Cover Crops Western Canada: Does It Pay on Prairie Acres?

from Growing the Future · host Dan Aberhart , John Kempf, Melissa Werkema, Kevin Elmy, Katelyn Duncan

John Kempf, Melissa Werkema, and Kevin Elmy on Regenerative Economics GTF Productions Live Briefing, in partnership with Sask Soils | August 5, 2026 17,000 farmers registered for a national program teaching cover cropping, nitrogen management, and grazing. 10,000 are actively engaged. When surveyed, 89% said they had already implemented, expanded, or enhanced one of those practices. The holdup was never belief. It was cost, cash flow, and not knowing the ROI. This briefing puts three specialists on that exact question, with the economics front and center the whole way through. What's Inside - John Kempf's nitrogen protocol: ammonium and nitrate ratios, replacing 25% of your first 100 units of nitrogen with sulfur, and why foliar urea outperforms soil-applied nitrogen 4 to 1 - The trace minerals, boron, manganese, cobalt, and molybdenum, behind a claimed 25 to 30 percent yield bump - Why the form of a nutrient matters more than the amount on your soil test, and how sap analysis catches what a standard report misses - Cover cropping as functional plant groups, and the economics of building soil through custom grazing - Why ruminant manure, bison and cattle specifically, builds soil biology that cold-climate soils can't get any other way - What actually triggers a producer to change practices, and why it's rarely curiosity If you want more on tissue and sap testing, look for the Late Crop, Right Call and Tissue Testing episodes in the GTF Podcast back catalog. Resources Mentioned Advancing Eco Agriculture Cover Crops Canada -- Kevin Elmy's consulting practice, author of Not Just Dirt Sask Soils (Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association) Farmers for Climate Solutions, FARM program -- funding partner behind this briefing Rangeland Bison -- Dean Andrus Connect with John Kempf Advancing Eco Agriculture Connect with Melissa Werkema Future Analytics -- Red Deer, Alberta Connect with Kevin Elmy Cover Crops Canada Connect with Sask Soils sasksoils.ca -- annual conference February 10-11, 2027 in Regina (Sask Soils' 40th anniversary), cover crop workshops this fallConnect with Growing the Future Website: growingthefuture.ca YouTube: Growing the Future Instagram: @growingthefuturepodcast LinkedIn: Growing the Future Register for the Convergence Conference at convergence.ag and stay updated by subscribing to the Growing the Future Podcast at growingthefuturepodcast.ca.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 7, 2026

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What this episode covers

Dan Aberhart hosts three specialists — John Kempf of Advancing Eco Agriculture, Melissa Werkema of Future Analytics, and Kevin Elmy of Cover Crops Canada — for a 90-minute briefing built around one question: does regenerative practice actually pay on a Western Canadian grain farm. Framed by a national survey showing 89% of enrolled producers have already adopted cover cropping, nitrogen management, or grazing practices, the panel works through the real mechanics of each: John's protocol for cutting purchased nitrogen without losing yield, Melissa's case for reading sap analysis instead of guessing at nutrient form, and Kevin's economics for building soil through cover crops and custom grazing. Produced in partnership with Sask Soils, the conversation stays anchored in ROI rather than ideology throughout.