It all started when the next generation expressed a desire to be more involved on the family ranch.
“When we took over the ranch in 2007, it was just my wife Lisa and me,” recalls Edward Watson. “It was enough to keep us going. But in 2016 our oldest daughter decided she'd like to have more involvement, so we tried to find a way to get more out of the land we already had.”
Sun to Soil Regenerative Agriculture was born.
Initially, the Watsons experimented with rotational grazing to see if they could support a few more head of cattle. They took management training courses. They got into cover cropping. Before long, they realized that other ranchers were also interested in trying sustainable practices – and that they needed someplace to get their supplies.
“We tried to make it easy for them to get everything they needed, all in one place,” says Watson, Sun to Soil’s managing director.
“We’d been using cover crop seeds, and we had a supplier we were using for that,” he says. “We became a dealer for them. We also got into salt and minerals. Then we got into electric fencing, because we go through a lot of electric fence.”
It wasn’t long before Sun to Soil Regenerative Agriculture, located on the Watson ranch near Elrose, Saskatchewan, had developed some expertise in soil health, forage quality and animal well-being. And now, just a few years later, the family-owned and operated company is a go-to authority in sustainable farming practices.
“Regenerative agriculture is a variety of practices with the aim of improving the soil,” Watson explains. “That means not only getting it back to how it was when we first took it over, but actually improving it to a point where it’s better than it was when we got it.”
It’s inclusive of increasing organic matter and carbon content in the soil, diversifying plant life, and enhancing wildlife habitat.
For a practical example, Watson points to rotational grazing. Initially, some of his herd had been grazing on short, warm-season Blue grama grass, but after adopting the rotational approach a lot of native wheat grasses returned. It made a big difference in pasturing, and it added very little work.
What makes Sun to Soil unique is that the Watsons pass on their expertise through the products they make available. They sell seed blends, electric fencing, liquid fertilizers and livestock salt, minerals and watering boxes.
Additionally, their poultry feed is natural grain – neither heated nor pelleted to stay as close to nature as possible. And the pet food they carry is Great Canadian, which uses only Canadian suppliers within 100 km of their Ontario plant.
“I think we’ve got something for everybody,” says Watson. “We’re a family and we’re trying to do what we can to help out other farm and ranch families as best we can. We want to provide value and make it as simple as possible for producers to get what they need at a reasonable price.”
Sun to Soil Regenerative Agriculture can be reached by calling (306) 402-8402. Their range of products can also be viewed on their website.
