Plants Dig Soil™

You can’t plan the weather, but you can plan how you’ll respond when it hits. I’ll walk you through the key principles, grounded in research and on-farm experience. If you want the full breakdown, check out my full article in Better Farming Prairies this month. Transcript with links to everything mentioned in the episode:https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/frost-heat-hailNewsletter signup: https...

Have recent geopolitical events left you short on nitrogen? Or are you holding back due to high input costs and uncertainty around how much you’ll sell the crop for? The good news is that for most of our other nutrients we can short them for one year as long as we haven’t been shorting them for many years. When you keep up with replacement then you have a buffer in place. Nitrogen is not like this...

Residuals, in-crop chemistry, crop competition, and rotation all interact to have a greater effect than what is used in any single season. Listen to learn more, and see an excellent example of how an unintentional check strip that showed the power of residuals. Transcript with links to everything mentioned in the episode:https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/relieving-pressure-with-residuals Newsl...

For this month, my article focuses on rotation. It’s hard to quantify but the effects of it are real. With weather, markets, and geopolitical risks all very real concerns this year a good rotation adds stability. No one crop will carry the farm, but, just as importantly, no one crop will put the farm at risk. Transcript with links to everything mentioned in the episode:https://www.plantsdigsoil.co...

Discussion of two recent magazine articles that I wrote. One article looks at pest control through a post-harvest lens — basically treating the season to a post-mortem. The other looks at seed decisions, especially around saved seed versus certified seed. Upcoming: Foothills County talk (south of Calgary, AB) Jan 28/26The Builder, The Banker, The Brewer https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-builder-the...

Crops take nutrients off the farm. Can food-waste biostimulants bring them back? Are they worth your time and money? In this episode I’ll dig in to nutrient imports, exports, how you can calculate the flows on your farm, and whether it’s worth trying some of the many products hitting the market. Upcoming: Foothills County talk (south of Calgary, AB) Dec 11/25 The Builder, The Banker, The Brewer ht...

Soil testing isn’t an expense—it’s an investment. In my latest Better Farming Prairies article, I share how a few dollars per acre in testing can save thousands in fertilizer costs and help you make smarter, better-timed decisions. Read “Test Smarter to Spend Less” to see how good data pays off in the field. #RealisticRegenAg #SoilTesting #PrecisionAgriculture #FertilizerEfficiency #SustainableFar...

Prairie farmers are skeptical of “soil health” as justanother buzzword — but what if data could make it practical? This episode explores mapping tools, farmer perspectives, and what resilience really looks like in the field. Transcript with links to everything mentioned in theepisode: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/mapping-soil-health Newsletter signup:  https://mailchi.mp/plantsdigsoil/new...

Do you bale your straw or keep it? The basic concept is to ask whether it is helping or hindering you. If baling will remove soil armor and allow rains to erode your land, leave it. If it’s causing issues at seeding time, bale some of it. Transcript with links to everything mentioned in the episode:https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/when-to-bale-your-straw Newsletter signup: https://mailchi.mp/...

In this edition I talk about how I evaluate new agricultural practices and tools before recommending them to clients. From the challenges of staying current to the importance of third-party data, I share my approach to separating useful innovation from flashy distractions. Transcript with links to everything mentioned in the episode: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/testing-new-practices News...

In this episode, I dive into what I’ve learned from applying organic weed control methods in my own garden—from stale seedbeds to blind cultivation—and how those lessons connect to what I see in prairie agriculture. I also reflect on my latest Better Farming Prairies article, which explores modern weed control tools that can reduce herbicide use without reversing no-till gains. Plus, I highlight s...

Are tillage and soil carbon compatible? Agronomist andauthor Scott Gillespie shares insights from his new article Soil Carbon & Tillage: Eat Your Cake and Have it Too.” Also – lessons from polycrop systems, organic fertility strategies, and the surprising connection between cultural heritage and forgotten crop varieties. Transcript with links to everything mentioned in the episode: https://www...

Do you need livestock to build soil health? Agronomist and author Scott Gillespie digs into recent research on grazing cover crops, biomass thresholds, and fungal networks—challenging some of the more popular narratives in regenerative ag. Plus: funding program updates, writing news, and practical insight for Prairie producers. Transcript with links to everything mentioned in the episode: https://...

