There is still a lot of work to do, but we have been able to get the cows to graze more of the under-utilized low-areas.

In the future, I want to get every pasture appropriately divided up for rotational grazing and establish a more consistent pattern of movement.

The video above shows the herd moving from one section of the pasture to another (the sections being divided by an electric fence, which is turned off during the move). As you can see, the move is relaxed enough for a very wobbly newborn calf to keep up.

Experiment #2: Compost

My latest experiment is one that is for the benefit of next year's venture: a market garden.  I am planning to turn a small hay field in my backyard into a large garden for the commercial production of vegetables.  Since tillage is a major cause of soil degradation, I have been exploring ways to reduce tillage in the garden.  One way is to put down thick layers of compost on top of the soil and plant into that, rather than planting into the soil.  

In order for the compost to be free of weed seeds and germs, it needs to undergo rapid hot composting, a process that is very new to me.  I have begun an experiment with a pile of manure and straw bedding from last winter.  Using the tractor, I pushed the pile into rows and turn the rows every day or two.  Microbes with in the rows are supposed to grow rapidly and break down the material within a few weeks, creating enough heat to kill any germs and weed seeds.  

While I have witnessed the piles creating some heat, the pockets of heat are not evenly distributed throughout the compost.  I have my doubts as to whether this will work well in the winter with this older pile of manure.  I will try another round of rapid hot composting in the late spring of 2021 using a fresher pile of manure and straw.

The two piles of compost, freshly turned.

Partially composted manure/straw mixture.

Experiment #3: Cover Crops

As this post has gone on quite long enough, I will leave this last experiment to a later post.

Let me know in the comments what types of experiments you have tried on your farms, in your homes and gardens, or in your businesses!

A Word About Animals

Growing up on the farm, I assumed that all kids grew up understanding certain things about animals.  We had various animals around all the time, watched wildlife run through nearby fields, and read tons of books and watched VHS tapes (remember those?) about animals of all kinds.  While we could be fascinated and enchanted and eager to learn more, the one thing we always knew was that animals are dangerous.

Even a tame animal can turn on a person.  To this day, I never walk near the cows without straining my ears for any sound of fast-moving hooves or glancing over my shoulder in all directions as I go.  My cattle aren't wild or mean.  They also aren't tame enough to have lost their fear of humans.  Even so, I can never assume they are safe.

Wild animals are even more unpredictable than domesticated animals.  Herds will stampede, individual animals will charge, cornered animals will bite or scratch, and some predators will view humans as food.  

That's right.  Those majestic, innocent creatures might just choose you for lunch.  If you go running in the woods, expect to trigger the chase instinct in a cougar.  If you go hiking in the wilderness keep an eye out for bears and have some sort of defense mechanism with you.  Oh yes, I know.  You already know that bears might attack if they are startled or if you get too near their food or cubs.  Did you also know that bears will hunt humans?  That wasn't in your bear aware training, was it?

I'm not saying that every bear will make predatory attacks on humans, but it is not out of the question.  I was reminded of this by a recent post on social media.  Reading the story of a couple who survived a predatory attack by a bear reminded me of something I read nearly a year ago, in a 1921 book by Agnes C. Laut entitled, "The Fur Trade of North America."  Chapter 4 of Part 2 begins this way:

"The city man, who goes bear-hunting with a bodyguard of armed guides in a field where the hunted have been on the run from the hunter for a century, gets a very tame idea of the natural bear in its natural state. Bears that have had the fear of man inculcated with long-range repeaters lose confidence in the prowess of an aggressive onset against invisible foes. The city man comes back from the wilds with a legend of how harmless bears have become. In fact, he doesn't believe a wild animal ever attacks unless it is attacked. He doubts whether the bear would go on its life-long career of rapine and death, if hunger did not compel it, or if repeated assault and battery from other animals did not teach the poor bear the art of self-defense.

"Grizzly old trappers coming down to the frontier towns of the Western States once a year for provisions, or hanging round the forts of the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada for the summer, tell a different tale. Their hunting is done in a field where human presence is still so rare that it is unknown and the bear treats mankind precisely as he treats all other living beings from moose and the musk-ox to mice and ants - as fair game for his own insatiable maw."

