Alberta Open Farm Days: How do farms fit into the Story of Water?

In August 2025, The Minnow was on full display at Chicks N Chaps near Josephburg in support of Alberta Open Farm Days. This gave the Aquatic Biosphere team a chance to tell The Story of Water and its profound impact on soils.

What about this Story of Water?

Ten thousand or more years ago, glaciation profoundly shaped Alberta's farmland by delivering fertile soils from pulverized bedrock, forming vast, flat agricultural plains through glacial lake sedimentation, and creating a varied landscape of glacial landforms like moraines and drumlins. The meltwater from glaciers also created Chernozemic soils and deposited the fine silts and clays that characterize much of the province's productive agricultural land today.

As the ice retreated, it carved and calved, creating meltwater ponds that have been around for thousands of years. As these ponds dry up over time, they were great contributors to our soils and the production of these farms. From bees to chickens, barley to hay, cows to strawberries, they all rely on fertile soils.

The Minnow crew stocks the display tanks for this mobile education center with local aquatic insects, which are returned at the end of the day to their homes. What our team discovered on this adventure was that the region was quite dry late in the summer. Ponds were difficult to find that had depth and access. When we did find a good source, it was considerably low. The roots of the reeds and cattails, normally home to predators like the giant water beetle, the water tiger, and dragonfly larvae, were high and dry. But what we did discover was that the mud and detritus at the bottom were teeming with daphnia, small invertebrates that make up the base of the food chain. We also discovered snails, scuds, and leeches. These animals are hard at work processing organic debris in the pond into rich and fertile matter.

With our display on hand, the story of water to tell on a farm was fascinating - how do our wetlands contribute to the soils? In our tanks, we showcased the creatures that break down leaves and sticks into valuable dirt. As they had for thousands of years, building up the great farmlands of the province.

In total, more than three hundred visitors came to The Minnow, intrigued by The Story of Water and its connection to the essential farms that fuel our province's economy.