Do More Agriculture Foundation releases 2022 Impact Report.

Mar 24, 2023

2022 had its fair share of challenges for farmers and ranchers across the country.

From fuel and fertilizer prices to trade disputes, Avian Influenza and severe weather events like Hurricane Fiona.

Do more Agriculture's report points out that all of these challenges highlight the importance of continuing to prioritize the mental health and wellness of people within the agriculture industry.

In 2022, they held 24 sessions focusing on Mental Health First Aid Training and their Talk Ask Listen workshop. These sessions teach individuals signs and symptoms of mental illness, how to support, and self-care on the farm.

With the support of Farm Credit Canada, they announced the evolution of the Community Fund to include new course options, national virtual workshops as well as AgCulture training for mental health professionals in 2023. Communities responded with an increase of more than 80% in applications for the 2023 programming!

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.