The inside cover of Agnes C. Laut's "The Fur Trade of America"

The majority of the chapter is filled by several stories of bears hunting and brutally attacking people (I first read this chapter at night - big mistake!) The chapter ends as follows:

"Such is bear-hunting and such is the nature of the bear. And these things are not of the past. Wherever long-range repeaters have not put the fear of man in the animal heart, the bear is the aggressor. Even as I write comes word from a little frontier fur post which I visited in 1901, of a seven-year-old boy being waylaid and devoured by a grizzly only four miles back from a transcontinental railway. This is the second death from the unprovoked attacks of bears within a month in that country - and that month, the month of August 1902, when sentimental ladies and gentlemen many miles away from danger were sagely discussing whether the bear is naturally ferocious or not - whether, in a word, it is altogether humane to hunt bears."

All that to say, wild animals in general are unpredictable and dangerous. I have seen far too many videos on social media lately of people getting close to such wild animals as bears and bison just to get a video or see the beast up close. These are not tame animals. 

If you want to marvel at the beauty of a wild animal or snap a photo, that's fine.  Just make sure you are at a safe distance.  

If you are in a vehicle, stay in the vehicle.  

If you are on foot, keep your distance.  Keep a much greater distance than you might want.  

If an animal approaches you, even if it seem friendly and/or curious, back away and get to safety.  Do not run unless it is the only option.  Running will trigger a predator's chase instinct and you will never outrun that animal.

Beware large herbivores.  Bison, moose, elk, and even deer can also be dangerous if they are cornered, protecting their young or territory, or during the season of rut.

I don't write this to scare you or to deter you from enjoying nature.  I simply want to do my part to keep you all safe.  As I mentioned earlier, I have seen far too many videos on social media that have left me shaking my head and wondering how the person survived an encounter with so many foolish blunders.

My best piece of advice is this: learn all you can about as many different animals as you can.  

Read such things as pocket guides of mammals, animal behaviour books, blogs from farmers talking about their cows, magazine articles about newly discovered species, books about true stories of crazy survival events.  Buy children's books about different types of animals and read them with your kids.  Everything you can learn about animals (and other aspects of nature) is important.  

Some of the animal information sources in my house. 
I wasn't kidding about the children's books and VHS tapes.

The tiny little bits of trivia may not seem important as you learn them, but as they accumulate, your understanding will grow and you will be well equipped to venture into nature in as safe a manner as possible.

Flexibility in a Farmer's Day

It is 10:38 am on a lazy Monday morning.  It is too damp out to rake or bale the hay that we cut last week.  It is too cold to want to do odd jobs outside.  Okay, it's 6 degrees outside, a temperature that I will consider downright balmy come spring.  But on this September day, just a few days after I spent hours sweating in a tractor, I am not exactly enthusiastic about going outside.  Autumn is my wimpy season.

Inside the house isn't much better at 14 degrees.  I am too stubborn to turn on the furnace yet, so I am huddled under a blanket in my living room, watching a science show and considering my tasks for the day.  

I need to do chores.  At this time of year, chores consist of feeding a bit of grain to the few yearlings that will soon be butchered for beef and feeding the barn cats.  Neither of those jobs is urgent.  The yearlings eat mainly hay - they were eating grass up until a few days ago when I ran out of enough pasture close to the yard - and I know they have plenty of hay to eat until I bring them their dessert.  I only feed the cats to keep them somewhat tame and encourage them to stick around.  They are my pest control officials.  My dad has just told me that he is going to cut the last few acres of hay, so he will be busy until lunchtime or so.

As I weigh my options concerning what I can do after chores, my phone rings.  It is my mom - who is on her way to the city, telling me that some calves, and maybe some cows, are in the neighbour's canola.  Frustrated, I get off the phone, shove my feet into my running shoes, and take off sprinting down the driveway to catch my dad, who is just leaving with the tractor and discbine.  By the time I get his attention, we are both at the end of the driveway and I am coughing in a futile attempt to get the sudden rush of cold air out of my lungs.  Between coughs, I relay the message to my dad and we both turn around and head back to the yard.  Chasing escaped cattle back into the pasture is not always a one-person job.

