In western Canada, about one in every five acres is considered to be marginal cropland. Half those acres likely lose money every year when seeded to wheat or canola. We’ll hear solutions from ag researchers and farmers including Clayton Robins from Rivers, Manitoba, on ways to turn money-sinks into revenue-producing acres.

Zack Koscielny is the newly-elected board chair for the Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association. The entire board executive is comprised of farmers 30 years of age or younger. Koscielny lays out his vision for the MFGA, which promotes the economic prosperity and environmental benefits of forages, grasslands, cover crops and healthy soils.

Governments and conservation groups in western Canada want to give farmers and ranchers both money and agronomic help. Problem is, most farmers don’t know about those programs or they couldn’t be bothered. Researcher Elisabeta Lika from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) looked into why on-farm conservation programming in Canada has such low uptake.

Each November, farmers and ranchers gather in Brandon MB for the annual Regen Ag Conference. 2025 keynote speaker Tom Krawiec talks about his book ‘Ranching like a 12 year old’ and his presentation ‘Grazing in the Sweet Spot’. A rancher, farm management consultant and author, Tom has developed ways to simplify daily duties on the farm to increase profitability and decrease labour.

Farmland prices continue to rise on the prairies. Farm Credit Canada (FCC) shows a double-digit jump in one province over the past six months. Great if you’re cashing out but not so great if you’re starting up or trying to expand your existing operation. The latest figures and analysis from FCC's Leigh Anderson plus a perspective from University of Regina researcher Andre Magnan on the trend to fewer, larger farms in western Canada.

New research estimates farms in western Canada contain 7.5 million acres of marginal acres. Those acres are too wet, weedy or saline to produce a good crop, yet many farmers continue to spend money year-after-year on input costs with little to no return. Research scientist Sam Robinson explains the problem and provides a solution. Also Saskatchewan farmer Charles Murfin discusses his approach to rehabilitating marginal acres.

Despite record prices for beef, the weather is causing some Manitoba cattle producers to sound the alarm. Carson Callum from the Manitoba Beef Producers and agriculture meteorology specialist Alison Sass from the Manitoba government provide their insights.

When you’re farming, some of the best advice can come from a neighbour who has already faced the same challenge and figured out a winning solution.

Building on that idea, Ducks Unlimited Canada introduced the Grazing Club program in 1999, bringing together livestock producers to learn from one another on how to make their farms more profitable and sustainable.

There’s no fee. Events include on-farm demonstrations and guest speakers.

On this podcast, a Manitoba farmer explains why he got involved and how it’s benefitted his operation. Also hear from the provincial coordinator for the program and the man who started it all.