Plants Dig Soil™

#RealisticRegenAg | December 2022 Video Update (for those on Spotify & YouTube) Get your CCA credits and claim your $20 off coupon for Profitable From the Start: Cover Crops for the Prairies by using the link below: https://plantsdigsoil.thinkific.com/courses/cover-crops-prairies?coupon=podcast If the coupon isn't applied use "podcast" (no quotes) at checkout Newsletter signup: https://ma...

#RealisticRegenAg | November 2022 Video Update (for those on Spotify & YouTube) Newsletter signup: https://mailchi.mp/plantsdigsoil/newsletter Funding details from OFCAF: https://rdar.ca/ofcaf/ My service offering (which is covered by the funding): https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/pricing/#paperwork Future Ecologies Podcast: https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe-4-8-ground-truthing Claim your...

#RealisticRegenAg  | For anyone listening from Alberta, there is an important deadline coming up for funding for cover crops, nitrogen stabilizers/management, soil sampling/mapping, manure/compost hauling & application, perennial legume establishment, and getting setup with fencing & watering systems for multi paddock grazing. Also, there is an episode of another podcast that I am gue...

#RealisticRegenAg | This past season covered a lot of topics that are pertinent to agriculture right now and that have been stewing in my mind for a while. At the end of each season, I like to do a review episode to wrap things up. It’s also a good starting point for anyone coming in later to get up to speed on what I’ve covered each season. Newsletter signup: https://mailchi.mp/plantsdigsoil/news...

#RealisticRegenAg | There are many “bio” products out there. In this episode I’ll distill them down to their essence and help you to determine where they may, or may not, fit on your farm. Newsletter signup: https://mailchi.mp/plantsdigsoil/newsletter Claim your $20 off coupon for Profitable From the Start: Cover Crops for the Prairies by using the link below: https://plantsdigsoil.thinkific....

#RealisticRegenAg | Marginal areas may not pay to farm. What can be done to help them benefit the farm and society as a whole? In this episode I'll explore the ways they can be made to be a profitable part of your operation. Newsletter signup: https://mailchi.mp/plantsdigsoil/newsletter Claim your $20 off coupon for Profitable From the Start: Cover Crops for the Prairies by using the link bel...

#RealisticRegenAg | Instead of trying to get more from the land from over yielding of intercropped cash crops, I advocate for focusing on  intercropping cover crops instead. Cover crops growing with the cash crops can be implemented without losing yield and will build long term profitability instead of short term gains. Newsletter signup: https://mailchi.mp/plantsdigsoil/newsletter Claim your...

#RealisticRegenAg | Intercropping has been gaining popularity on the Prairies lately. If you haven’t heard of it, or are still trying to figure it out, the basic concept is to grow two or more crops at the same time on the same piece of land. In this episode I cover the theory behind it and where it may fit into our agricultural systems. Newsletter signup: https://mailchi.mp/plantsdigsoil/newslett...

#RealisticRegenAg  | What if, instead of trying to find a solution that fits every year, we expand our planning to include the current water cycle? In a drought, fallow with cover crops and cash crops on alternate years may be the best solution. In rainy cycles continuous cropping with cover crops interseeded at weed control time may be the best option. The basis for this episode is fasc...

#RealisticRegenAg  | We’re all tired of hearing the phrase “supply chain issues.” But we need to be ready.  What do we do if we cannot get what is essential for our farm? In this episode I cover how to work through this. Key points: Soil tests will be critical for helping to allocate fertilizer. Crop plans may need to altered to grow crops that are less dependent on seasonal applica...

#RealisticRegenAg | Feedback before the end of the month requested on an online course & review of Season 3. Feedback & Early Access link: https://mailchi.mp/plantsdigsoil/cover-crop-early-feedback Episode link: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/024-online-course-amp-season-3-review Email: scott@plantsdigsoil.com Click for Twitter and LinkedIn or search scottcgillespie

#RealisticRegenAg | Cover crops need to pay in the immediate, short, and long-term. Join me as I discuss how treating cover crops as another input on the farm that is expected to give results will pay now and in the future. Episode link: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/023-cover-crop-roi Email: scott@plantsdigsoil.com Click for Twitter and LinkedIn or search scottcgillespie Are Cover Crops W...

