What Grows Above Ground Starts Below It.
We connect soil science, producer knowledge, and ecological markets - translating field-level innovation into measurable outcomes for land, water, and the people who steward them.
From soil health to stewardship intelligence.
THE WORK
Across the prairies, the ecological value of how land is managed is not yet reflected in what it pays. We are building the data infrastructure and the training systems that could begin to change that.
-
Soil Health
Measurement at the field level
Soil sampling, BMP adoption tracking, GHG monitoring, and forage assessment across producer operations. Data collected where it is generated.
-
Soil Intelligence
Interpretation across landscapes
FTIR spectroscopy, predictive soil mapping, machine learning, and geospatial tools that connect individual fields to regional patterns and make credible, scalable verification possible.
-
Stewardship Profile
A verified record over time
Carbon storage, biodiversity function, and water outcomes measured with both rigour and practicality - turned into a longitudinal stewardship record that belongs to the producer.
-
Financial Instruments
Value that reflects what producers do
Ecosystem service credits, stewardship-linked insurance, green loans, and market premiums - financial tools that could recognize stewardship as a verified, bankable record rather than an assumption.
The Regenerative Alberta Living Lab
FLAGSHIP PROGRAM
Seven ARA and FA partners. 111 farms. 340,000 acres. The RA-LL is generating the soil health and soil intelligence data that makes the rest of this work possible.
Field-level data is collected by producers on their own operations, processed through FTIR spectroscopy and predictive mapping, and returned to the producers who generate it. The In Living Cover podcast and field training events translate findings into practical knowledge - through the networks producers already trust.
The ecological value of how land is managed is not yet reflected in what it pays.
THE PROBLEM WORTH SOLVING
Across the prairies, grasslands are under pressure. Other land uses offer more stable returns. Without a shift in that economic equation, conversion will continue - regardless of what producers know about the value of what they're maintaining.
The data to tell a different story is increasingly available. Connecting it to the financial instruments that could act on it - that is the work still in progress. It involves soil measurement, verification infrastructure, producer training, and a shift in how stewardship is recognized by lenders, insurers, and markets.
"The result we are working toward is a system where knowledge, practice, and economic incentives align - enabling durable conservation outcomes that don't depend on perpetual grant funding."
KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION
Training is the bridge between data and producer benefit.
-
FIELD TRAINING
Soil health and data literacy in the field
Workshops and field events designed to help producers understand what the soil data from their operations is showing - and what it might mean for how they manage. Delivered in partnership with ARAs and forage associations across Alberta.
-
PRODUCER TO PRODUCER
In Living Cover - the podcast
Conversations with producers and researchers about what soil health and land stewardship look like in practice on real operations. Part of the RA-LL knowledge translation program. inlivingcover.ca →
-
FINANCIAL LITERACY
Understanding stewardship-linked finance
As ecosystem service registries, green loan programs, and stewardship-linked insurance mechanisms develop, producers benefit from understanding how a verified stewardship record could connect to financial tools - and what data that requires.
TOOLS + RESOURCES
Go deeper into the work.
PODCAST
In Living Cover
A conversation-based series exploring the history of agricultural innovation in Alberta - where practice has come from, how it has evolved, and what that history suggests about where things are heading. Hosted by Kimberly Cornish.
COVER CROP RESOURCE
In Living Cover
An educational resource exploring cover crops above and below ground - what different species do for soil biology, structure, and function.
RA-LL BLOG
Field Stories from the Network
Producer stories, field day write-ups, and updates from across the RA-LL network. What producers are trying, what the data is showing, and what is moving in the right direction.