The Palette Skills Digital Agriculture Specialist program was created to prepare people for jobs in the agriculture sector in several areas including farm robotics, agriculture automation and food processing. Program manager Ednali Fertuck-Zehavi says it was designed to prepare people with already have some post-secondary education, with the skills they need for jobs in the agriculture industry.

Ednali will explain more about the program and share with us how an upcoming networking can connect participants with potential employers.

Saskatchewan agriculture is forecasting some hotspots for wheat midge this year. With the loss of some of the products wheat farmers would normally use to control the pest, there may concerns about control options.

Kurt Printz with the Saskatchewan Seed Growers Association says producers have several options for growing midge tolerant wheat varieties. He says farmers should be making arrangements now to secure seed for the 2023 growing season.

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On-farm research has become a powerful decision-making tool for farmers, especially when it comes to making management decisions on their own operation.

On-farm research can provide meaningful information specific to your soils, farming practices, and local conditions, allowing you to make management decisions with confidence.

Christiane Catellier with the Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation will tell us about a new project and how farmers can get involved.

Canola is Canada's oil.

It is one of the healthiest cooking oils available, with zero trans fat and the lowest amount of saturated fat of all common cooking oils. And because canola oil is so versatile and affordable, it's ideal for making a wide range of healthy foods, both at home and on a commercial scale.

Lynn Weaver is a registered dietitian and the market development manager at SaskCanola.

She'll talk about the health benefits of canola oil and the development of a new national canola strategy.

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African Swine Fever has been confirmed in two dead wild boars in Greece. This is the first report of ASF in Greece since 2020.

Dr. Paul Sundberg, the Executive Director of the Swine Health Information Center, says North America can learn a lot from Greece and other countries when it comes to controlling the spread of ASF.

Applications can now be made under the Advance Payments program---better known as the cash advance.  The cash advance helps cover initial productions costs and is repaid when the crop or livestock is sold.

Several organizations administer the program on behalf of the federal government including the Canadian Canola Growers Association. Dave Gallant is the CCGA Director of Finance and Operations. He talks about the process and says applying early ensures everything is ready to go when money from the federal program comes out in early April.

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The Agri-Food Innovation and Sustainability Enhancement Chair with the University of Saskatchewan is confident genetic improvements accomplished through gene editing will contribute to lower food prices in Canada. U-Sask associate professor Dr. Stuart Smyth says one of the challenges is there isn't a regulatory system for gene edited livestock.

The Saskatchewan Pork Development Board has launched the Whole Hog Youth Ambassador Program, a new agricultural education program designed to help share the story of pork production.

I'll speak to ambassador Reise Podhordeski and Lynn Redl Huntington with Sask Pork who describe the purpose of the program.

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The livestock industry is very concerned about the shortage of veterinarians. But what are the main issues that are preventing post-secondary students from getting into and then staying in the veterinary profession?

Alberta Veterinarian Sydney Crosby spoke to the recent Saskatchewan Beef Industry Symposium and share some of her thoughts on how the sector can change to help keep vets in the industry.

Every year Farm Credit Canada compiles a lot of data. One that usually generates a lot of conversation is the farm cash receipts. Chief Agricultural Economist JP Gervais will go through the statistics and share his thoughts on what's to come in 2023.

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Preliminary results of research show pigs can be stimulated into engaging in play.

The Western College of Veterinary Medicine and the Prairie Swine Centre are exploring the prospects of using play to improve the emotional well being of pigs and improve their resilience and performance.

In one experiment the behavior of two groups of pigs provided intermittent play opportunities was compared to a control group. Dr. Yolande Seddon is an Assistant Professor Swine Behaviour and Welfare.

She says the objective is to determine whether play could be stimulated and identify the physiological effects of play on the pigs.

All internationally trained veterinarians hoping to practice in Canada take their final hands-on test in Saskatoon. Three times a year, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine hosts the clinical proficiency examination process for international veterinarian graduates who want to be license in Canada. It is the only location in Canada that hosts this testing.

Dr. Gillian Muir explains the testing process and how this is easing some of the stress of the veterinarian shortage across Canada.

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It's the time of year when many producers and agronomists are attending trade shows, industry meetings and annual general meetings hoping to gain some insights for the next growing season.

Chuck Penner with Leftfield Commodity Research gave his outlook for the grains and oilseed markets at Western Canadian Crop Production Show in Saskatoon.

He says he's not a predictor but rather spends time doing reconnaissance assembling information on the past growing season and how that may shape the coming year.

There is a desperate shortage of agriculture technicians...to the point that it's being called a crisis by John Schmeiser, the President of the North American Equipment Dealers Association.

He will share what the industry is doing to attract more young people to the field.

And

He also talks about the controversy surrounding ‘right to repair’.

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It’s no surprise to grain and oilseed producers that 2022 was a year of great uncertainty.

The senior analyst with FarmLink Marketing Solutions Neil Townsend says the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a key market factor in the past year and any restrictions to the flow of grain out of Ukraine this year will have far reaching affects on commodity markets.

Moving to the pork market, despite exceptionally high feed costs, 2022 was among the top three year most profitable years for North American pork producers over the past decade. 

The Director of Risk Management with HAMS Marketing Services Tyler Fulton explains why and what is in the forecast for 2023.

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It's estimated soil salinity is affecting anywhere from five to 10 million acres on the Canadian Prairies. Establishing perennial forages is one of the top recommended methods to manage saline soils for the long term.

At a Forage Crop Walk in northeast Saskatchewan where producer Harvey Heavin shared his story of how he converted 90 acres of poorly producing saline land to a productive forage crop which is baled each year by another farmer. Agri-environmental specialist Charlotte Ward also shared some thoughts on the many forage blends that are available and choosing variety will depend a great deal on what the crop will be used for.

Many farmers have diversified their operations.

But one farm southwest of Saskatoon has several revenue streams including crops, livestock, part ownership in a Saskatoon restaurant and operating a summer day camp for elementary school students.

Arlie LaRoche is the owner-operator of Farm One Forty and she will share more about the farm and its various ventures.

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Plenty of changes in fertilizer pricing in the past six month----with some products remaining high and others declining in price. Josh Linville with Fertilizer StoneX in the United States.

This past summer there was a lot of concern about the potential for even higher fertilizer prices---considering the war between Russia and Ukraine. Linville talks about the lower prices for phosphate, potash and urea---but the same cannot be said for anhydrous or urea ammonium nitrate.

Canada's Food Price Report predicts the average family of four will be spending an additional $1,065 on food next year---which works out to a 5 to 7 percent increase.

The report is an annual collaboration between four Canadian Universities---including the University of Saskatchewan. USask Associate professor Stuart Smythe says on-farm and processing costs are rising---but other things are adding to the bill as well.

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