Grain on the Brain
Karen Klassen, Scott Beaton
All episodes
Best episodes
Seasons
Top 10 Grain on the Brain Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Grain on the Brain episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Grain on the Brain for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Grain on the Brain episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Mechanical Weed Control
Grain on the Brain
05/07/20 • 50 min
We recorded today’s episode in March at the 2020 Prairie Organics Conference in Brandon Manitoba.
Scott gets into the weeds with Sam Hitchcock Tilton as they discuss ways to control weeds at all stages of their life cycle throughout the growing season.
Sponsor
Thanks to Regen Ag Solutions for helping to sponsor this episode. If you’re thinking about trying out some of the machines Sam and Scott were talking about, check out their website at https://regenagsolutions.ca/ or give them a call on 1-204-999-1232.
Their farming solutions aim to help farmers achieve balance and synergy between plants and soil. They provide their clients with the best products to develop soil nutrition, increase yields and promote long-term sustainability.
https://twitter.com/RegenAgSolutio1
Resources
Dalhousie University has put together some great resources from harrowing to robotic weed control to help you decide what will work best for your farm.
Manitoba Agriculture has also summarized some of the issues with weed control in organic cropping systems here: https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/weeds/weed-management-in-organic-crop-systems.html
And don’t forget to check out the resources on Pivot and Grow!
https://www.pivotandgrow.com/resources/production/managing-weeds/
Guest bio for Sam Sam Hitchcock Tilton
Sam Hitchcock Tilton is a Horticulture Instructor at Lakeshore Technical College, just North of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He has a background in vegetable farming and earned a Master’s degree in Horticulture from Michigan State University, where he studied and conducted research on precision weeding tools. Sam was the Midwest Sales Representative for KULT-Kress precision cultivation tools. For this work he designed weeding machines for all types of crops, developed new tools, and traveled through Europe and the US visiting farms. He writes for Vegetable Grower’s News and Growing for Market, and is the organizer of the annual Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day – the nation’s premier event for weeding tool demonstrations.
Marketing Organic Grain 101
Grain on the Brain
05/26/19 • 27 min
Join our host Scott Beaton in conversation with Organic grain farmer Ian Cushon and organic buyer Scott Shiels to learn about the opportunities and challenges that come along with marketing organic grain. Organic farmers can take advantage by paying attention to what's happening in the market place and planning crops accordingly . The organic industry is a smaller community and everyone wants to help each other so learn the network and learn to ask questions. Learn what might be a good crop to start with and how to approach speciality markets. Hear about the importance of maintaining grain quality on the farm. Hear about contract considerations straight from the farmer's perspective.
Guest Bios:
Ian Cushon has farmed organically for 30 years producing a wide variety of field crops including row cropping organic sunflowers in the 1990s to soybeans in 2016. Ian has used mechanical weed control including rod weeders, tine harrows, tine weeders and rotary hoes. Mechanical weed control is an important option in some crops, but strong crop rotations and cultural weed management are the foundation of productive organic crops on the prairies. Ian and wife Jo-Anne, operate Moose Creek Organic Farm near Oxbow, in Southeast Saskatchewan. They have two children Liam 16 and Anna 14.
Scott Shiels works with Grain Millers as the Procurement Manager and has experience as a grain buyer handling the procurement of grains into the mill in Yorkton. He works with the US procurement team on other commodities that they source from Canada.
Resources discussed in this episode:
Credits:
Host: Scott Beaton
| Producers: Dana Penrice, Iris Vaisman, Cari Hartt, and Tierra Stokes
Grain on the Brain is a podcast of the Prairie Organic Grain Initiative
Organic Connections Panel
Grain on the Brain
03/27/23 • 50 min
Soil Health Tools
Grain on the Brain
04/20/23 • 44 min
Storing Water and Carbon
Grain on the Brain
05/26/22 • 43 min
Resources links
One fantastic way to build soil health and improve the water infiltration capacity of your soil is to integrate livestock onto your land. For grain farmers who don’t own livestock, MOA and MFGA have built a website to help facilitate partnerships between grain and livestock farmers. It’s a great way to terminate and reincorporate your green manure and build your soil biology. FInd out more here: https://manitobagrazingexchange.com/
The panel mentioned Mark Shepard’s keyline permaculture design, so we thought we’d include a link to a presentation he made last year at Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c8302QJk5k
If you’re in Manitoba, you can out more about the programs and support offered by the Watershed Districts and find out who your local district is here: https://manitobawatersheds.org/
In Canada, other groups providing watershed and soil health support include Ducks Unlimited https://www.ducks.ca/ , and ALUS https://alus.ca/.
Sponsor
Our podcast is supported by generous donations, grants and sponsorships. This episode was funded in part by the Canadian government through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Prairie Organic Development Fund and the Conservation Trust. MOA is also thankful for its gold sponsors, Millview Farms, La Milanaise, SeCan, Kroeker Farms and XiteBio. If you would like to sponsor an episode, contact us at [email protected].
