Jenneth Johanson farms in an atypical growing region at Lac du Bonnet, Man., about 100 km northeast of Winnipeg.
She farms on productive land where the eastern Prairie meets the Canadian Shield, some of which is classified as organic soil: peat.
Farming on peat has its challenges: it has low water holding capacity, it’s high in organic matter, and can kick out a lot of nutrients; but since water moves so freely through it, there can be nitrogen deficiencies too. It makes growing crops a challenge, but Johanson has figured out a few things that work well, such as canola and oats.
Her involvement in growing oats also opened up the door to some tremendous leadership opportunities, first with the Manitoba Oat Growers Association, and soon after as president of the Prairie Oat Growers Association.
In this episode of Agronomy Geeks, Johanson shares how her horizons have been expanded, transitioning from part of the board to leading a board, realizing the immense amount that a grower association does for its members, and the seemingly basic question of ‘why oats?’
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