The Soil Stewardship Program
The Soil Stewardship Program provides educational support in soil ecology and the regeneration of ecosystem functions for farmers and farming enterprises.
Over the years, we have observed a direct link between the degree of success in the transition to regenerative soil practices and the amount time invested in education in the science and practice of soil ecology, taught by people with ample and legitimate field experience in the domain.
This educational program is for farmers who want to learn more about soil ecology, soil life, ecosystem regeneration, to help themselves make better management decisions on their own regeneration journeys.
It is for farmers who want to become experts on their own soil and want to learn how to be true stewards of productive ecosystems.
It is for those who want to learn more about creating their own source of fertility for their farms.
It is for those who want to understand the potential delays, challenges, and solutions involved in regenerating soil ecosystems as well as entire biomes, above and below ground -- all the while remaining competitive in terms of yields.
They are part of a growing community of regenerative agriculture pioneers, proudly supported by our team of farmers and soil ecologists, who together have over 60 years of hands-on experience in this field.
This program is offered in English, French and Spanish.
IMPLICATIONS:
Farmers who enroll in this program are our students, not our clients. We can only teach you applied soil ecology methods for the regeneration of soil ecosystems and general ecosystems for productive landscapes.
The goal of this program is to help you understand the ins and outs of regenerating soil life and various ecosystem functions so that you can eventually make independent management decisions.
At the end of this educational program, each student must submit their own design of a transition plan for their farm, based on what they have learned in the course. It is up to them to implement it, seeking more scientific or film support along the way, as needed. If they need further consultation to accompany their process, they must do so separately. (see our consultation services)
Note for Quebec Agronomists:
Unfortunately, we will not be offering our educational services to you until l'Ordre des Agronomes recognizes our us as an accredited source of continuing education for agronomists within the order to specifically:
help agronomists gain knowledge and expertise in soil regeneration and the regeneration of ecosystem services and functions on arable land.
We hope you will understand that we simply cannot take the risk of being accused of providing consulting services when we are in fact teaching effective theory and practices used in ecosystem regeneration and soil ecology practiced on farms around the world, outside the province of Quebec.
Please let us know when this situation has changed.
We are doing everything we can to comply with the laws of this province.
In the meantime, we are more than willing to assist you through our consulting services (available only to agronomists in QC) and our laboratory services. We can also help you understand the meaning of the biological and ecological data produced for your clients.
Level 2: Design your Transitional Plan
Integrate your learnings into a concrete action plan for your project or business.
This is for those who feel like they would like further private support from us and might feel they need an ongoing accompaniment through their regenerative process. On-going accompaniment from our team as needed for problem solving, on farm assistance, compost assistance, further educational or scientific support, more clarity and any particularities:
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You submit your design to Docterre along with a filled out pre-consultation form (CLICK HERE), and sit down with us for a one on one meeting to discuss your design, get feedback from us on the design, more ideas for your situation in particular, more clarity on what you feel you are going to do, and any other support you feel you need to get going with confidence.
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Field visits are optional as well. From Docterre being there in person to provide confidence and reassurance for your first application of compost extract/tea, to helping you document your biodiversity on your farm, to investigating your soil health with you in person on the farm with a microscope, checking out your compost process, etc – all these things are possible.
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If you have any need for help figuring out the spraying system modifications, extractor units, etc, you can book a consultation with us for that too. If you feel you need us to come out to test your systems to make sure the biology is getting from your reservoir and out your spray nozzles, this option may be available as well.
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If you think you have specific problems that might need more specific solutions, we can help you figure those out. If you need help identifying what these problems are, we can help.
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If you have a specific on-farm research ambition and want help sorting that out, we can help you with that.
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As the years go by, if you need annual follow-up support to discuss/monitor/document the ongoing changes on your farm, to learn more about what you're experiencing, and further help develop your changes, we are here to support you along the way.
By the end of this process, Stewards will have a huge gain in understanding of how to revive and take care of the biodiversity on their farms, how to manage their farms to be productive as well as fully functioning ecosystems at the same time. They will have a community of support either online with other farmers, and further field support by the Docterre team, lab and compost inoculum should they need it. Stewards will slowly become the experts of their own land, guardians of their productive ecosystems, gaining more independence from external inputs and expertise with every growing season. Stewards are confident in their regenerative soil management practices, and their soils are healthy, balanced, and full of life!
Phase 3: Ongoing Accompaniment (Years 3-5)
At this phase, steward implement the maintenance of their soil regeneration plan with ongoing accompaniment as needed.
Though this phase is equally crucial in the overall soil transition, it is usually less labour and cost intensive than the first 1-2 years.
By the end of this phase, stewards are confident in their regenerative soil management practices, and their soils are healthy, balanced, and full of life!
