Joe Gardiner grew up in the community of Clearwater Manitoba and he feels very fortunate that he and his wife Melanie, call Clearwater home today.  Together with his parents, brother Sheldon and his partner Derek, they run a mixed grain and cattle farm located just off #3 highway in southern Manitoba.  

In 2016 Joe had a decision to make.  He was not enjoying the stress and heavy operating cost that comes with conventional farming, and the draw of a 9 to 5 job was becoming ever more attractive.  He had been introduced to soil health principles in university and had started attending soil health conferences and he knew that if something didn’t change his time farming would be limited.  So, in 2016 he took a leap and improving their soil became the focus of the farm.

Joe and his family started growing full-season cover crops in 2018, and with the help of his good friend (and now business partner) Travis Avery, they documented every step along the way.  By the end of the year, they had collected a massive amount of data and knew they could prove the benefits of plant diversity. After another year of data collection and seeing the positive effects that plant diversity had on Joe’s farm, they decided to take the leap and Covers & Co was born.

When he’s not farming, or on the road with Covers and Co. work, he has a number of other hobbies that keep him busy including Baseball, hockey, and curling. He also volunteers on several boards within his little community.  His most precious time however is spent on the farm with his wife and ever-growing gang of farm pets.  

Joe gives us a bit of information on the history and background of Covers and Co. before moving into a bit of a recap on what has been happening with Covers & Co. since we talked to Owen Taylor in Episode 22. 

Joe shares information on what forage soybeans are and where the idea to pair them with corn came from.  We discuss the benefits of using forage soybeans as an intercrop with corn.  We also chat about the 2023 corn soybean trials, how the addition of soybeans impacts corn yield and the economic outcome of adding them to corn. 

Jow shares information on the benefits of a soybean corn crop, both from a soil health perspective and the economic benefits it can have. 

We wrap up with a discussion on what to expect for the 2024 grazing season in soybean corn trials with Covers & Co.

Covers & Co. Intercropping with Forage Soybeans Blog Post, Feb. 17th, 2023.  Retrieved Jan. 2024

https://www.coversandco.ca/blog/corn-intercropping-with-forage-soybean

You can follow Covers & Co. on social media at:

Instagram: @covercropcompany

X: @Covers_co

Facebook: Covers & Co.

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

Twitter: @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011