African Swine Fever and emerging diseases was a main topic of discussion at the recent Sask Industry Pork Symposium.

Dr. Stephanie Smith, the director of the veterinary unit with the Ministry of Agriculture, shares how the industry and farmers can prepare for emerging diseases like African Swine fever.

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The federal government is planning to reduce the amount of money spent on international aid----but it's unclear where those cuts will be made.

Paul Hagerman is the Canadian Foodgrain's Bank Public Policy Director.

He is concerned about the wording of the last federal budget.

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The Research Lead with Agri-Food Economic Systems suggests with Canadian oilseeds under increasing trade pressure, an oilseed strategy could be helpful.

An Independent Agri-Food Policy Note and accompanying Policy Concepts Paper, released by Agri-Food Economic Systems, examined the pressures facing Canadian oilseeds including China's 100 per cent tariff on canola oil and canola meal, trade action on Canadian peas from China, and now India - and issues with China and the U.S. over soybeans.

Research lead Dr. Al Mussell says Canadian oilseed producers are extremely export dependent but that's not a bad thing.

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) have sent a letter to the provincial government, laying out their views on Saskatchewan farmland ownership. President Bill Prybylski says while he has no proof of foreign farmland ownership being an issue in Saskatchewan, he is concerned that the price of farmland could be inflated by outside interests.

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A protein journalist says the technological revolution is helping shape the buying patterns of consumers more today than over the past century. "The Retail Meat Counter; What consumers are buying and how is it changing?" was among the topics discussed as part of the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium.

Lisa Keefe says demographics are increasingly shaping consumer buying patterns.

Pulse Canada was in China this past week. The goal was to work to maintain one-on-one relationships with business contacts in the effort to persuade the Chinese government to drop hefty tariffs on peas and canola. Pulse Canada President Greg Cherewyk spoke prior to his flight to China.

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U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10 per cent increase in tariffs on goods imported from Canada in response to ads produced by the Ontario government. Manitoba Pork General manager Cam Dahl says Canada's elected officials need to prioritize the renegotiation and to tone down the rhetoric while working with our allies in the U.S. to maintain trade including representatives from key states like Iowa.

He says there is an understanding among elected state officials and agricultural leaders in the U.S. - Canada must continue to work with like-minded partners helping them influence the Trump administration.

There is a unique Kindergarten to Grade Nine School in the rural area . . . 21 kilometres east of Medicine Hal.

In addition to the regular classes . . . the kids get a hands-on view of food production at the Irvine Agriculture Discovery Centre. An onsite agriculture demonstration project connects rural and urban students who look after a so-called "Noah's Ark" of animals as part of the education curriculum. We will talk to the centre coordinator Nicole Neubauer.

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Crop diseases can have a serious impact on a farmer's bottom line, that’s why management is an ongoing concern for producers. Finding the right tools and technologies to help producers get a handle on diseases can be complicated and expensive.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researcher Kelly Turkington says it all starts with having a basic knowledge of the nature of plant diseases as the first step towards understanding what needs to be done and when it needs to be done.


A University of British Columbia student design team has created the prototype for a fully autonomous agricultural robot.

The creation of the AgroBot started with four students. The team has grown to 40 students with backgrounds in various areas of engineering. AgroBot team member Wendie Wu will explain the project and tell us about how the students took inspiration from other industries and applied them to the robot...all in an effort to make agriculture operations more sustainable.

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A new online training platform for swine barn workers is allowing farms to manage, coordinate and track their training programs.

Mark Fynn is the Training Resources Coordinator with the Canadian Pork Council.
He will discuss the progress for the new program that was officially launched in March 2025.

Challenges in the trade and economic environment, largely due to tariffs from the U.S. and China, have affected Canada's Food and Beverage sector.

Farm Credit Canada released its mid-year update on the food and beverage industry and say while the first half of the year had a sales increase of 0.8 per cent, it’s not expected to hold, and FCC projects sales will decline to 0.3 per cent in the second half.

Most of the growth has been from price increases, but Senior Economist Amanda Norris says declining volumes of goods sold is causing slower-than-expected growth.

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Politics have had a significant impact on agriculture research in Alberta. The government in that province changed hands with the New Democrats taking power in 2015 and then new United Conservative Party winning the election in 2019.

It has been a stressful time for those involved in research. A new organization called Results Driven Agriculture Research or RDAR has been given the responsibility of guiding Alberta’s ag research priorities to ensure they reflect the needs of farmers, ranchers, and others in the agriculture industry.
I'll speak with RDAR board chair Dr. David Chalack about this new entity and its role in promoting beneficial research for the ag sector.

Prairie honey producers take great pride in their pure product. But the fake honey showing up on store shelves is hurting their bottom line.Fake honey is being blamed for a dramatic drop in prices dating back to 2015 and it has been pushing the limits of beekeepers in Canada.

In fact, prices were so low producers were not making enough money to even cover their costs.
Tim Wendell of Wendell Honey Farm has felt the impact. Their operation includes sites in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Wendell will explain where this fake honey is coming from and how consumers can support this important industry.

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Farmers have shortened up crop rotation for a number of reasons.

Oilseed agronomy research scientist Patrick Molecki is with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Saskatoon Research and Development Centre. 

He there are numerous issues popping up because of this practice including herbicide 
resistance in weeds and increased disease pressure including blackleg and fusarium head blight.
Patrick says the continuing practice will have long term implications.

There tends to be a focus on the negative environmental aspects of farming like the greenhouse gases emitted from vehicles, fertilizers, and grain transportation. But there is new work showing this impact can be offset by planting trees. It's estimated more 21.3 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide-equivalent is stored in Saskatchewan’s 60,000 km of shelterbelts, representing about $639 million in total economic value under the federal $30 per tonne carbon-dioxide-equivalent pricing 
system.

Bryan Mood with USask will discuss a new app that is designed to show the economic value of shelterbelts while helping landowners determine the best trees to grow.

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Canada's elected officials need to prioritize the renegotiation of the Canada, United States, Mexico trade agreement and to tone down the rhetoric while working with allies in the U.S. to maintain trade.

Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl suggests this matter should be the number one 
issue of Canada's agriculture ministers from coast to coast.

Farm Credit Canada hosted its annual Food and Beverage Summit in Saskatoon. Smaller and medium sized companies from all parts of Western Canada were on hand. Stacey Gordon, FCC's area vice-president of commercial financing, said entrepreneurs at varying stages of the journey to the supermarket shelf attended the trade show and listened to presentations. 

Some are only selling locally; others are in regional stores while a few are looking to break 
into the national market.

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As parliament resumed the Grain Growers of Canada, who represent over 70-thousand producers across Canada, have four key priorities: international trade, capital gains tax, trade-enabling infrastructure, and research & development.

Executive Director Kyle Larkin says continued uncertainty with the United States and tariffs from China is at the top of the list. And staying with Parliament, we’ll hear from new Saskatchewan senator Todd Lewis, who farms near Regina, on how he's fitting into his new role

Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan estimate 4,000 visitors took part in this year's Saskatchewan Open Farm Days.

The second edition of the event saw approximately 35 different agriculture-related venues opening their doors to the public.

Farm and Food Care Executive Director Clinton Monchuk said the event provides an opportunity for farmers to engage directly with consumers.

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