Two bins on the edge of a field

Grain on the Brain Podcasts

Season 4, Episode 2 – Compost

Scott talks about the diversity and importance of compost with Rob Wunder, a fourth generation farmer, who has been exploring the world of biology on his farm through a number of different practices including livestock integration and creating his own compost on his farm. They will also be discussing fertility practices, soil nutrient, making and applying compost, and much more.

(40:47) January, 24 2023

Resources

Rodale Institute has some excellent information around composting as well

https://rodaleinstitute.org/why-organic/organic-farming-practices/composting/

Guest Bio

Rob Wunder

My brother and I are fourth generation family farmers just south of foam Lake Saskatchewan, We farm along with our parents. We’ve been using innovative and different practices for quite a few years now, such as cover crops and relay cropping on the majority of our acres. We also run around 300 cow/calves, along with some yearlings. We make compost and do some vermicomposting from the waste from that side of the operation. From the compost we make an extract and compost teas we then use right in the seed row. We also use compost tea as a disease suppression weed suppression plant health amendment.

We run a very mixed rotation with perennials and annuals and have been doing rotational grazing/plan grazing which is evolved into into a adaptive multi-paddock grazing with ultra high stock densities at times.

We graze cover crops on grain land as well as residue grazing on our grain land and that’s why we do relay cropping by planting cover crops in with the cash crop so then we have very good fall grazing. We also do chaff pile grazing as a way to help keep our cow cost down. We’ve been feeding live with livestock through the winter either out on pasture or on Grain land for 25 years now. Through the BSC years our parents became More open to doing things as cost-effective as we could and even before that dad had the cattle out so he didn’t have to haul manure as a  job The cows did that themselves. 

We manage both organically and regeneratively. My folks stayed organic certified and I left the industry last year with the marketing frustrations.I’m also a member but on the Board of Directors with the sask Soil. We have been trying to take a very biological approach to the whole ecosystem that is soil.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Manitoba Organic Alliance.

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