Guest bio
Ryan Canart
Producer and Manager, Assiniboine West Watershed
Ryan Canart received a degree in Natural Resource Management at Thompson Rivers University in 2002 but began his love of working with the land in 2000 when his family purchased their property near Hargrave Manitoba. Ryan has a passion for regenerative land management, which started with a keen interest in agroforestry. He applies that passion by managing his grass-backgrounding ranch with AMP grazing, planting trees, growing food, and taking advantage of the many opportunities rural living provides. Ryan has been involved with the watershed district program since 2003. Currently he is the General Manager of the Assiniboine West Watershed. He has also been involved with organizations over the years including the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council, the Prairie Improvement Network, and the Assiniboine River Basin Initiative.
Henry Wilson
Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Brandon
Henry Wilson has been a Research Scientist with AAFC in Brandon, Manitoba since 2011. He conducts research on the hydrology, nutrient cycling, and stream ecology of agricultural systems. His current research is focused on developing knowledge to reduce eutrophication and flooding problems in agricultural watersheds, design of more sustainable and resilient production systems, and understanding potential environmental benefits and trade-offs associated with agricultural management changes. He earned his Ph.D. from the Watershed Ecosystems program at Trent University, in Ontario and was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship through the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, USA before becoming a Research Scientist with AAFC.
Organic Grain Transition: If I Knew Then What I Know Now
Grain on the Brain
09/11/19 • 53 min
Join our host Scott Beaton in conversation with Transitioning organic grain farmer, Alex Boersch from Elie, MB, interviews Alan McKenzie, an experienced organic grain farmer from Nesbitt, MB. . With host Scott Beaton, they discusses strategies, perceptions, challenges, and opportunities of transitioning into organic grain. Hear their perspective on rotations, managing weeds, markets, paperwork and more.
Bio: Alex Boersch has a bachelor and Masters in Agri-Business and science from INP Purpan (University in Touluse, France). He has worked for two years in Toronto for DG Global Inc as a grain trader and moved back to the farm July of 2017. The farm was founded in 1988 by his father Andreas Boersch, who emigrated from Cologne, Germany. They farm 5000 acres and are transitioning 500 acres of land into organic.
Alan McKenzie farms in Nesbitt, MB on a 4000 acre mixed cattle and grain organic farm. Alan began transitioning his farm to organic production in 2002 and since 2011 his whole farm including his cattle operation are certified organic. Alan works for diversity on his farm, growing a variety of grain crops including inter-crops, hemp and other cereals. His cattle are used to graze cover crops on the farm.
Resources discussed in this episode:
- Pivot and Grow Transitioning Starter Kit
- Transitioning resources on Pivot and Grow
- 1-800 Ask an Expert: Call 1-800-245-8341
Credits:
Host: Scott Beaton
Producers: Dana Penrice, Iris Vaisman, Cari Hartt, and Tierra Stokes
Grain on the Brain is a podcast of the Prairie Organic Grain Initiative
Biologicals
Grain on the Brain
04/09/22 • 38 min
Resources links
You can contact Neal Wagar, Manitoba Technical Sales Rep via email [email protected] or phone (204-218-2221) for any questions about Ecotea.
Recent study results have been uploaded to our website as well in the Resources section: https://manitobaorganicalliance.com/podcasts/season-3-episode-6-biologicals/
Sponsor
Our podcast is supported by generous donations, grants and sponsorships. This episode was sponsored by Overton Environmental Enterprises and funded in part by the Canadian government through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Prairie Organic Development Fund. MOA is also thankful for its gold sponsors, Millview Farms, La Milanaise, SeCan, Kroeker Farms and XiteBio. If you would like to sponsor an episode, contact us at [email protected].
Guest bio
Dale Overton
I am a highly motivated and hard working individual interested in applied ecology and sustainable landscape management. My goal is to work with industry partners to create realistic and economical solutions to complex ecological problems. I am also interested in developing, manufacturing and marketing various biological soil amendments and organic fertility products (Eco-Tea and Essential Organics). I am also involved in waste reduction and transformation projects using advanced composting techniques. Currently, I am involved in many innovative research projects both in Canada and Internationally, which focus on organics waste management, sustainable agri-systems, soil ecology and revegetation.
My family and I live on a 97 acre farm in the boreal-parkland transition ecoregion. My wife and I share a beautiful daughter and son. We have dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and chickens all raised as holistically and sustainably as possible.
Thoughtful Tillage
Grain on the Brain
01/25/22 • 62 min
Resources links
Curtis mentioned Manitoba Agriculture’s Soil Management Guide as a great resource in learning more about soils in general and how to manage them:
https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/environment/soil-management/soil-management-guide/
Sponsor
Our podcast is supported by generous donations, grants and sponsorships. This episode was funded in part by the Canadian government through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Prairie Organic Development Fund and the Conservation Trust. MOA is also thankful for its gold sponsors, Millview Farms, La Milanaise, SeCan, Kroeker Farms and XiteBio. If you would like to sponsor an episode, contact us at [email protected].
Guest bio
Curtis Cavers
Curtis is the site supervisor for the AAFC-Portage la Prairie sub-station which is part of the Brandon Research and Development Centre. Curtis has a focus in agronomy and soil science, specifically in the areas of nutrient management, soil health, tillage, water management, precision agriculture and general crop production.
