An Oasis in the Palliser Triangle: A conversation with Calvin Gavelin

If cover crops can work here, they can work anywhere. The Palliser Triangle has always demanded grit. Stretching across southern Saskatchewan into southeastern Alberta, this region is defined by extremes: searing heat, biting cold, fierce winds, and an annual rainfall of less than 10 inches. Classified as semi-desert, this open prairie landscape was originally said to be unsuitable for human settlement, but settle it anyway, we did. Only now, thanks to a few brave farmers, ar

Heather Heinrichs

Nov 24, 20255 min read

FEATURED POST

Never miss a new story.

Recent stories

An Oasis in the Palliser Triangle: A conversation with Calvin Gavelin

If cover crops can work here, they can work anywhere. The Palliser Triangle has always demanded grit. Stretching across southern Saskatchewan into southeastern Alberta, this region is defined by extremes: searing heat, biting cold, fierce winds, and an annual rainfall of less than 10 inches. Classified as semi-desert, this open prairie landscape was originally said to be unsuitable for human settlement, but settle it anyway, we did. Only now, thanks to a few brave farmers, ar

Nov 24, 20255 min read

Rick Clark speaks to Canadian farmers about no-till, organic farming

With pictures of radishes and turnips growing in his corn fields, Rick Clark spoke passionately about how he's found success with organic farming and regenerative principles on his 7,000 acre farm in Indiana, USA. "Most of our neighbours grow corn and soybeans," he said. "We grow 9 cover crops, sheep and cattle, plus we rotate a regen crop with a warm and cool season cocktail." Rick Clark holds the mic while in a panel session during the 2025 MFGA conference. The headline spe

Nov 24, 20256 min read

Top 5 Regenerative Farming Techniques for Sustainability

Regenerative farming is more than just a trend; it is a vital approach to agriculture that seeks to restore and enhance the health of our ecosystems. As the world grapples with climate change, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss, regenerative practices offer a pathway to sustainable food production. In this blog post, we will explore the top five regenerative farming techniques that not only improve soil health but also promote biodiversity and resilience in farming syste

Nov 24, 20254 min read

ABOUT ME

Born and raised in Saskatchewan, I went to college in Alberta and worked as a reporter for 5 years before I married a farmer and raised our two boys on the farm. I fell in love with farming. The grain, the hay fields, and the cattle, all of it. I no longer farm but my passion for regenerative farming burns strong.

FOLLOW ME

Hello friends,
I'm sorry I haven't been back on the podcast or posting on here. I've still been struggling with the winter blues and just got back from a long trip visiting family for Christmas. It was a wonderful trip and well worth the long drive. Now it's back to work at my job and I'll be honest, I'm struggling with the energy to do that let alone anything more yet. I've always been a bit of a hibernator in the winter but last year when spring came around I was surprised at the difference I noticed. One day I just suddenly noticed how much better I was feeling and it really caught me off guard because I didn't think I had been feeling that depressed or low energy.

This year I told myself I'll take more Vitamin D and make sure to do things so that I prevent the blues this year but alas it has not seemed to help. Maybe it's a self fulfilling prophecy because ever since high school I've said that I was not cut out for Canadian winters. Or maybe I just knew something deep down and have simply joked about it all these years. But I still am going to start posting a bit. There is some disturbing things happening.

The CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) is bringing some scary changes to their rules for cattle and after the Ostrich massacre, it's become clear that agency is pushing for complete control of all animals in Canada. We must fight. The power belongs to the people and if we band together we can win. My 2026 goal is to encourage farmers and everyone who can help them, to band together and stand against the CFIA.

I will be feeling better soon. This summer is going to be a big one. Until then, enjoy these photos I have from when I used to farm. I'm looking forward to green growing grass!

🎙️ Podcast Update 💚
Friend, I want to share a quick update with you about the show.

