Dr. Aaron Glenn is a Research Scientist specializing in micrometeorology and has worked at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Brandon since 2011. He has a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Manitoba. His area of expertise and research interests relate the impact that weather and climate have on crop production and the influence that agricultural production systems have on greenhouse gas emissions and air quality. Dr. Glenn is a past President of the Canadian Society of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology and the Manitoba Soil Science Society. He has served as a subject matter expert reviewing methodological changes to the estimates of sequestration and emissions of Carbon Dioxide and Nitrous Oxide from agricultural lands in Canada for the National Inventory Report of Greenhouse Gas sources and sinks.

In today’s episode, Aaron shares information on his position with Agriculture and Agri Food Canada and some of the projects he is currently working on. He also shares his experience working with Eastern Prairie Living Labs.

Aaron’s current research focuses on studying how grazing management can impact sequestering carbon vs. methane emissions from the cattle. He also shares the tools he is using to take these measurements and what information is being collected using these tools. While this research has been ongoing for a few years, it is still early in the research that Aaron hopes to do in this area.

Aaron shares the trends he is seeing from his research thus far and we discuss how this research and carbon sequestration impacts the environment and producers.

Much of this work has been completed on Lowry Farms, with Glen and Pam Lowry, who were profiled in Episode 71, sharing their experiences working with the Living Labs and about their farm and grazing practices.

To Contact Aaron, you can call him at 204-578-6585 or email aaron.glen@agr.gc.ca

Links mentioned in today's episode:

Living Labs - Eastern Prairies Clip: https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/science/living-laboratories-initiative/living-lab-eastern-prairies

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).

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Glen and Pam own and operate a Beef Farm near Darlingford, MB. They are dedicated to raising their cattle using sustainable practices. The land they farm on has been in their family for 125 years, and they raised their three boys on the original homestead.

Their commitment to the land is illustrated by the fact that they are participating in a Agriculture and AgriFood Canada long term research project that compares the carbon sequestration of their grassland pastures to the methane emission of the cattle.

They were recipients of the 2023 TESA The Environmental Stewardship Award award, and the 2023 Redboine Watershed District Award. Lowry Farms includes 220 acres of pasture and 100 acres of sensitive wetlands. Their cattle herd includes 85 commercial cow-calf pairs. Extended grazing, and rotational grazing are part of their daily routine. They are always striving to improve uses that benefit their beef operation, while at the same time being good stewards of the land.

In today’s episode, Glen and Pam Lowry share all about Lowry Farms. They start with sharing their decision and transition from mixed farming to focusing solely on cattle and grass production and how they came to today where their main focus is capturing as much rainfall as they can each year to preserve moisture and produce grass. Along with this, they have done and continue to do a lot of work to protect land and water resources. Their dedication to the land and environment was recognized in 2023, when they were the recipients of both The Environmental Stewardship Award and Watershed District Awards in 2023.

Glen and Pam have also been featured on Great Tastes of Manitoba. To view their episode, please visit the link listed below.

Glen and Pam share information on their summer grazing plan, fence and water infrastructure and winter feeding, and what they have noticed in the soil health, grass production and overall ecosystem on their farm as a result of their grazing practices and management.

Glen and Pam are participating in the Manitoba Association of Watershed Living Lab Eastern Prairies and have collaborated with a number of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers. One aspect of this has been working with Aaron Glen on measuring methane production vs. carbon sequestration while grazing. They share a bit about the preliminary findings of this research, as well as about other research that has been conducted on their farm.

For more information about the research on measuring methane and carbon sequestration, please tune into our next episode featuring Aaron Glen.

Links mentioned or used for research in today's episode:

Glen and Pam’s Great Tastes of Manitoba Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehvg4AWS8ls

Living Labs - Eastern Prairies Clip: https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/science/living-laboratories-initiative/living-lab-eastern-prairies

MB Cooperator Article, “Beef Producers Honour Environmental Role Models” Stockford, S. March 3, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2024.

https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/beef-producers-honour-environmental-role-models/

Redboine Watershed District Award Winners Page:

https://www.redboine.ca/award-winners

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba,...

Mary-Jane leads a dedicated team at MBFI to advance Manitoba’s beef & forage industry through engaging stakeholders, evaluating on-farm innovation, and extension for sustainability of farmers, the public, and the environment. She deeply values the opportunity to collaborate with producers, researchers, education providers, extension specialists, conservation groups, and all stakeholders in field-testing management practices and growing understanding of improved production in Manitoba. Mary-Jane holds a PhD from Purdue University in soil microbial ecology in agricultural systems, is a Professional Agrologist, and Certified Crop Advisor. Her experience in ecology and field agronomy gives her a unique perspective on the challenges facing agriculture today.

Born in Windsor Ontario, Judah Logan’s early childhood was spent on the rural outskirts of Kingston township: where—through neighbors—Judah had regular exposure to dairy and mixed farming—including beekeeping, and maple syrup production. After an unexpected move to Kingston from middle school through high school, he reluctantly lost touch with the day-to-day routines of farming life. As a young adult, Judah studied undergraduate Arts at the University of Western Ontario, Computer Science at U of T, and recently completed the intensive 2 year Communications Engineering Technology diploma program at ACC in Brandon. Judah says it is a pleasure to be working at MBFI where he can revisit his childhood dream with a superlatively qualified staff, 2 great farm locations, and 3 friendly felines to keep him company.

In today’s episode, Mary-Jane and new MBFI staff member, Judah Logan, introduce us to the virtual fence trial that is underway at MBFI, using the Gallagher E-Shephard Virtual Fence Collars. This technology could open many doors for producers and increase the efficiency of rotational grazing practices or grazing in remote areas.

This conversation shares information about the collars themselves, as well as the technology that makes virtual fencing a reality. We discuss the process to put the collars on and train cattle to their use, as well as the pros and potential downsides that MBFI staff have found while using the collars, as well as some considerations producers might want to think about prior to implementing them on their own operations. We also discuss the economics that are being considered in this trial.

To contact Judah, please email: judah.logan@mbfi.ca

Links to more information:

Web Page to visually demonstrate collar application and in-field use: https://www.mbfi.ca/eshepherd

YouTube video link for the eShepherd trial:

eShepherd Collars in Action - Summer 2024 (youtube.com)

Links to Other Virtual Fence Projects:

https://www.nofence.no/en/

https://www.agcanada.com/daily/virtual-fencing-piloted-in-northern-saskatchewan

https://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/species/cattle/vence

Gallagher’s eShephard Virtual Fence website:

https://am.gallagher.com/en-CA/new-products/eShepherd

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of...