You can contact Curtis at: [email protected] or reach him by phone: 204-871-7346
Our guest host for this episode was Allison Squires. You can find out more about Allison and her farm, Upland Organics at https://uplandorganics.ca/.
Book recommendation
Dale & Carter: “Topsoil and civilization”
https://www.worldcat.org/title/topsoil-and-civilization/oclc/924435
Transition to Organics
Grain on the Brain
12/01/21 • 45 min
Resources links
Check out the Rodale Institute resources, webinars and courses
https://rodaleinstitute.org/why-organic/organic-basics/
Education Course
https://rodaleinstitute.org/education/
https://courses.rodaleinstitute.org/p/rodale-institute-transition-to-organic
Contact Nic for more information about accessing consultant services and takin the
Education courses: [email protected]
+1(218)789-1044 (based in Minnesota)
Get some financial support during your transition to organics through The Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) “Support Organic Change Fund”.
https://www.canada-organic.ca/en/what-we-do/market-access/organic-conversion-support-program
Sponsor
Our podcast is supported by generous donations, grants and sponsorships. This episode was funded in part by the Canadian government through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Prairie Organic Development Fund and the Conservation Trust. MOA is also thankful for its gold sponsors, Millview Farms, La Milanaise, SeCan, Kroeker Farms and XiteBio. If you would like to sponsor an episode, contact us at [email protected].
Guest bio
Nicholas Podoll
Midwest Organic Consultant
Nic is a lifelong organic farmer, having grown up and farmed with his family on their certified organic farm in southeast North Dakota, raising small grains and vegetable seed. Prior to working at Rodale Institute, he worked in Extension for the University of Minnesota and North Dakota State University. He also served several years on the NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Review Committee. Nic is IOIA certified in crops and holds a Master’s in Agricultural & Extension Education from North Carolina State University. He is located in north-central Minnesota.
Plant Breeding
Grain on the Brain
05/28/21 • 60 min
The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security supports a national Participatory Plant Breeding Program - PPB - with the University of Manitoba that puts farmers in the driver's seat to select varieties that are adaptive to their organic growing conditions, and their climates. To find out more about this innovative work, please visit www.seedsecurity.ca
You can also learn more about the PPB program on the University of Manitoba’s Natural Systems Agriculture page:
https://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/naturalagriculture/ppb.html
Sponsor
Our podcast is supported by generous donations, sponsorships and partnerships. This episode was funded in part by the Canada and Manitoba governments through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and the Prairie Organic Development Fund, as well as through our sponsors. In this episode we’re collaborating with The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security, a program of SeedChange. Climate-resilient agriculture in Canada requires that farmers are engaged in every aspect of food production, and that includes plant breeding. Since 2013, The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security has been supporting a national Participatory Plant Breeding Program - PPB - with the University of Manitoba that puts farmers in the driver's seat to select varieties that are adaptive to their organic growing conditions, and their climates. To find out more about this innovative work, please visit www.seedsecurity.ca
Guest bio for Iain Storosko
Iain is currently doing a Masters of Geography at Carleton University, focusing his thesis in areas of agricultural geography and agricultural development. He comes from a background in environmental science and through his undergrad was strongly swayed towards the areas of sustainable agricultural production, food security, and food sovereignty. He has worked as well in seed breeding and plot research in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Quebec. His current research focuses on farmer-researcher participatory programs for crop development. His research is supported through a MITACS internship with the organization SeedChange to review their Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) program, funding provided by the Organic Farming Research Foundation. Outside of school he enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, playing music, and experimenting with his own small organic growing.
Guest bio for Aabir Dey
Aabir developed his passion for seeds while he was completing his Sustainable Farming Certificate at Everdale, a teaching farm in Hillsburgh, Ontario, and supporting research trials for Seeds of Diversity's collection of over 3,000 different Canadian seed varieties. After completing a Master of Environmental Studies at York University, researching organic seed systems in Ontario, Aabir joined the The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security, as Regional Program Coordinator for Ontario. Aabir has co-authored publications on Canada’s seed system including the Canadian Organic Seed Sector Environmental Scan, the Discussion Paper on Seed Policy in Canada, and Canadian Organic and Ecological Plant Breeding Priorities for Vegetable Crops. He has been instrumental in shaping and leading the training, research, and policy programs developed for The Bauta Family Seed Initiative. Aabir loves working in the field with seed producers and farmers all over Canada, and is thrilled to continue to steward The Bauta Family Seed Initiative at a national level into the future. Aabir works remotely from Guelph, Ontario.
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does Grain on the Brain have?
Grain on the Brain currently has 25 episodes available.
What topics does Grain on the Brain cover?
The podcast is about Organic, Farm, Nature, Podcasts, Science, Agriculture and Farming.
What is the most popular episode on Grain on the Brain?
The episode title 'Organic Connections Panel' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Grain on the Brain?
The average episode length on Grain on the Brain is 48 minutes.
How often are episodes of Grain on the Brain released?
Episodes of Grain on the Brain are typically released every 46 days, 20 hours.
When was the first episode of Grain on the Brain?
The first episode of Grain on the Brain was released on May 25, 2019.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