Dad parks the tractor, while I return to the house to replace my shoes with work boots and to put on a sufficient coat.  As I jog to the garage to find my gloves, I realize I am clad almost entirely in brown.  Brown boots, brown work pants, brown coat.  My dark blue hoodie sticks out the top of my coat, and a dirty orange cap tops my head.  This ensemble will have to change drastically in a few weeks when hunting season starts.  At that time, I will ensure my orange cap is clean and that I am wearing my coveralls with high visibility stripes any time I go out to the field or pasture.  I will not be mistaken for a deer!

Within a few minutes of the phone call, my dad and I are in the truck, driving to the rented pasture where a third of my herd has been living for the summer.  The cows have been escaping from this pasture all summer and we have been chasing cows back in, searching for holes in the fences, and fixing and strengthening the fence as much as possible.  By this time, we cannot fathom where they have possibly found a weak spot to escape.  

Dad teaching my friend to build a fence as we replaced part of the fence on my aunt's land in 2015.

Cresting the hill next to my aunt's property, we slow down and starting scanning the pasture for the herd.  This pasture is actually two separately-owned pastures right next to each other.  Whoever rents my aunt's pasture gets to rent the neighbour's pasture because the neighbour's land has no water.  The problem part of the pasture is on the neighbour's land, where a line of huge power lines run through the property, making it difficult to crop the land because farmers don't want to drive around poles and support cables all the time.  We easily spot the herd spread across this portion of the pasture, but no animals in the next-door canola field.  A few are right next to the fence, in an area that juts into the field, but on closer inspection. they are all still in the pasture.

Relieved, my dad and I drive into the pasture just to make sure nothing is wrong.  All is well.

Since we're there, we decide to count the herd to make sure all of the animals are there.  I will count the cows, and dad will count the calves.  Some time later, we are sure that there are 29 cows, 1 heifer, and 1 bull.  There are at least 29 calves.  There should be 30, but counting calves isn't easy in a slightly spooked, moving, bunched up herd.

Can you count the calves in this picture?
This herd is spread out and standing still. Imagine the difficulty if they were bunched up and moving!

Finally giving up and leaving the cattle to settle down, we return home and get back to what we were doing an hour earlier: Dad takes the tractor out to the field and I finally get around to doing my chores and trying to figure out what to do next.  Utilizing the flexibility that allows for such delays is a normal part of a farmer's day.

What did I end up doing?  I retreated to the (somewhat warmer) house and wrote a blog.

Beef in the Pandemic

Would everyone please calm down?

If you need beef, go ahead and buy some beef at the grocery store.  It's going to a be a bit more expensive than usual, but if you can afford it, go ahead.  Buy what you need.  But for goodness sake, DON'T HOARD FOOD!

As a beef farmer, there are few things I'd like to let the general public know at this time.

1)  You do not need to stockpile beef any more than you need to stockpile toilet paper.  Stockpiling creates immediate shortages.  Shortages lead to panic.  Panic leads to stockpiling.  Stockpiling creates shortages...you get the picture.  Just DON'T PANIC.

2)  The increased price of beef (and other meat) is due to a short supply coming out of meat processing plants.  Several large Canadian plants have shut down or reduced production in order to protect their workers and customers and slow the spread of COVID-19, just like so many other businesses.  Once they are able to get back to work, the supply will increase and the price will go down.  Just give it time and DON'T PANIC.

3)  Beef producers are receiving lower prices for our cattle right now.  This is because we have the same number of cattle to sell for beef, but the processing plants aren't buying as many cattle to turn into beef right now (see point #2).  This hurts, but we know the bottleneck is temporary.  We have to do our part and REMAIN CALM.

4)  McDonald's, the biggest supporter of the Canadian beef industry, is now sourcing limited amounts of beef from the United States.  This is not a reason for outrage.  They are taking this temporary measure because they are not able to source enough Canadian beef from Canadian suppliers at this time (see point #2).  So for those of you getting all worked up about this, or sharing the hoax about McDonald's sourcing beef from South America, please COOL YOUR JETS.

5)  You can try to buy beef direct from a farmer to stock your freezer, but that isn't necessarily the answer.  I just stopped selling beef direct and boy, have I been getting requests for beef lately!  I have to keep telling people, "I won't have any ready until winter.  It takes time to grow a calf to finished size."  Not to mention the additional pressure the extra orders put on the few provincially inspected abattoirs.  (By the way, if it isn't butchered at an inspected plant, it can't be legally sold).  Whether you buy from a farmer or from the grocery store, we appreciate consumers who REMAIN CALM and only buy what they need.

