Guest blog by Cindy Green 
 
With support from Farmers for Climate Solutions and the FaRM program, the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) and the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association (SaskSoil) hosted dinner and a screening of parts one and four of the four-part documentary Roots so Deep (you can see the devil down there). 
 
The series documents director Peter Byck as he leads a team of maverick scientists and 10 farm families in a research project measuring the impact of conventional farming and adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing. Cattle are often seen as villains in the climate change crisis and through this project Byck wanted to see if adaptive grazing with cattle can be used to slow down climate change. 
 
With beautiful cinematography and easy-to-follow graphics, Byck portrays that by using AMP grazing, producers can build soil health, rebuild wildlife, sink carbon and make operations more profitable. The true success of the documentary lies in inspiring several conventional farmers to transition to AMP grazing and remain committed to ongoing learning. 
 
The documentary is made for everyone to enjoy, even those without a background in agriculture. It challenges the negative perceptions surrounding agriculture’s role in climate change and demonstrates that proper management can mitigate, and even reverse, the effects of climate change. It is an eye-opening documentary that offers viewers a deeper understanding of agriculture. It is available to rent on the Roots so Deep website or at a local screening. 

Soil Health Workshop 

The dinner and film followed a successful Soil Health Workshop organized by SaskSoil in Moosomin. Arriving at the event  surrounded by fields lying dormant on a typical winter day, it was hard to envision healthy, living soil. However, the instructors from Understanding Ag, Blain Hjertaas and Michael Thiele, made the soil come alive right before participants’ eyes. 
 
Hjertaas demonstrated what tools they take to the field, how to assess soil health and how to test for water infiltration. He explained how to measure Brix levels in plants using a refractometer, providing a quick snapshot of the plant’s health. Healthy soil = healthy plants = healthy animals. 
 
Thiele discussed soil and the science behind it as well as the importance of soil tests and understanding readily available nutrients and nutrients that are locked within the soil. This led to a group discussion on strategies to unlock these nutrients and the type of plants that will help with that. 
 
After lunch, the workshop moved into soil principles and their significance in maintaining and nurturing healthy soil. One of the biggest takeaways from the workshop was learning how to change your mindset and overcome the mental barriers involved. Once you can understand the soil and the need for a proper functioning mineral cycle then it can be easier to understand problems with the soil and how to solve them. 
 
Cindy Green, an avid agriculture communicator and producer from SE Saskatchewan, runs a cow/calf operation with her family using Regenerative Agriculture practices to raise healthy cattle on healthy soils.  

This blog first appeared in the CFGA’s Winter 2025 newsletter.