GROing With YouTube

There are so many great and unique things happening right in our small section of Alberta when it comes to agriculture! Join us as we feature some of our local farmers and the different practices that they use to move forward on their farms and ranches keep up with what is happening at GRO through video!

You can also check us out on YouTube at: Gateway Research Organization

Join Karin Lindquist with Battle River Research Group and Kristyn Mayner with Alberta Native Plant Council as they walk us through how to identify the plants in our countryside!
Dr. Linda Gorim is the lead researcher in a study that is looking into Humalite as a resource to help plant growth in cropping systems. With a large deposit of Humalite here in Alberta, producers are wondering how they can make use of this soil amendment and in what rates. Join us as we chat with Dr. Gorim about her research!
Last week we had the pleasure of hosting a Farmer Engagement Session for a Living Labs research proposal that Food Water Wellness Foundation will be submitting in collaboration with many groups throughout the province.
Wondering what to do with all of that canola regrowth that the weather blessed us with this fall? Might be a good idea to put the cows on it, or bale it up, as it is full of the nutrition that we’re lacking in numbers of bales this year! In this video Barry walks us through how to use canola safely as a feed ration and what to watch out for!
In this video we take a trip over to the Fensky farm! Shorty and his brother use their garden as a trial space for planting polycultures in their large scale field crops!
One of the most common questions asked of expert graziers, is when to put cattle out to pasture and how to figure out the timing of a rotation. Tom Krawiec answered these questions at the GRO Pasture Walk this summer. In this video he talks about what he has coined as the ‘sweet spot’ for grazing! Enjoy!
Join us and meet two incredible people within the world of grass-fed meats! Dr. Richard Bazinet is a professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto and has been studying the differences in the fatty acid profiles between grass-fed and conventionally raised meats. We also have Calvin Raessler joining us. Calvin is a rancher based out of the Drumheller area in Alberta. He markets grass fed beef into a number of the large chain grocery stores in both Calgary and Edmonton. Grab your cup of coffee and get settled in for an engaging and informative conversation. Don’t forget your pen and notepad, as there is a lot packed into the next 50 minutes!
As we complete our second rotation on our mob grazing paddock, the GRO team thought that this was the perfect time to get some good shots of what is happening above ground in the different management styles that we implemented at the Heifer Pasture 3 years ago. Check out some of our previous videos for more information on the 6 cell designs and 3 different management styles that we have implemented on the 160 acre piece of land north of Westlock that we have been managing since the late 1970’s!
Did you miss Cut the Crop Tour this year? We managed to get a recap from one of our speakers, Elston Solberg! Join us as he talks about organic matter, nutrient availability and soil PH in crops.
A couple of years ago we were able to get our hands on a small amount of Kernza perennial wheat seed for trial at our plots in Westlock. While not approved for distribution in Canada yet, the idea behind perennial grains is a fascinating one! Join Steve Kenyon as he chats about how it’s been going and his vision for perennial wheat in the future.
We had such a blast with the crew from Alberta Wheat Commission last week as we joined them to host WheatStalk. Huge thank you to everyone that came out and made the day a gigantic success!
Join us as we chat with Ross Hinter from Alberta Trappers Association as we chat about how trappers and farmers can work together to alleviate predatory and pest issues on agricultural land bases. For more information about the ATA you can contact them at www.albertatrappers.com or at 780-349-6626
Curious about the little buzzers that are constantly flitting from flower to flower? Wanting to know more about what it’s like to be a honey producer? Not only did Curtis let us in on what happens on his operation (Miedema Honey Farm), but he gave us some insight into bee-haviour! Enjoy!
Have you been hearing the ‘mob grazing’ buzzword at your local coffee shop? Wondering what it’s all about? You’re in luck! We just moved our heifers onto our mob grazing paddock and want to tell you all about it!
There is so much happening at GRO that we thought it time to do an overview of how the year is going and some of the new projects that are sprouting! Join us as Sandeep speaks about all of the going ons! And don’t forget to hit that subscribe button while you’re here!
The Heifer Pasture Project is a unique plan that was designed and implemented by the GRO board of directors in 2019. This demonstration pasture showcases six different cell designs and management systems on a 160 acre land base! *Correction – There are 80 heifers and 2 bulls grazing the rotational paddocks for the 2021 season*
Join us as we chat with Dr. Jan Slaski with Innotech Alberta and Ken Coles with Farming Smarter about hemp production in Alberta. Not only do they discuss hemp research, but these two experts delve into the history of hemp in the province, the possibility of new processing facilities and even the benefits and difficulties in growing this exciting crop!
“How do you think the cattle will react to the drone?” This was one of the first questions that we heard when we purchased a drone at GRO this winter. Check out our first flight with the cattle at the GRO Heifer Pasture this spring!
When should we start grazing our cattle? Join us as Tom Krawiec discusses our reasoning behind an early entry day at the GRO Heifer Pasture!
Join us as Dr. Yamily Zavala with Chinook Applied Research Association talks about the Soil Health Benchmarking Project in Alberta!

