nature
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Adding Cover Crops to our No-Till System
After admitting a little bit of defeat and looking at the positives of our system, we need to find a way to both be able to continue within the system while we work on a solution to the problem. The most obvious solution is to start over. If the weeds continue to return regardless of… Continue reading
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Underwater Photosynthesis
In underwater plants observed in a planted aquarium, it is possible to see oxygen pooling on the leaves and releasing a mosaic of bubbles into the water column. Even underwater, we can literally see that plants use light to drive the splitting of Carbon from Oxygen, and even underwater, plants harness microbial communities to survive… Continue reading
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Life Without Sun
The last two nights we’ve had a very light touch of frost. All it took was 11 hours without the sun to freeze. To go from 18C to 0C. We live on a precarious edge at all times. The only planet we know that exists to harbour life as we know it does so because… Continue reading
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Trials and Errors
Regardless of how many books you’ve read, YouTubes you’ve watched, and examples you’ve heard, there is no substitute for doing the work, making your own observations, and trying again. All the theory in the world only helps us understand what we’re seeing. More often than not we are our own problem. The trick to a… Continue reading
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Nature’s Economic Paradox
Several times this summer I have come across comments or opinions relating to fertilizers (specifically Nitrogen) on various social media platforms. Usually these comments are in the realm of needing to feed the world, the high cost of the fertilizer to the farmer, or how emissions from producing nitrogen are necessary and therefore shouldn’t be… Continue reading
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Bumblebees Love Oregano
Was delighted to check on the herb garden and see an enormous amount of Bumblebees having a great time on Oregano flowers…and not just one species of Bumblebee but two. Nothing is more fascinating than watching bumblebees in late summer. They are easy to approach, and slowly walk all over each flower. Having a wide… Continue reading
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The Human Scale and Our Recent Past
At Riding Mountain in Manitoba, there is a bridge and low-tech dam built by conscientious objectors in the early 1940s at Whirlpool Lake (more archival photos here). What is striking to me about these sorts of things is everything absent from modern life. This bridge was built by hand. There was no trip to the… Continue reading
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What Ghost Pipes Can Teach Us About “Nutrients”
Recently I was lucky enough to see some Ghost Plants aka Ghost Pipe on a hike. These creatures are fascinating enough but when I got back to farming, I noticed some in my own back yard. One of the things I hear most when talking about farming is the topic of “nutrients.” The Ghost Pipe… Continue reading
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“Too Much Nature”
Was able to get to Riding Mountain for a couple days of camping, choosing Whirlpool Lake as the destination. On the way out a local told me there was “too much nature” out there at that there Whirlpool Lake. I’m pretty sure he was joking, but it’s also kind of true. There were fish half-submerged… Continue reading
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No-Mow for Monarch Butterflies
Last week was orchids, this week is Milkweed. We’ve been leaving a little stand of Milkweed on the edge of one of our fields and it is a hotspot. We aren’t going to mow this section and let the insects do insect things. The Milkweed emerging from bushy flowering clovers makes for quite a hub… Continue reading
About Graham
Graham is an ecologist-farmer from Canada working on educating about the wonders and beauty of the natural world, and how we can design biodiverse food production systems.
Complimentary Blueberry Juice 