The Trusted Advisor Partnership (TAP), a pioneering program designed to enhance the skills of certified crop advisors (CCAs) in soil health and regenerative agriculture, is set to expand into Canada’s Manitoba and Saskatchewan provinces. This initiative, which aims to foster sustainable farming practices, will see its first Canadian cohort launch at the start of 2025.
TAP, which was initially launched in 2022 through a collaboration between the Sustainable Food Lab, soil health expert Dr. Abbey Wick, and North Dakota State University, operates on the principle that training advisors rather than farmers directly could be a more effective way to promote regenerative agriculture. The program focuses on filling the knowledge gap in science-based soil health management, a gap that Lana Shaw, director of the South East Research Farm, identifies as a significant barrier to widespread adoption of these practices.
“Regenerative ag practices and programs are combinations of high-tech solutions paired with older cultural practices,” Shaw explains. “The problem is, that combination isn’t something that has been really well covered in either agriculture universities so far or in the more mainstream agronomy training offerings.”
To address this, TAP offers CCAs what is essentially a master class in soil health agronomy, water management, and diversified cropping systems. Ben Harris, a program manager at Sustainable Food Lab, emphasizes that TAP serves as a crucial de-risking mechanism for farmers. By having trusted advisors try out regenerative practices first, farmers can adopt these methods with greater confidence and less risk of reverting to conventional practices.
“Farmers get that safety net in place in the form of a trusted advisor,” Harris notes. “We believe this will lead to longer-term adoption and less risk of a return to the ‘business as usual’ state of conventional practices.”
The expansion of TAP into Canada is supported by major agrifood corporates, including General Mills, PepsiCo, and Bimbo Canada, alongside conservation nonprofit Nature United and the Saskatchewan-based South East Research Farm. These corporates are not only providing capital but are also actively participating in the program by attending events and meetings to foster collaboration between agronomists and growers.
“It’s not just about soil health,” Harris says. “There’s also water stewardship and nutrient management brought into the curriculum, and [corporate] funding is going towards the creation of curriculum that is video-based and online-hosted.” The curriculum will be hosted by Manitoba-based Assiniboine College, known for its agricultural extension and virtual learning programs.
Harris highlights the importance of having real people behind the brands involved in the program. “Agronomists, like farmers, want to know there are real, authentic people behind the brands that they’re supplying,” he says. “Otherwise, a brand is just a logo on the back of a cereal box. This is really a human-centered program at the end of the day.”
The initial cohort in Canada aims to reach more than 225 independent and industry-affiliated agronomists over the next five years. In comparison, the North Dakota program has enrolled over 30 agronomists since its inception. Harris points out that different geographies require different approaches to regenerative agriculture, noting the need to adapt the program to local conditions and needs.
“One of the goals of the Trusted Advisor Partnership is creating landscape connectivity,” Harris explains. “In North Dakota, the anchor is the Red River basin, and we’re working with the Red River Basin Commission, which oversees water-quality projects there and also in Manitoba.”
However, Harris acknowledges that the process of engaging prospective funders and adapting the program in Canada has been different from the U.S. “Those companies in Canada are maybe a little bit earlier in their regenerative agriculture journey, so they have different ambitions compared to North Dakota,” he says. “It takes time to set up in a new geography.”
The expansion of TAP into Canada represents a significant step towards promoting regenerative agriculture practices on a broader scale, leveraging the expertise of trusted advisors to support farmers in adopting sustainable methods.