6)  Keep supporting Canadian farmers from all agricultural sectors.  Potato farmers, pork farmers, dairy farmers, produce farmers, beef farmers - we're all having difficulty marketing our products, not because people are eating less, but because people are consuming differently and processors are temporarily bottlenecked (see point #2...again).  Let's make a deal: We producers will REMAIN CALM and wait out the market bottlenecks as best we can and we ask that the consumers NOT PANIC and keep the markets flowing as steadily as possible.

Bee Friendly Tips

Over the years, I've seen several social media posts about saving the bees and planting wildflowers for the bees. As a person who works in agriculture and who briefly studied horticulture, I've got a few quick tips for those interested.

1) Avoid wildflower seed mixes.

These often contain seeds of flower that are invasive and can take over the natural ecosystem. If you do use a wildflower mix, make sure the species are listed (using their Latin names) and then check to make sure they aren't on the provincial noxious or prohibited noxious weed list.

2) Plant flowers that bloom at different times of the year.

This way, bees have access to food throughout their active season. And don't forget about flowering trees and shrubs!

Thanks to a "Planting for Pollinators Workshop" put on last year by Barrhead County and Highway 2 Conservation, I've got some suggestions for native wild flowers for those of you who live in central Alberta.

• Blue Clematis (Clematis occidentalis)
• Snowy Fleabane (Erigeron speciosus)
• Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata)
• Golden Aster (Heterotheca villosa)
• Dotted Blazing Star (Liatris punctata)
• Blue Flax (Linum lewisii)
• Prairie Crocus (Pulsatilla patens)
• Blue Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium monatum)
• Cut-Leaved Anemone (Anemone multifida)
• Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium pulcherrimum)
• Smooth Blue Beardtongue (Penstemon nitidus)
• Spike Goldenrod (Solidago simplex)
• Three-Flowered Avens (Geum triflorum)
• Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata)

3) Keep weeds for the bees.

None of us are fond of any type of weed, but if you live on an acreage or farm, you might want to consider allowing the dandelions and clovers to stay - at least in a couple of areas. These provide a good source of food for the bees. Just make sure you aren't saving the noxious or prohibited noxious weeds (like the Orange Hawkweed shown in the picture)!

A patch of Orange Hawkweed (a prohibited noxious weed) I found in a pasture a few years ago.

4) Plant a vegetable garden.

Most plants in our vegetable garden have flower, many of which attract bees. Plus, you get veggies. It's a win-win!

5) Find more tips and some specific plant ideas at the following websites:

• "Do Your Part to Help the Bees" - article from the Edmonton Journal
• "Attracting Bees" - blog post from Salisbury Greenhouse
• "5 Pollinator-Friendly Flowers to Brighten Your Garden" - article from Avenue Magazine
• "Plant Selections for Bees" - blog post from ABC Bees
• "Lola Canola's Sage Advice - Planting for Bees" - blog post from Edmonton Horticultural Society
• "11 Plants to Make Your Garden Bee-Friendly" - article from CBC News
• "Wild about Flowers" - website specializing in native Alberta wildflowers

Do you have any bee-friendly tips to share? Let me know in the comments section below!

Movie Review: The Biggest Little Farm

A while back, I noticed a new documentary listed on Netflix.  I was both intrigued by and suspicious of the description: "Inspired by their pet dog, a Los Angeles couple raises the money to start an eight-year adventure of triumph and heartbreak in biodiverse farming."

Inspired by their pet dog?  Interesting.

Biodiverse farming?  Is that just a buzzword, something used to attack conventional agriculture?  Or do these people have a genuine understanding of this type of farming?

Los Angeles?  Please tell me this isn't another story of some city slickers managing, with minimum effort, cost, or personal sacrifice, to save the world from folks who have been farming for generations.

Eventually, the intrigue overrode the suspicion and I watched the movie.

It was...not what I expected.  At all.

"The Biggest Little Farm" takes the audience sequentially through the first seven years of John and Molly Chester's journey of turning 200 acres of dead, drought-stricken land into the thriving, healthy farm that is Apricot Lane Farms in California.  And when I say that land was dead, I mean it.  I would not want to start with soil like they had!  They achieved success through biodiverse farming, which is described by their mentor, Alan York: "Our goal is the highest level of biodiversity possible."

