Plants Dig Soil™

#RealisticRegenAg | Surviving another drought means making our plants the most water efficient we can. While some of the things can be done immediately, most of the things require a long-term plan. I’ve heard it said the best time to plan for a drought is when the last one breaks. We might be on the cusp of this one breaking with the recent snowfalls, but it’s too early to tell. In this episode I’...

#RealisticRegenAg | My book is published! This has been a year long process of editing, book design, proofreading, and finally getting it set for distribution. I used a hybrid model of self publishing with the support of a team at FriesenPress. They are Canadian publishers and have all the distribution channels in place to get it availablen anywhere in the world. The title is Practical Regeneratio...

#RealisticRegenAg | February will be busy out meeting people and learning new things. Hey, what else is there to do in this climate? In this episode I’ll go over the places I’ll be in the upcoming month plus a new speaking engagement that has been added for March. And the book is on track to be ready for sale in March. More details in the March newsletter. Welcome to the sixth season of Plants Dig...

#RealisticRegenAg | Nitrogen is a challenging nutrient to rely on. In wet climates, it can easily leach deep into the soil. If tile drains are present, it can even run off into ditches and water bodies. In dry climates, nitrogen usually cannot be lost to depth, but it can become tied up in residue and may not be released until well after the crop needs it. For this month's regenerative agricul...

#RealisticRegenAg | It’s conference season so I’m hoping to meet a bunch of you at in person and online events this winter. I’ll be listing off all the places I’ll be later on in the episode. I’ll also be talking about the new WhatsApp channel that I have created, a new Speaking, Teaching, & Workshop Design service plus, for those that go to the site posting or watch the video, you’ll see a sn...

#RealisticRegenAg | In several episodes of this podcast, I've shared my experiences teaching Precision Agriculture to diploma and degree students at Lethbridge College. Teaching is a reciprocal process, and through it, I've gained valuable insights into the future of agriculture and the evolving landscape of agronomy in the upcoming years and decades. Join me in this final episode of the s...

#RealisticRegenAg | A chance discovery in a used bookstore in Winnipeg introduced me to Seager Wheeler. He shared similarities with many settlers who arrived in the Canadian Prairies during the late 19th century, but he stood out above others as Western Canada’s Wheat King, gaining international recognition. What set him apart even more was the fact that he documented his experiences in a book. I...

#RealisticRegenAg | You've heard me mention that enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, yet they seldom boost yields. But what if we adjusted their usage rates? This approach might make them more economically viable for farmers and more beneficial for the planet. In other news, I'll explore how long-term crop rotations benefit cash crops, the cost-benef...

#RealisticRegenAg | You may have wondered where I got to? Or perhaps you didn’t notice I missed the November email. I was just getting ready to work on the email when I got sick. It seems to be a cold going around the area. It set me back for a few weeks which also set my teaching and client work back. I decided rather than rush a newsletter out I’d just skip November and go with December. Welcome...

I’ll be back again in a week or so. See you then

#RealisticRegenAg | In this month's regenerative agriculture news, I have six stories. I'll start with some new research that shows that cover crops may not be a net benefit to the nitrogen loss equation. While they can prevent leaching, they may contribute more to nitrous oxide emissions. On the topic of nitrous oxide emissions, work in the Prairies is continuing to show that inhibitors w...

#RealisticRegenAg | Rick from the GardenFork podcast frequently remarks, "Bees don't read our manuals," when he discusses beekeeping. I've found this to be equally true for plants. In this episode, I'll share a year-end review of what I learned over the summer in the fields and my garden. Welcome to Plants Dig Soil, a podcast about #RealisticRegenAg. I’m your host, Scott Gill...

#RealisticRegenAg | Buffalo Bird Woman was one of the last Indigenous farmers in what is now North Dakota. Fortunately, her story was preserved. I've referred to a book about her many times in my podcast and in presentations to farmers. In this episode, I'd like to introduce you to her and hopefully inspire you to read the book yourself. Welcome to Plants Dig Soil, a podcast about #Realist...

