A chunk of land north of Brandon Manitoba is providing new opportunities for ag research, including a trial in 2026 for GPS collars for cattle. Odanah Pasture is 467 acres of former cropland restored by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives (MBFI) has been given use of the land, which will provide an important landscape for testing cattle herd management at scale. On this episode, Mary-Jane Orr from MBFI and Charlotte Crawley from DUC discuss the importance of Odanah Pasture, and cattle farmer Brett McRae explains the virtual fencing study.

We drill down into establishing forages with farm-tested advice from Manitoba producers and recognize the winners in the Top 5 Forage Establishment competition held each year by Ducks Unlimited Canada.

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.