The level of biodiversity on this farm is one seen more often in storybooks than in real life.  Apricot Lane Farms has cows, chickens, guinea fowl, sheep, pigs, guardian dogs, ducks, several varieties of citrus and stone fruit, raspberries, blueberries, and a vegetable garden.  I've probably forgotten a few things.  The most important part is how the animals and plants all interact.  They aren't kept separate from each other.  Rather, the farm functions as an ecosystem and the Chesters talk about its "interconnected beauty."

Photo Credit: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8969332/

As a conventional farmer, some of the things the Chesters did in their journey were a bit strange to me, but others made a lot of sense.  For example, I found it strange how much they celebrated the birth of various livestock animals.  To me, that just seems like an unnecessary level of bonding.  Then again, maybe it's important to take a step back to appreciate the abundance of life.  I really liked seeing the way they used their livestock to help keep the crops healthy.  That's something that is beginning to come into conventional farming as a realistic option, though the uptake is definitely higher among those embracing alternative farming methods.

This documentary didn't sugarcoat the realities of farm life.  There was death, frustration, and even a threatening wildfire (a threat for which many farmers are now learning to prepare).  The forces of nature didn't cooperate all the time either, even in sunny California.  At one point, John talks about how farmers, in trying to save their animals, bond with the livestock that will one day be food.  He also talks about the problems they created on the farm, and the difficulties in solving those problems.

It wasn't all bad though.  The movie showed little babies, plenty of successes on the farm, and several revelations as John and Molly worked out how to "balance the needs of the farm with the needs of the wildlife."  I was particularly enthralled with their solution for a devastating snail infestation in the citrus orchard.  In the end, the Chesters reached "a manageable level of coexistence" between the crops, livestock, wildlife, and humans.

As I watched this documentary for a second time to take notes for this review, I wound up with more quotes on my paper than anything else.  My favourite is one from the very beginning: "I never dreamed we could even get to this point - to have so much to lose."  What farmer doesn't understand that?

To my surprise and delight, this really is an exceptional documentary.  The camera work is of a high quality, the perspective is balanced and honest (maybe a little too honest for some of us?), and the story frequently had me leaning in to ask, "how will they solve this problem?"  All considered, I highly recommended watching "The Biggest Little Farm."

Note: I am not receiving any incentive, financial or otherwise, for promoting this movie.  

Being an Essential Worker in a Time of Crisis

Work has been strange for the past few weeks.  Almost every day I am seeing changes in the way I do my job, both in town and on the farm.  The restrictions regarding which businesses can and cannot remain open in the wake of COVID-19 are changing how I do my jobs and how I think about what needs to be done.

My town job as a delivery worker for the local dry cleaner will not end, as we are considered an essential service, providing clean uniforms to businesses in the food production industry, like the local oat mill and grocery store.  My delivery routes are getting shorter every day, though, as more and more businesses shut down to wait out the pandemic.

On the farm, my work, in many ways, is the same as always.  Cows are calving and need to be monitored carefully.  All of the animals need to be fed - this year that means feeding extra grain, because our hay is of poor quality due to a wet summer.  Some of the hay is still in hay yards several miles away, so it needs to be hauled home.  Of course, that would require a fully functioning wagon - ours is currently stranded in a neighbour's yard, awaiting repairs.  Winter is the time for repairs, and this year we have several pieces of equipment needing work (including my car, which was damaged in an accident last month).  In short, the work on the farm isn't about to shut down for any national or international crisis.

Even during an international crisis, sick calves need individual care.

In other ways, it is becoming more difficult to get the farm work done.  Farmers aren't lone rangers.  There are many people we depend on and interact with.

I had to pick up some supplements and minerals for my cattle and some dog and cat food a little while ago.  Normally I would walk into the mill store, place my order at the counter and then move my truck around to the back and help to load the bags onto the truck.  This time, I had to call my order in and someone had to bring the debit machine out to me.  I did help load up the truck, but a few days later, the company announced they they were asking customers to simply stay in their vehicles and leave the employees to load the orders.

I have also had to pick up calving supplies from the vet and from Co-op.  Social distancing protocols have forced me to think through my supply runs more thoroughly, as I must decide if I need to get more of something to last me longer, or risk having to interact with people more frequently.