Join Dr. Surya Acharya and Dr. Raja Ragupathy, scientists with the Sustainable Cereals Breeding Program out of the Lethbridge Research and Development Center, as they talk about the history behind ACE1 Perennial Rye and the future of perennial grains in Canada
Join us as we chat with Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture, Devin Dreeshen about the On Farm Slaughter Licensing Program, RDAR and CAP Funding!
Meet Ward Middleton and Delton Jubinville. These two decided to combine (pun intended) organic crop farming, custom grazing cattle and bale grazing. This year Ward is feeding Delton’s cattle by bale grazing on 35 acres of organic crop land. Watch to find out more!


One of the big questions that farmers often struggle with is, “when should I make that switch from working off farm full time, to full time farm work”. While this looks different for every farm, we wanted to take you over to Mike and Melissa Hittinger’s place. They have recently made this transition and spoke to us about what their journey to full time on the farm looked like! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our channel on YouTube while you’re here!


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Join us as two farmers coming from very different operations spend some time talking about what regenerative agriculture looks like to them. Brendon Rockey is a potato grower from a desert region in Colorado. He has been implementing regenerative practices into growing a crop that is typically a monoculture and seeing terrific results through the use of cover crops and livestock grazing on his crop land. Steve Kenyon runs Greener Pastures Ranching, right here in the Westlock region. Greener Pastures is a custom grazing operation running cattle in a regenerative manner. The focus on their operation is as much about regeneration below ground as above ground.
Jay Byer, GRO’s Soil Conservation Analyst, has been busy getting things together for our new Marginal Land Study. Meet Jay and find out what this exciting new project is all about!
Last week we had the opportunity to test out the new combine that will be arriving at the GRO doors in the new year!
With plot weight and moisture analysis in the cab as some of the many features that come with the Zürn 150, harvest in 2021 is going to look very different for us!
Huge thanks to the Western Grain Research Foundation for funding this opportunity!
We would like to say that Exit Day 2020 went off ‘without a hitch’ this year, but that would have made it difficult to pull those trailers full of cattle 😉 We want to thank all of our contributors for bringing us excellent animals this season, and a thank you to everyone who came and helped out, not just on exit day, but throughout the summer. We look forward to bringing you all more Heifer Pasture Updates next summer. Keep an eye on our social media and join us at our AGM in the new year to hear announcements on the results behind the trials at the Heifer Pasture!

This year’s pasture walk with Greener Pastures Ranching is one for the books! With the downsizing of events we thought that it would be fun to do a movie style pasture walk and jump on the opportunity of inviting people that often have a difficult time making it to our annual walk in person! Enjoy the video and feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions!

Join us as Steve and Gabe talk about all of the hot topics in regenerative agriculture today. With 19 topics in 45 minutes there is sure to be something for everyone here!

Not only is Bill Visscher one of the board members at GRO, but his family runs Smokin Elk Ranch in Morinville. Just off of Highway 2 they have a beautiful farm store and plenty of elk that can often be seen from the highway! Join us as we chat with the Visscher family about like on an elk ranch!
Join us as we chat with Tom Krawiec about a form of low stress animal handling that he has coined ‘The Wave’!
Join us as we chat with the Pasay family at Bentgrove Farm. In this video they give us a great idea of what succession has looked like for them!
Join us as we do a virtual farm tour of Big Coulee Farms in Athabasca. Rusty and Agnes Bellamy direct market grass fed and pasture raised pork, poultry and beef into nearby St. Albert. With good management practices they focus on creating a healthy habitat for soil life using animal agriculture.
Join us as we chat with Steve Kenyon about his experience with swath and bale grazing on crop land this past winter!
Crop Plots Update with Sandeep Nain!