Michael was born and raised in Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada on a typical Prairie farm. Wheat and canola dominated the crop rotation with some barley, oats and peas. A small herd of cows grazed the unfarmed acres. Michael’s career trajectory was most likely farming, given his active involvement in the family farm and his decision to study Plant Science in the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba.

In hindsight, not returning to the family farm after graduating university was a blessing for Michael. Instead, he began a 30-plus-year journey to understand agriculture and the importance of soil, water, sunlight, plants and animals and the realization that all the parts are interconnected – a concept critical to the long-term success of food production and the health of the biosphere.

Over that time Michael has worked with many conservation organizations focused on soil, water and wildlife habitat in the context of Prairie agriculture. More recently, Michael has worked directly with producers to build regenerative agriculture plans that are designed to rebuild degraded soils and restore farm profitability.