Similar situations have become normal across the agriculture industry.  Dairy farmers in some parts of the country have been told to stay back from the milk truck drivers and to not even be in the same room as them, lest they refuse to pick up the milk.  Elevators have told truckers to remain in their trucks when delivering grain.  Agricultural lending companies and grain buyers have been sending out dozens of emails telling customers to do as much business via email or phone as possible, while offices shut down.  These are such simple requests, but a few months ago they would have been utterly unimaginable, for farmers tend to be sociable, helpful, and involved.

Nonetheless, the business of agriculture must and will carry on through every crisis, as will every other essential service.  Farmers have carried on producing food around the world through other epidemics, through wars, political upheavals, economic collapses, government betrayals, and natural disasters.  Some falter under the weight of the burden (and who wouldn't?), but as a whole, the business of agriculture does indeed carry on.

So, while my friends try to fill their jobless hours or figure out how to work from home, I carry on with an almost normal work schedule, half wishing for a bit of a break and half relieved to not be working in the medical field, for those who are do are far more tired and overworked than I.

An Open Letter from a Farmer to People Who are Passionate about the Planet

Dear People Who are Passionate about the Planet,

I am a young farmer from Alberta, Canada.  I recently listened to a round table discussion pertaining to care of our planet on a Christian podcast.  It was a fairly good discussion, but there were some comments about beef, organic food, and bees that were somewhat uninformed (which is not unusual among the general population).  Normally the comments I heard would frustrate me. However, a short time ago, I attended the amazing Western Canada Conference on Soil Health and Grazing and I would love to take a few moments to share the ridiculously exciting things that are going on in the North American agriculture industry in respect to caring for and healing our environment.

I’ll begin with beef.  Many consumers have heard the claims that beef is bad for the planet.  However, there were about 500 farmers and ranchers at the conference talking about the amazing things that cattle and other livestock can do, when managed properly, to bring healing to our planet. 

We talked and learned about how beef cattle are an integral part of protecting North America’s grasslands, one of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet.  In fact, if we take the cattle away, the grasslands turn into deserts!  Instead of letting that happen, the leading farmers and ranchers are learning the best ways to manage their cattle to keep the soil healthy.  When the soil is healthy, the plants are healthy, which allows the cattle to produce nutrient-rich beef and milk!  Even more awesome, when the soil and plants are healthy, our broken water cycle gets closer to being repaired AND the carbon in the atmosphere gets sequestered in the soil through natural processes!  Farmers are using some simple principles to heal the land, the water cycle, and the air!!  How insanely cool is that?!  As for the issue of the amount of land required to produce beef, most livestock are raised on marginal land – that is, land that is unsuitable for crops in the first place.  Using that land to grow veggies instead of meat would actually do more harm than good.  I could go on about how important beef cattle and other livestock are to a healthy planet, but I’ll refrain for now.

Beef Cows on Pasture, August 2017
Photo credits: Neil Rysavy

The next topic I’ll cover is that of organic food.  Many consumers think that buying organic food is what’s best for the planet and for our health, mainly because of the lack of pesticides used in organic agriculture.  Actually, organic farmers can and do use pesticides, though their selection is more limited.  Not using pesticides and synthetic fertilizers is an important step in repairing the soil and ecosystems, but that doesn’t automatically make organic production better or healthier than conventional practices.  Organic farmers can destroy their soils just as easily as others and they can have food that is just as poor in quality as others.  I won’t stop anyone from choosing organic, but the added value may or may not be there.  Several of the keynote speakers at the conference I attended could be organic producers if they just filled out the paperwork, but they refused to do so.  I think that says something about the types of conversations farmers want to be involved in.  We want to talk about good things, not create fear of our competitors.

Moving on, I find concerns about the bees to be interesting.  Yes, bees have been having some trouble lately, and yes, some of that is from chemicals being used to treat other problems in agriculture.  However, some of the problems simply have to do with diseases that are wiping out colonies.  Other issues have to do with modern-day cropping systems which don’t provide a variety of flowering plants for the bees to visit throughout the season.  Our fields all bloom at once and then the flowers are gone and the bees have to work harder in the times before and after the big blooms to find the flowers they need.  One of the awesome things we talked about at the conference was growing poly-cultures – having several species of plants together in the field.  The diversity benefits bees and has other incredible benefits (depending on what species are planted) including carbon sequestration, pest control, improved water and nutrient cycling, additional feed for livestock after harvest, and more!  The greatest part of this, in my opinion, is that the world doesn’t need to set aside millions of acres for bee farms! 