#RealisticRegenAg | Given this new idea that tillage does not cause organic matter loss and my idea that cover crops are basically just putting carbon in its proper place, it follows that potatoes are not inherently bad for the soil. Their problem is they disturb this layering of organic matter that protects the surface. The goal, then, is to do what we can to keep as much organic matter in place...

#RealisticRegenAg Now that we have a way to maximize the ground cover with green plants  and having living roots growing as much as the heat and the moisture  will allow, we can look at ways to supercharge the system. In this  episode I’ll cover ways with and without animals to increase the  capacity of the system. Episode link: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/021-superch...

#RealisticRegenAg Relay cover cropping is simply deciding what we want to grow on the land rather than letting nature decide for us. Join me on this episode where I explain why I am convinced this is the best way to make cover cropping work in short growing seasons. To end the episode I'll go through an example rotation to help you get started while using existing equipment and inexpensive seed. E...

#RealisticRegenAg Sequestering carbon is not natural, it's there to be used. In this episode I'll cover what organic matter actually is, how it is useful to your soil in its proper place, and why it's hard to get it to stay in the soil. Episode link: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/019-carbon-in-its-proper-place Email: scott@plantsdigsoil.com Click for Twitter and LinkedIn or search scottcgi...

#RealisticRegenAg The soil particles can only produce a small amount of the nutrients that we export in a year. The legacy nutrients can prop you up for a little while, but eventually you need nutrients brought back into the system. The dust bowl of the 1930s showed that tillage was not a source of inexhaustible nutrients. In this episode I will be arguing that we will be seeing the same thing sho...

#RealisticRegenAg  Many times something appears to work initially, only to be proven wrong later. In this episode, I take a step back, and take the long view on soil development from a geological and an anthropological perspective. Episode link: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/017-the-long-view-on-regeneration Email: scott@plantsdigsoil.com Click for Twitter and LinkedIn or search scott...

#RealisticRegenAg Through use of the story of discovering footwear outside of the mainstream I will attempt to answer the question: What is Regenerative Agriculture? Episode link: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/016-what-is-regenerative-agriculture Email: scott@plantsdigsoil.com Click for Twitter and LinkedIn or search scottcgillespie

#RealisticRegenAg Join me as I look at what the realistic expectations are for regenerative nutrient management in the semi-arid brown soils of the Canadian Prairies. This bonus episode was originally presented to a group of farmers and ranchers in the southern area of Alberta, Canada on February 16, 2021. Transcript and PowerPoint slides: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/media Email: scott@plantsdig...

#RealisticRegenAg Join me as I look at what the realistic expectations are for carbon building in the semi-arid brown soils of the Canadian Prairies. This bonus episode was originally presented to a group of farmers and ranchers in the Medicine Hat area of Alberta, Canada on January 27, 2021. Transcript and PowerPoint slides: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/media Email: scott@plantsdigsoil.com Click...

In this episode, I’m going to review the season so you can remember all that I’ve covered and give you - my listeners - a chance at getting a hat and mug sent anywhere in the world, just for giving me some feedback on the future direction of the podcast. Episode link: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/015-season-review-future-feedback Feedback survey: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast-feed...

For the past decade I've tried to make drip irrigation work in my garden. In this episode I'll talk about the many iterations of my design and why I'm pulling it out next year and going back to overhead sprinklers. Episode link: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/014-giving-up-on-drip Email: scott@plantsdigsoil.com Click for Twitter and LinkedIn or search scottcgillespie

The idea of paying farmers to store carbon in their soils has been around for decades. The next frontier is now looked upon to be regenerative agriculture. In this episode, I’d like to work through a series of questions you should be able to answer before you sign up for a carbon payment plan. Episode link: https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/013-caution-on-carbon-payments   Email: scott@pl...

Cocktail cover crops are all the rage in cover crop discussions. Farmers and seed companies have their own special blend that is purported to have all the benefits you need for your farm. But do they work? Episode link:  https://www.plantsdigsoil.com/podcast/012-simplicity-in-cover-crop-mixes   Email: scott@plantsdigsoil.com Click for Twitter and LinkedIn or search scottcgillespie