Healthy soils retain carbon and are an unsung hero waiting in the wings to tackle climate change. That's the main message of a new 52 page report released by the Soil Conservation Council of Canada . . . and the Compost Council of Canada.

The report says if properly managed . . . Canada's 175 million acres of agricultural and urban soils can be developed to increase and retail more carbon . . . helping the country meet its greenhouse emission targets. The Executive Director of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada Jim Tokarchuk and Glenn Munroe, the reports co-author, will tell us about the report and how that information will be shared.

Escalating tensions in eastern Europe have the potential to destabilize food production globally. It's also causing havoc on many markets. Florian Possberg, a partner with Polar Pork Farms says one of the biggest concerns will be on how this will impact the availability of feed grain which has already been an issue since last year.

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The federal government tabled its new emissions reduction plan as required under the net-zero emissions law passed last year. It projects the oil and gas industry will need to cut greenhouse emissions by 42 per cent by the end of the decade from current levels.

Agriculture accounts for about 10 per cent of that total and the challenge will be to reduce that to net zero by the year 2050. Branden Leslie with the Grain Growers of Canada says his organization will be working with the federal government to meet those targets without impacting producer profitability and he will share the path forward focusing on innovation, research, and beneficial management practices.

This is the second year of a summer program to give veterinary students more experience working with pigs. It's supported by industry and is open to first- and second-year students in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. John Harding is a professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Services. He'll share more about the program and what they hope to accomplish

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The work stoppage at CP Rail lasted for two days . . . before the two sides agreed to let the dispute enter binding arbitration. There is plenty of relief that CP service resumed without having to go through the lengthy process of back-to-work legislation for the 3,000 engineers, conductors, train and yard workers.

Greg Northey is the Vice President of Corporate Affair with Pulse Canada. He will tell us how long it will take to clear up the backlog of products shipped by rail and there is also the potential for another rail dispute late in the 2022 calendar year.

COVID-19 and now inflation are changing the average Canadian's food purchasing habits. Francis Parisien is the vice-president of Nielson IQ . . . a leading retail and consumer intelligence firm, which breaks down enormous amounts of shopper data into trends.

While it is comparatively small right now . . . he says a growing trend is on-line grocery shopping.

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Even with the threat of interest rate increases it appears farmers are still hungry for land. Farm Credit Canada Chief economist J.P. Gervais shares the results of the 2021 Farmland values report.

He says the price for the country's farmland climbed despite impacts from pandemic supply chain disruptions and adverse weather that affected parts of the country.

India has lifted fumigation requirements for Canadian pulse imports. This comes as the two countries have agreed to resume free trade negotiations.

Pulse Canada chair Corey Loessin tells us why this news is important to pulse growers and how much of an impact the recent concerns of global food security had on moving this process forward.

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The United Nations is warning the war in Ukraine could send global food prices soaring. Murad Al-Katib is the CEO and President of AGT Food and Ingredients.

He says Ukraine and Russia are both major exporters of grain---especially to Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. Al-Katib explains how a shortage of food could increase domestic tensions in those countries in the coming months---creating additional global instability. He'll also share how AGT is involved in providing important food aid.  

Canadian barley is important for crop rotations, furthering sustainability and has a lower environmental impact compared to other crops. Barley is also the main feed stock for the livestock industry in Western Canada. The federal government recently announced it would provide the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre $960,000 to work towards expand existing markets and to develop new markets for Canadian barley and barley products.

Peter Watts with the centre will share some of his thoughts on the crop and current global barley situation.

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Another value-added food processing announcement for the prairies.

AGT Food and Ingredients will be adding an oat processing line to its facility in Aberdeen . . . about 40 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon. The Aberdeen plant has been handling pulse crops for about 15 years . . . and some construction will be needed for the oat expansion. Murad Al-Katib is the president and CEO of AGT Food and Ingredients and he will share the process to get to this point.

Pork producers should focus on risk management strategies amid the market volatility being created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Tyler Fulton, the Director of Risk Management with HAMS Marketing Services says the futures markets had rallied to some of the highest levels seen in years. The invasion is now throwing another level uncertainty is the sector.

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Measuring the environmental sustainability of farming. The National Index on Agri-Food Performance is focused on developing a set of indicators and metrics that measures these practices across the agriculture and agrifood sector will allow Canada to back up its sustainability claims.

Protein Industries Canada C.E.O. Bill Greuel says this will strengthen the country's reputation and global brand and increase trust in Canadian products.

Greuel will talk about this second phase of Canada’s National Index on Agri-Food Performance, alongside partners Pulse Canada and the Global Institute for Food Security.

Application forms are now being accepted for the 2022 Advance Payments Program cash advance.  It's a federal program that is delivered to producers by several organizations, including the Canadian Canola Growers Association.

CCGA Director of Finance and Operations Dave Gallant will talk about the program and how producers can participate.

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The US and Canada are scheduled to receive rare malting barley cargoes from Argentina and Australia as drought conditions in North America last summer have weighed on both countries' production of crop. Will this result in more barley being grown on the prairies?

Zenneth Faye, the new chair of the Barley Council of Canada will talk about production prospects and what he is planning for his own farm this year.

New research suggests rye can be used as a replacement in swine rations for corn, wheat or barley. A high yielding hybrid of rye developed in Germany is less susceptible to ergot . . . a mycotoxin that reduces the animals intake and in some cases . . . can even be fatal. 

University of Saskatchewan assistant professor Dr. Denise Beaulieu says as long as the energy content of the rations remains high up to 40 percent rye is similar to the typical corn or wheat/barley based diets. She will share this newest research into an alternative feed stock

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Eight farm groups in Canada have called on governments to end the border blockades and restore the flow of goods and animals across the U.S. border. The groups include the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, Canadian Pork Council, and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA). CFA second Vice President Todd Lewis will tell us how these prolonged disruptions are affecting shipments of food, livestock and inputs for farmers and food processing.

The Saskatchewan Pork Development Board says the cross-border vaccine mandate is making accessing feed imports from the United States difficult at a time when supplies in western Canada are tight due to last year's drought. Toby Tschetter is the new chair of the pork board. He'll talk about feed costs and availability as well as a host of other issues the board is dealing with now.

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Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are being felt around the world. The agriculture sector is no exception as the uncertainty is having an impact on grain markets. How can farmers plan with another level of uncertainty?

Errol Anderson is the president of ProMarket Communications in Calgary. He is going to share his thoughts on the conflict as well as thoughts on the oilseed, pulse, and cattle markets.

A new plains bison herd has been established on the Key First Nation, near Norquay, Saskatchewan. The goal is to renew cultural, historical and ecological connections.

Michael Burak is the Nature Conservancy of Canada's Program Director for southwestern Saskatchewan. He will share the journey for the bison from Grasslands National Park and its significance for the Indigenous community.

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