Agripod

Saskatchewan produces 30 per cent of Canada’s beef cattle, but there are no federally inspected packing facilities in the province. The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) believes the province and its producers are selling all that potential value out-of-province and at a discount.

SSGA released a study into the feasibility of building and operating a packing plant in Saskatchewan. The study called Opportunities & Challenges for Growing Saskatchewan’s Beef Processing Sector indicates there is a way to create more packing capacity.

Stock Growers president Garner Deobald will share the details of the report and explain the next steps to establishing a beef packing in Saskatchewan.

Despite the suspension of use of a new African Swine Fever vaccine in Vietnam, progress is still being made to find a vaccine for ASF. Swine Health Information Center Executive Director Dr. Paul Sundberg says the vaccine was a gene deleted African Swine Fever Vaccine developed by USDA's Ag Research Service.

The license for further testing by a company in Vietnam was suspended after pigs that had been vaccinated died. Sundberg says initial reports indicated the vaccine's efficacy was very high and safety studies were also very promising.

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Bank of Canada increased its policy interest rate by 75 basis points to 3 and a quarter per cent. J.P. Gervais, Chief Economist with Farm Credit Canada says expect more interest rate increases before the end of the year as the Bank of Canada tries to tame inflation.

He says with even with higher interest rates and inflation for farm inputs, most farmers should still be in the black.

A veterinary clinic in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan hopes the extension of a loan forgiveness program will help attract newly graduated veterinarians to their practice. The Saskatchewan government announced the veterinary clinics in larger centres will be able to participate in a program introduced last year for smaller communities.

The province will forgive 4-thousand dollars of student loans per year for a maximum of five years for veterinarians and veterinary technologists. To qualify, the vets need to provide a minimum of 400 hours of service to large animal producers over a twelve-month period.

Prince Albert veterinarian Dr. Tom Avey will explain how this will help practices like his.

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Everyone involved in agriculture needs to better communicate the story of farming. Cam Dahl is the General Manager of Manitoba Pork. He says the sector needs to work together to dispel the myths surrounding modern agriculture.

An article circulated through community newspapers examines the connection between farmers and the "Prove It" generation and the need to better communicate the role of new technology in meeting the need for food. Dahl says while people trust farmers, they don't necessarily understand or trust what they do.

The Western Canadian Wheat Growers have started an online petition about the federal government's plan to reduce fertilizer emissions 30 percent by the end of the decade. Director Jim Wickett says the groups has taken a firm stand in opposition to the proposal, saying it attempts to reduce greenhouse gases, but the actual reduction would be small, and the impact on the food in Canada, and globally, would be significant.

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Two companies conducted an extensive crop tour of Western Canada during the first week of August. Argus Media and Leftfield Commodity Research combined resources to stop at more than forty farms in the three-prairie province. At more than half of the sites, they were able to speak to local producers.

The companies produced average yield and production estimates for canola and wheat in Western Canada. Jonathon Driedger, the vice president of LeftField Commodity Research will share what they saw on the tour.

Crop protection products, specifically pre-harvest glyphosate, are heavily scrutinized domestically and internationally. In recent years, there has been increased attention towards maximum residue limits (MRLs).

Pulse Canada has developed a program to provide free, confidential glyphosate residue testing for farmers and agronomists to ensure the proper application timing of pre-harvest glyphosate for pulse crops. Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Agronomy Manager Sarah Anderson says this be another tool for farmers.

She will also share more on the Harvest Sample Program.

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If the price of feed grain remains at its current high level, consumers can expect continued higher meat prices. A combination of factors including shortages of locally produced feed grains due to last year's drought, transportation challenges due to COVID-19 and generally higher global grain prices due to the war in Ukraine has pushed grain prices to record levels.

Florian Possberg, a partner with Polar Pork Farms, says, if grain prices are going to be at a higher-level longer term, and grain is in short supply, the price is going be higher for meat prices.

Saskatchewan Pulse Growers has entered into a plant breeding agreement with Limagrain Field Seeds. This will likely be the first in a series of deals SPG makes with private companies following the end of a long-term agreement with the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre.

Carl Potts the executive director of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Potts says the new environment will encourage multiple pulse crop breeding programs . . . and a transition from a royalty-free system, to growers paying for access to new varieties like they do for other crops. He will outline the deal with Limagrain.

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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.

Recently there was a Forage Crop Walk near Melfort, Sask. where local farmer 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. And agri-environmental specialist Charlotte Ward spoke to the group and said there are several forage blends available, however, the producer needs to know what he wants to do with that forage crop.

The Canola Council of Canada has unveiled a new program offering financial support to help growers initiate or advance 4-R Nutrient Stewardship on canola acres.

The program, called Canola 4-R Advantage, will reimburse growers for up to 85 per cent of eligible costs, up to $12,000 per farm, per year.

Curtis Rempel is the Council's Vice President of Crop Production and Innovation. He will share the details about this program.

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The Canadian Cattle Association has hired a new general manager and he comes from our province.

Ryder Lee will become the CCA general manager on September 1st.

For the past seven years, he has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association.

Ryder worked for the CCA in several capacities between 2005 and 2015.

He will reflect on his experience with the Saskatchewan group and what he sees as some of the big issues the cattle industry is facing right now.

A new reality Canadian TV show is being developed called Farming for Love.

The goal is to bring two people together to share a life on a farm in British Columbia.

Executive producer Grant Greschuk will explain the concept and plans for the future expansion of the show to other locations in Canada.

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Baiting and trapping entire groups appears to be one of the more effective means of eliminating wild pigs.

The Squeal on Pigs campaign in Manitoba, launched earlier this year, is designed to inform the public about the dangers posed by wild pigs and to provide a mechanism to report sightings.

Dr. Wayne Lees the Coordinator of the Manitoba Invasive Swine Eradication Project will share the latest research and explain how those sightings can be reported.

A new report says grain farmers need better grain contracts.

Last year's drought drastically reduced yields and, in turn, forced many producers to buy out their contracts, costing some hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan and crop development groups hired Mercantile Consulting Ventures to study the matter.

APAS president Ian Boxall says the study found only 46 per cent of farmers feel they are treated fairly by contracts.

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A group that represents Canadian ranchers has changed its name to be more gender inclusive.

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association, which represents more than 60,000 ranchers and feedlot operators nationwide, will now be known as the Canadian Cattle Association.

He'll talk about the name change, the recent reversal of a Health Canada decision to back away from a saturated fat warning label on ground beef and pork, and one groups’ request for a complete price review of beef.

Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute located in Portage la Prairie, will be closing its doors at the end of July.

The consulting firm specializes in agriculture, mining, and transportation, with several unique pieces of test equipment.

President and CEO Leah Olson outlines what brought about the closure.

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The grain markets have been taking a beating.

Are there signs prices have started to bottom out?

Without a swift recovery of bullish sentiment, growers who held off selling the best new crop prices in a decade may be headed for a familiar marketing strategy this fall; holding and hoping.

Errol Anderson, the president of Pro Market Communications in Calgary says it isn't just the ag sector feeling the effects as the world slows down and enters a recession.

An International Bison Convention is being hosted in Saskatchewan, the first time in Canada since 2012   when the conference was held in Quebec City.

Convention chair and bison producer Les Kreuger said it was a very challenging year for many bison producers due to the extensive drought.

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