New Project Targets Farm Resiliency and Mentorship

Relevant in-field research comes to southern Alberta!

Article by Tim Parent for Farming Smarter Magazine Spring 2024 edition

Southern Alberta farmers will want to meet Ashley Wagenaar, Farming Smarter conservation agronomist. She is passionate about three things: science, agriculture, and, most importantly, sustainable food production. She has some funding to work closely with 10 farmers/producers to get the most out of the land and soil.  

She holds a University of Lethbridge BSc in Biology and spent the last decade in the vegetable processing sector in Alberta and Ontario. She advocates for creating healthy and sustainable food production for all.

Her experience in the food production industry led her to Farming Smarter. She will head up the collaboration effort with Farm Resilience Membership program to explore local and regional farming practices, specifically nitrogen management and cover crops. Wagenaar will explore both topics in various regions of southern Alberta, looking for areas of improvement and developing strategies that build farm resilience while maintaining the success of soil health and cropping systems.

“People are always trying to adapt published information and research into local, regional, and specific farm strategies. This program is the opposite. I come to a farm and look at your specific strategy and help you decide if this is the best practice or if there are minor changes to improve,” says Wagenaar.

She will present the initiative to farmers and clients looking at implementing new and best management practices for nitrogen and cover crops. She wants to work with farmers exploring new strategies or practices. The goal is to improve what they already do or something brand new to them that needs support.

“It’s a really interesting project because it’s very open-ended and flexible. I don’t have any strict guidelines. Whether irrigated or dryland, I invite farmers to examine crops you grow, if you use cover crops, or how you use your nitrogen. Anybody can approach me with a project.” 

Wagenaar will work alongside a mentor. Jamie Puchinger Farming Smarter assistant manager says they wanted to take a big step towards getting farm support to those interested in research on their farms or eager to implement best management practices. She believes they can achieve that goal by hiring Wagenaar and teaming her up with Rob Dunn, a former provincial government agronomist and now an agronomy consultant. 

“We knew Rob focused much of his career on conservation agronomy. He was heavily involved in many big practice changes, so we wanted him involved with this new person to provide direction and mentorship.” 

When it comes to mentoring, Puchinger says agriculture isn’t overly unique to the concept but stresses the incredible value of having a mentor. 

“Everybody needs to learn from somebody. You find a few people here and there, create an inner network of people you trust, and have a sounding board to throw out ideas and get feedback. Having that sounding board is great. You can bounce ideas off someone and work through that dialogue to get a little further than you may have on your own.”  

This initiative is still in the design phase. Exactly what research project or best management implementation hinges on the farms involved. Wagenaar is on the hunt for a diverse range of farmers.  

“I'd love to hear from farms on any ideas that fall under our guidelines of nitrogen management or cover cropping. These can be, for example, part of an agronomy plan for a new crop a grower is planning to try, or a way to reduce a broadcast fertilizer application, or how to establish a fall cover with limited moisture, or anything along these lines". says Wagenaar.  

If you're interested in learning more about the program or participating in the future, contact Wagenaar today through Farming Smarter.com or 403-317-0022