Beyond Fertilizer: Building Healthy Soils

By: Autumn Chittick

One of the exhibitors that stood out to me at Ag in Motion was Best Farming Systems. Their display focused on the importance of building healthy soils to create healthier crops and more productive farming operations. Rather than relying solely on traditional fertilizer programs, Best Farming Systems promotes a holistic approach to crop production by improving soil biology, nutrient availability, and overall soil function. Their philosophy is that healthy soils lead to stronger root systems, better nutrient uptake, increased resilience to environmental stress, and ultimately higher yields. m

I found it interesting to learn about how they use biological and nutritional products alongside sound agronomic practices to support long term soil health. Their approach encourages producers to view soil as a living ecosystem instead of simply a growing medium. By improving microbial activity and nutrient cycling, producers can build healthier soils that continue to perform well year after year while making more efficient use of crop inputs.

This connects closely with the work we do at Farming Forward. Much of our research is focused on providing producers with practical, science based information that helps them make informed management decisions. Through field trials, soil sampling, weather monitoring, and on farm demonstrations, Farming Forward evaluates different farming practices and shares unbiased results with producers across Alberta. Like Best Farming Systems, our work recognizes that maintaining healthy soils is essential for long-term agricultural productivity and sustainability.

Visiting Best Farming Systems reinforced the importance of combining research with innovation. While companies like Best Farming Systems develop products and management strategies to improve soil health, organizations like Farming Forward play an important role in independently evaluating farming practices and demonstrating how they perform under real Alberta growing conditions. Together, these efforts help producers make decisions that improve crop performance while protecting one of their most valuable resources, the soil.

Overall, my visit to Best Farming Systems highlighted how modern agriculture is shifting toward a more sustainable, knowledge based approach. It emphasized that investing in soil health today not only benefits current crop production but also supports the long term success of future farming operations. It was a great example of how science, innovation, and research can work together to help producers achieve both economic and environmental sustainability.