Brent VanKoughnet M.Sc. P.Ag. is Owner / Manager of Agri Skills Inc. a company that

specializes in agricultural innovation and human resource development services. Agri

Skills provides market development consulting services, custom skills development and training programs, and field scale precision trial services to several major manufacturers and retailers in western Canada and the northern United States. He completed a Masters degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Manitoba in 1992, manages the family farm in Carman and is currently project lead for an ambitious Soil Health Network initiative with Assiniboine College.

This is a quote from the  Weston Family Soil Health Initiative Webpage (2024) “Loss of biodiversity on agricultural lands is occurring at an unprecedented rate due to agricultural intensification and habitat loss. Research shows that Canada’s agricultural lands offer an immediate and large-scale opportunity to mitigate further biodiversity losses, and by promoting and increasing soil organic matter, we can help support more adaptive and resilient agricultural lands.” 

On Feb. 15, 2023, Assiniboine College released a news bulletin that stated, “The Weston Family Soil Health Initiative, which seeks to expand the adoption of ecologically based beneficial management practices (BMPs) that increase soil organic matter to improve biodiversity and resiliency on agricultural lands across Canada, has granted Assiniboine Community College $1,680,827 for a five-year project to enhance soil ecosystems in Western Canadian agriculture.”

This has resulted in a project now known as the Soil Health Network.  In this episode, Brent shares information about the project and how they are using farmer peer groups to determine where the questions are in agriculture and where more research is needed.

He tells us what can be found on the Soil Health Network website (link below), how the SHAPE tool works and the resource bank that is being developed.

We also talk a bit about feeding the growing global population sustainably.

Links mentioned in this episode: www.soilhealthnetwork.ca 

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!

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Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

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