I’ve decided to take a short break from Regenerative Farming News for the month of December so I can focus on my health and give myself the rest I need. Farming teaches us a lot about seasons, and right now, my season is calling for a little more recovery and a little less output.

I’m also using this time to keep working on the podcast website, building out a better home for episodes, resources, quotes, and farmer stories from across Western Canada.

Even though the podcast is pausing for December, I’ll still be posting on social media with news and updates as much as I can, so we can keep learning together through the month.

The podcast will be back in January, refreshed and ready with more great conversations and regenerative insights to help support healthier soil, healthier farms, and healthier lives.

Thank you so much for being here, for listening, and for supporting this work. It truly means the world.
Wishing you a peaceful December and a season of rest wherever you can find it. Enjoy this selfie I took while walking my friend's dog, Cheddar. He heard the click of the first photo, then he looked up and "smiled". What a smart dog! 😊

💚 Regenerative Farming News with Heather Heinrichs
Where we talk about all things regenerative farming in Western Canada.

🌾 Soil Armour Saturday 🌾

One of the most powerful — and most underrated — ways to build soil armour is bale/swath grazing.

When cattle feed out on the pasture instead of in a yard, something incredible happens on the land:

• Leftover hay becomes armour, protecting the soil from wind, sun, and erosion.
• Manure and urine fall exactly where the plants need them instead of drying out in manure piles.
• Moisture stays in the ground longer under that layer of residue.
• Soil temperatures stay more stable through winter and spring.
• Microbes explode with activity as soon as thaw begins.

Farmers talk about seeing up to 7× the grass growth in their bale grazed areas the next summer — because the soil was fed, protected, and insulated. And they also say they can still see the circles where the bales were grazed for many years! The impact of feeding and protecting the biology in the soil makes a long-term deposit in your grass growth.

Bale grazing isn’t waste.

It’s an investment in the land’s biology… an armour layer built by the herd.

Healthy soil grows more grass.
Healthy grass feeds more cattle.
And the cycle gets stronger every year.

🌾 Farmers’ Market Friday 🌾

Quick reminder for your weekend plans:

Check your local farmers’ market hours — and set a reminder or alarm on your phone.

Markets are easy to miss when life gets busy, but showing up regularly truly matters.

When you buy from local farmers and small food businesses, you’re helping them build something stable. Regular customers give them predictable income, confidence to keep growing food, and the support they need to stay in business through the ups and downs of the season.

Even small purchases make a big impact.
A loaf of bread. A dozen eggs. A bundle of carrots. A package of grassfed beef.
It all adds up — not just for your meals, but for the people who grow them.

So here’s your gentle nudge:
Look up your market’s hours, set that reminder, and show up for the folks feeding your community. 💚🌱

Your consistency matters more than you think.

🌱 No Till Tuesday 🌱

Here’s an honest take you don’t hear often enough:

Do what works — and make space for the reality that every piece of land isn’t the same.

If your garden is producing beautifully and you’ve been tilling it for years, that’s a sign your soil biology, organic matter, and moisture are still working together. A small, sheltered space with lots of plant diversity and hands-on care can handle disturbance differently.

But out in wide-open fields, where the wind has a clear run and the soil surface is exposed, tillage tells a very different story. That loose, fluffy soil can turn into airborne topsoil in a single dry, windy afternoon. You can lose years of organic matter in a matter of hours.

Of course the soil health principles of regenerative farming work in gardens too and plenty of people use no-till methods in their gardens as well. I'm just saying don't stress about following a rule if you're not seeing any negative impact.

I am saying that tillage carries different risks in different environments, and erosion-prone fields usually pay the highest price.

Sheltered gardens? You might be fine.
Wide-open Prairies? That’s where no-till shines and protects our future soil.

The goal isn’t adhering to rules for the sake of having rules.
The goal is protecting the land we rely on — in the ways that make the most sense for each patch of ground. Let your soil results guide your decisions!