#RealisticRegenAg | This week’s episode is an audio and video version of my monthly newsletter. If you want to receive it to your email or to LinkedIn, check out the links in the episode description. If you’ve got behind on listening to episodes, I’ll be summarizing the past month’s work of episodes. Welcome to Plants Dig Soil, a podcast about #RealisticRegenAg. I’m your host, Scott Gillespie, and...

#RealisticRegenAg | In this month’s roundup of regenerative agriculture news, I'll begin with a story about new research that delves deep into root architecture. The researchers conducted studies on intact samples of both single species and diverse mixtures of cover crops to understand how root systems behave in their natural environment. Next, I'll discuss an article that explores the cha...

#RealisticRegenAg | Drip irrigation holds great promise as the most efficient method for delivering water to plants with minimal losses. Unlike traditional sprinkler systems that can be affected by wind and heat, drip irrigation offers a precise way to water plants. However, one of its main challenges lies in the amount of infrastructure required for its implementation. In this episode, I'll s...

#RealisticRegenAg | The book "Deep Work" by Cal Newport is what has enabled me to reach my current position. Concepts like entering a state of flow, scheduling dedicated work time, and maintaining clear boundaries between work and leisure have been instrumental in my journey. In this episode, I'll delve deeper into these ideas and hopefully inspire you to invest your time in reading or listening t...

#RealisticRegenAg | This past month, the seasonal demands overwhelmed me, so I decided to hit the reset button and start fresh for September. I'm sure you can relate. Let me know how you deal with overwhelm by sharing this episode with your thoughts or commenting on one of my posts. I’ll update you on all things that are going on and give you a summary of the content from this past month. Stay...

#RealisticRegenAg | Is the slow grind of progress better than the grand schemes we see postulated now? A new article says yes. They advocate for starting at the end goal and working towards what is needed most. I’ll be covering this and seven other articles that I came across this month in this episode. Stay tuned. Welcome to Plants Dig Soil, a podcast about #RealisticRegenAg. I’m your host, Scott...

Update on the podcast and getting going again

#RealisticRegenAg | Have you heard about Meta (formerly known as Facebook) blocking Canadian news? They had previously warned that they would take this action if a new law was passed in Canada, and it seems they are now following through. Join me in this episode covering my monthly newsletter and I’ll explain it’s relevance to my business. Welcome to Plants Dig Soil, a podcast about #RealisticRege...

#RealisticRegenAg | From crop breeding, to agronomy research, to policy, there’s a lot to cover in this month regenerative agriculture news. Join me in this episode as I cover the important news that I saw come across my news feeds this month. Welcome to Plants Dig Soil, a podcast about #RealisticRegenAg. I’m your host, Scott Gillespie, and I’m an agronomist from the western Canadian prairies spec...

#RealisticRegenAg | In the very first season of Plants Dig Soil I talked about soil health tests. Has anything changed since then? In my opinion no, not really. There are tests that are getting closer to wide scale adoption, but I just don’t see any of them worthwhile yet. In this episode I’ll cover the thinking I had then as tohow to approach evaluating them and I’ll cover how I assess soil healt...

#RealisticRegenAg | I was taught to kill the life in the soil. After all, we wanted to grow crops and we needed to get rid of the pests. That view is shifting, and books like “Farming with Soil Life” help move the needle on this important topic. Join me in this episode where I review this new resource put out by the Xerces Society through the SARE publishing program. Welcome to Plants Dig Soil. My...

#RealisticRegenAg | A board position for the Prairie Certified Crop Advisors is open and I’ve decided to run for it. If you’re a CCA check your emails and look for the announcement. The voting is done by email and needs to be in by Friday July 14th (not the 4th as originally stated in the email). If you didn’t get the email send one to Mary-Jane Debreuil . This is what I’m running on. Let me know...