Plants Dig Soil https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/ Newsletter signup: https://mailchi.mp/plantsdigsoil/newsletter   https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6944029544697802752 Practical Regeneration: Realistic Strategies for Climate Smart Agriculture https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/books My consulting packages: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/pricing/#consulting Speaking, Teaching, & Workshop Design: htt...

#RealisticRegenAg | Welcome to the final newsletter of the year! As mentioned previously, I’ll be taking a break over the holiday season but will return in early February. If you’re in southern Alberta and would like to connect before then, I’ll be at the Irrigated Crop Production Update on January 23rd in Lethbridge. You’ll find the registration link included in this email. This month, I’m diving...

#RealisticRegenAg | As the season winds down here in southern Alberta, I’ve been busy teaching both diploma and degree students at Lethbridge Polytechnic (formerly Lethbridge College). As is my annual tradition, I’ll be slowing down my newsletter and podcast production during the fall and taking an extended break over the holiday season. You can expect one final newsletter in early December, with...

#RealisticRegenAg | Cover crops might be giving off more greenhouse gases than bare ground. It's a surprise, for sure. It all comes down to how long they sit in cool and wet conditions. They pull up and hold onto more nitrogen than bare ground, however when they die they can give off much greater nitrous oxide emissions compared to a bare field. So check out the articles below and read any of...

#RealisticRegenAg | White patches in a field are often referred to as alkali patches. The underlying problem may be high pH – alkalinity – but the salt in and of itself is not at a high pH and therefore is not alkaline. When you see salt on the surface it is more properly called salinity. The reason for this is that alkalinity may or may not be there. If present it may be near the surface or it ma...

#RealisticRegenAg | I’ve been thinking more and more about the circular economy recently. Truly regenerative agriculture will return the nutrients back to the land. It may not be possible to bring it back to the exact piece of land, but starting to get more of these nutrients back to any piece of land is the starting of getting to the goal of regenerative. Most of the articles this month fit into...

#RealisticRegenAg | Have you ever thought that a weed could become a crop? They seem to grow no matter what you do, so why not find a use for it? The plants we use today for crops have been around for centuries and even for millennia. I heard about a new crop being developed from weed and it got me thinking: How do you go about this? This episode is mostly a thought experiment, but it’s a great wa...

#RealisticRegenAg | The heat has come to southern Alberta! After never making it above 30C we are now in week well over 30C. This is going to be tough on nearly every crop as it’s right at flowering time or early seed fill. In the case of potatoes, the first set has been made and they are deciding how much to keep of their second set. Hopefully they keep them and get bulking! How is it in your are...

#RealisticRegenAg | Cover crops aren’t required in every situation. This is a key theme throughout my book “Practical Regeneration”. In this episode I’m going to talk about the development of no-till and how it might give us some clues on how to think through where cover crops work best. Welcome to the sixth season of Plants Dig Soil, a podcast about #RealisticRegenAg. I’m your host, Scott Gillesp...

Welcome to the sixth season of Plants Dig Soil, a podcast about #RealisticRegenAg. I’m your host, Scott Gillespie, and I’m an agronomist from the Western Canadian Prairies specializing in climate-smart agriculture. I discuss scientifically proven practices that benefit the planet and, just as importantly, farmers' economic sustainability. Be sure to visit my website, www.plantsdigsoil.com , fo...

#RealisticRegenAg | Following up on the episode earlier this season borrowing a movie title (Dude, Where’s my nitrogen?), I’m going to focus on the elusive nutrient, phosphorus. This is an offshoot of a talk I gave this winter on using cover crops for break years between forages. It was delivered in person and to participants online. It was recorded so I’ll put a link to the talk in the descriptio...

#RealisticRegenAg | I love reading and staying up to date with agriculture news. I use Feedly, an RSS feed reader, that keeps track of news stories from over 75 agriculture news sites. I also employ an AI bot to help me find relevant information in climate and regenerative news from other sources that I might have missed. With that being said, I’ve been thinking about how to refresh my newsletter....