A soil advocacy organization wants a few minutes of time from western Canadian farmers.
The Soil Health Network is looking for bites on their recently launched producer survey. The survey asks questions about the soil health plans and priorities being chased on farms in Western Canada.
The survey cane be completed over desktop browser or on a mobile device and should take the farmer two to five minutes, the network has said, depending on how in depth the producer wants to get in their answers. All submissions are anonymous.
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WHY IT MATTERS: Canadian farmers are increasingly being pushed to farm with soil health and sustainability in mind.
In a May 1 news release, the group said their survey is meant to help ensure farmers are the ones driving the adoption of improved soil health practices.
“Every farm knows what it’s like to be told how they should farm,” wrote Brent VanKoughnet, farmer and lead of the network.
“This is about reclaiming farm-based leadership — about listening to producers without the noise and distraction of commercial, political, and outsider interference.
“Knowing what matters to farmers should be what guides how we can continue to make meaningful and practical incremental soil health improvements unique to each farm.”
The network says the survey is one component of a “new kind” of soil health collaborative framework that acknowledges the unique circumstances of each farm.
“The network doesn’t hand out prescriptions or report cards. It listens. It enables peer-to-peer learning, supports incremental change and connects service providers to what farmers are really asking for,” read the release.
The Soil Health Network is led by Assiniboine College, funded by the Weston Family Foundation and supported by an alliance of western Canadian network partners.
More information about the survey and the Soil Health Network in general is available at www.soilhealthnetwork.ca.