This is an increasingly normal situation: a crop farmer plants a diversity of crops in his field.  A honey producer brings his hives to the field and the bees do their thing, benefiting both producers who require the bees’ services (pollination and honey production).  Later, the bees are removed, the farmer harvests his cash crop and a beef producer brings his cattle over to graze the crops that were planted as a companion to the cash crop.  The cattle add fertilizer to the field and convert the plants to nutrient-dense beef.  Look at all the food produced in just one field!!!  These are things that leading farmers and ranchers are doing in North America just to produce food and it just happens to be healing the soil, the water cycle, the air, the surrounding ecosystem, etc.  How incredible is it that God has granted us wisdom to find the best ways to care for our earth while going about our daily tasks!  And we get to work WITH animals instead of shunning them for being inefficient.  I think that is absolutely incredible, not to mention a fantastic fulfillment of what God has commanded us to do in Genesis 1:28 and 2:15!

I hope I haven’t ranted too much or bored you, but I was so excited to share how God has been working in the agriculture community of North America to bring healing to our planet that I just had to tell you about it!  I believe that God calls all Christians to join Him as He restores the brokenness in our world - including in creation.  These are some of the ways that farmers get to join in the work.  What is God calling you to do?

Sincerely,

A Farmer

P.S. If you want to know more about what you can do to help agriculture be a healing force instead of a harmful force, check out my post, "What You Can Do to Help a Farmer."

What You Can Do to Help a Farmer

I've been thinking lately about what the average non-farmer can do to positively influence the agriculture industry.

We all want agriculture to be a force for good in the world.  We want farmers to heal the planet, have financial and economic stability, and produce highly nutritious food.  And why not?  Those are fantastic goals!

But what can the average non-farmer do to help farmers along as they pursue those goals?

Honestly, I’m not totally sure.  But I have a few ideas.


1) Make sure your local farmers know that you are in their corner.  

Some farmers produce food for local markets and some produce food for export.  We all need to know that our community supports our efforts.  For our mental health, we need to not feel like the perpetual bad guy.  So, if you see a problem, or don't understand something, instead of getting angry and attacking the farmer, ask questions and do what you can to learn about the situation.  When we feel that consumers trust us, we can focus on doing what we know is right, rather than either defending ourselves or giving in to practices we know aren’t best.

Working with cattle is dangerous enough. 
Farmers don't want to be under attack from consumers, too.

2) Lobby the government.  

When you hear that the provincial or federal government is passing laws or making trade deals that are bad news for farmers, let your representatives know that our farmers need government to stand by them now, rather than to give them subsidies later.  And remember, Canada's dairy quota system isn't a government subsidy.  Our dairy farmers have taken a governmental beating in the last few years, so let's support them and their brilliant system that keeps them off welfare.
Lobbying doesn't have to be complicated.  Just send a letter or email to your local representative whenever you see the need.

3) Buy what you want, but don't force your purchasing habits on others.  

For example, if you want to keep buying organic, that’s okay.  Organic isn’t necessarily the best option all the time, but the demand for it does force us to seek out production methods that we might not otherwise consider.  Or if you want to buy food straight from a farmer you trust, there are ways to do that, whether it’s at farmer’s markets or on-farm stores, or even just by contacting the farmer.  There are a number of farmers who enjoy these types of direct sales and this can be another thing that draws farmers to look at their practices in a different way.  Just remember: we all have free choice and live in a free market society.  Don't make one sector the villain just because of your personal beliefs.  That doesn't help anyone, especially the farmers (refer to point 1).

4) Choose a strategic career or area of study.  

Something young people can do to support farmers is to study agriculture, soil science, plant biology, ecology, environmental conservation, or other related disciplines in college and university.  They can be the people that do the research to encourage farmers to move away from destructive practices.  I heard from a few different scientists at a conference I recently attended and the information from them is always invaluable.

5) Pray for farmers.  

Ask the Lord to grant us wisdom, strength, and courage as we try new things and as we face ridicule and discouragement from others in our attempts to find ways to produce food, sustain our families economically, and heal the land.

Do you have any other ideas?  Let me know in the comments section!