Happy No Till Tuesday, friends. 🌾🧡

🧺🌽🥕 Farmers’ Market Friday 🧺🌽🥕

Let’s talk about something real for a second.

It’s so easy to walk into a big grocery store and drop a hundred dollars without even thinking about it — tap the card, bags in the cart, done.
Somehow it feels normal. Automatic. Almost invisible.

But when we go to a farmers’ market, suddenly pulling out $20 or $30 in cash to buy from a local grower can feel harder.

Not because the food is overpriced…
but because we’re used to being disconnected from our purchases.

At a farmers’ market, we’re face-to-face with the person who planted the seed, weeded the rows, fed the animals, baked the bread, or harvested the vegetables.
There’s a real human being on the other side of that exchange — and we feel the value differently.

Here’s the truth:
🌾 your dollars go further in your community
🌿 more of your money reaches the actual farmer
🍅 your food is fresher and more nutrient-dense
💚 and you’re supporting land stewards who care deeply about soil health

It might feel different than tapping at the till…
but different doesn’t mean harder.
It means intentional.

So this weekend, if you’re heading into town, consider swapping part of your grocery list for a stop at your local farmers’ market.
Your money stays local.
Your food is better.
And your farmers keep farming.

Where are you shopping this weekend? 🧺✨

https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/farmers-market
Farmers Market Stock photos by Vecteezy

Food for Thought Thursday 🍽💛
There’s nothing quite like real grass-fed butter from a Jersey cow.

I used to churn my own butter from my Jersey cow's cream, and every time I look back at this photo, I’m reminded of how much nutrition you can actually see. What blows me away is that her butter didn’t turn this deep golden colour until she started eating fresh, green, growing grass. Once she hit pasture, the beta-carotene and vitamins in that vibrant forage showed up right in the cream. This is what real nutritious food looks like. Nature doesn’t lie.

Every milk cow in Canada should be out on grass as much of the year as possible. And some dairies are on board with this idea. I met a couple at the MFGA conference who own a 55-cow dairy, and they have recently started letting their cows graze outside on pasture.

"They look so much better!" exclaimed the wife.

"How so? In what way?" I asked.

"Well, for one thing, their coats are much shinier," she said.

"And we don't have nearly as many foot abscesses anymore," added the husband.

It’s amazing what happens when food comes from healthy soil, healthy plants, and healthy animals. 🌱🥛✨

🌱 No-Till Tuesday 🌱

This week I want to highlight a powerful reminder from Rick Clark’s presentation at the MFGA conference. Rick farms 5,600 certified organic no-till acres and has been running a zero-chemical, zero-tillage system for over a decade. His message was simple, but it hit hard:

“The first principle that he focused on is minimizing disturbance. No mechanical disturbance and no chemical disturbance.”
— About Rick Clark's presentation at MFGA 2025, Episode 18

That commitment to no disturbance is what rebuilt his soil biology, cooled his soil temperatures, boosted nutrient cycling, and helped his farm save millions in input costs. No-till isn’t just a practice for him — it’s the foundation of a whole biological system that works with nature instead of against it.

The principle of no-till or minimal tillage was brought up by most of the presenters at the conference as one of their main tools for regenerating soil health.

When we stop disturbing the soil, the soil starts working for us. 🌾💚
Happy No-Till Tuesday!

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

SUBSCRIBE

MY PICK
OF THE MONTH

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It’s easy. Just click “Edit Text” or double click me to add your own content and make changes to the font. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.

Contact

An Oasis in the Palliser Triangle: A conversation with Calvin Gavelin

FEATURED POST

Never miss a new story.

Recent stories

An Oasis in the Palliser Triangle: A conversation with Calvin Gavelin

Rick Clark speaks to Canadian farmers about no-till, organic farming

Top 5 Regenerative Farming Techniques for Sustainability

ABOUT ME

FOLLOW ME

​

SUBSCRIBE

MY PICK OF THE MONTH

MY PICK
OF THE MONTH