Farming Smarter's Saving Soils Program Reaches Its Prime

By Craig Lester, Rural Roots Canada

"It's in its prime right now!"

That's how Farming Smarter Research Manager Mike Gretzinger explains the momentum the Saving Soils project has right now.

After years of trial and error, the project, which started in 2023, is now delivering soil conservation solutions to farmers to help them reduce soil erosion, improve soil function, and help farmers adopt sustainable practices without sacrificing productivity.

The program, sponsored by the RBC Tech for Nature and Weston Family Foundation, focuses on soil conservation in four key project areas:

• Reduced Tillage – Studying how cutting back tillage operations affects soil conservation and nutrient availability. Trials include strip tillage in crops such as corn, canola, and dry beans.
• Cover Cropping – Testing covers such as fall rye, winter wheat, and camelina to protect soil between cash crops. These are paired with spring crops like barley silage to measure how much erosion control and nutrient cycling they provide.
• Living Mulches & Integration – Evaluating the role of living mulches in Prairie crop systems, balancing weed suppression and soil protection while keeping yields steady.
• Innovative Crop Systems – Investigating practices like roller crimping fall rye to create a mulch layer, as well as comparing how different seeding dates and crop rotations affect long-term soil health.

From Trial and Error to Practical Solutions

When the program began, Farming Smarter tested a wide range of practices, some of which proved less practical than expected. Gretzinger says the early failures were valuable learning opportunities.

“After a few failures, we're like, okay, how do we rein in these concepts and make them applicable and realistic to farmers,” says Gretzinger.

For example, when the team tried roller crimping, it did not perform as hoped in southern Alberta conditions, and some alternative crops didn’t deliver consistent results. Over time, the team focused on approaches that could be realistically adopted on farms in the region.

“All these little things that we've been doing along the way have already come into fruition. I'm happy with that.”

He adds they are now focused on the more practical, reduced tillage type things.

“The cover cropping, how we could integrate things like a living mulch or strip tillage into our current systems, and what effect that's going to have on, say, the nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration.”

A Flagship for Extension

One of the program’s biggest strengths is its role in extension. By combining multiple research projects under the Saving Soils umbrella, Farming Smarter has created a clear platform for outreach and farmer engagement.

“We've made a flagship of this program for extension purposes. It's been really helpful to have all of the different trials within a single program. It gives us a good framework for focusing on the research ideas that we're doing.”

Producers can now see how different practices such as reduced tillage, cover cropping, or strip tilling fit together in practical crop systems, rather than viewing them in isolation.

Looking Ahead

Now that the program has hit full stride, Gretzinger says the goal is to continue building on its successes and extending the knowledge to producers.

By focusing on practical conservation approaches, Saving Soils is not only advancing soil research but also ensuring that farmers have tools that protect soils while remaining economically viable.