Fueling a farmer-led movement with Understanding Ag and ALUS
- Research Story
In March 2023, we gathered in Kenosee, Saskatchewan with the 45 farmers who participated in our first regenerative agriculture program. We were joined by consultants Michael Thiele and Blain Hjertaas from Understanding Ag, a consulting company that provides support, education, and mentorship to farmers. Michael and Blain provided farmer coaching and facilitated peer-to-peer learning throughout the program. Farmers and their families gathered to share their experiences in the four years since the program started. They told stories of runaway pickup trucks and difficult kitchen-table conversations, and their successes, failures, and learnings in trying new practices. “But the biggest lesson,” said Manitoba farmer Cameron Hodgins to the room, “is the power of community that Michael and Blain created.”
It's a common saying in agriculture that farmers learn best from other farmers. Farmers can relate to each other’s experiences, motivations, and the inherent challenges – both emotional and logistical – of transitioning to new practices. Our initial regenerative agriculture program highlighted the value of fostering these farmer networks. The participating farmers not only supported each other but also emerged as community leaders, presenting at conferences and hosting field days and discussion groups to share their knowledge and inspire others. As Hjertaas noted, “It’s like throwing pebbles in a pond and seeing the ripples spread out.”
As our program progressed, we recognized the need for a partnership that could scale farmer-led regenerative agriculture beyond what we could support through our own program.
It's a common saying in agriculture that farmers learn best from other farmers. Farmers can relate to each other’s experiences, motivations, and the inherent challenges – both emotional and logistical – of transitioning to new practices. Our initial regenerative agriculture program highlighted the value of fostering these farmer networks. The participating farmers not only supported each other but also emerged as community leaders, presenting at conferences and hosting field days and discussion groups to share their knowledge and inspire others. As Hjertaas noted, “It’s like throwing pebbles in a pond and seeing the ripples spread out.”
As our program progressed, we recognized the need for a partnership that could scale farmer-led regenerative agriculture beyond what we could support through our own program.
From habitat to whole-farm solutions with ALUS
ALUS’s programming has traditionally focused on habitat restoration, helping farmers create benefits for biodiversity, climate, and water by restoring unproductive farmland to vital wildlife habitats. Prompted by a suggestion from a farmer in our regenerative agriculture program, we launched a partnership with ALUS in 2022 to pilot an expansion of their programming that added support for in-field regenerative agriculture implementation.
This pilot program called Growing Roots exemplifies the power of farmer-to-farmer support. Local farmers with regenerative agriculture experience serve on technical advisory committees, guiding their peers in adopting practices such as cover cropping, intercropping, integrated crop-livestock systems, and no-till. This peer support, coupled with educational outreach and locally tailored financial assistance, has been instrumental to the program's success. In its first two years, Growing Roots engaged 115 farmers, 70% of whom were new to ALUS. Building on this success, we and ALUS announced an expansion of Growing Roots in 2024. This reach, combined with ALUS's ability to support whole-farm solutions (including in-field regenerative agriculture and edge-of-field habitat restoration), positions our partnership to significantly scale a farmer-led model for improved ecosystem health across agricultural landscapes.
Understanding Ag’s work to foster a supportive network of leading regenerative farmers, combined with ALUS’s structure for broader collaboration and investment in locally-led programming, has helped to propel regenerative agriculture forward in the Canadian Prairies. Through our continued investment in the region, we hope create even more “ripples in the pond,” thanks to the leadership of farmers and our partners.
This pilot program called Growing Roots exemplifies the power of farmer-to-farmer support. Local farmers with regenerative agriculture experience serve on technical advisory committees, guiding their peers in adopting practices such as cover cropping, intercropping, integrated crop-livestock systems, and no-till. This peer support, coupled with educational outreach and locally tailored financial assistance, has been instrumental to the program's success. In its first two years, Growing Roots engaged 115 farmers, 70% of whom were new to ALUS. Building on this success, we and ALUS announced an expansion of Growing Roots in 2024. This reach, combined with ALUS's ability to support whole-farm solutions (including in-field regenerative agriculture and edge-of-field habitat restoration), positions our partnership to significantly scale a farmer-led model for improved ecosystem health across agricultural landscapes.
Understanding Ag’s work to foster a supportive network of leading regenerative farmers, combined with ALUS’s structure for broader collaboration and investment in locally-led programming, has helped to propel regenerative agriculture forward in the Canadian Prairies. Through our continued investment in the region, we hope create even more “ripples in the pond,” thanks to the leadership of farmers and our partners.