Kicking Off Our Frost Seeding Project in West-Central Alberta

This week, we officially launched our new Frost Seeding Project — a study funded by RDAR (Results Driven Agriculture Research) and designed to explore how frost seeding can help producers improve pasture resilience, boost forage quality, and make better use of early-season moisture in West-Central Alberta. 

Frost seeding is a simple concept: spread seed onto frozen ground and let natural freeze–thaw cycles work it into the soil. While the method has been used for decades, there’s very little region-specific data on which species perform best in our soils, moisture conditions, and short growing season. This project aims to close that gap by testing a diverse 15-species forage blend under both fall and spring frost-seeding conditions.

To get the project underway, our team installed an on-site weather station with soil temperature probes, marked out the plot design, and collected the first set of soil samples. These tools will help us track soil moisture, temperature, seedling emergence, and overall pasture performance over the next two years.

Working alongside a local producer and expert advisors, we’ll be evaluating stand establishment, drought resilience, forage quality, and management strategies that support successful frost seeding. The goal is straightforward: provide producers with clear, practical recommendations backed by local data.

We look forward to sharing updates as the project progresses — including early observations this spring and field day opportunities in 2026.