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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Farmers and ranchers were interviewed over the past year for a mental health project organized by Saskatchewan Polytechnic and its research chair for rural health. Patient-advisors, with a background in agriculture, conducted those interviews.

Shari Laventure is a grain marketing specialist with Cargill and was one of those advisors. Laventure volunteered for the project as a way to help cope with the loss of her brother to suicide in 2015. She says no one knew he was struggling until it was too late.

There are lots of difficulties associated with being a rancher in a drought year. But many producers do not know about how high nitrate levels in feed can affect the cow’s ability to absorb vitamin A ...and its implications to calves. Dr. John Campbell with the University of Saskatchewan is a professor of large animal clinical sciences. He shared some of those concerns at the recent Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference.

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The federal government revealed plans to rebate carbon taxes paid by farmers in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta in the Dec. 14 fiscal update. It was promised, in the lead-up to the federal budget in spring 2021, that it would refund an estimated $100 million to farmers in provinces without federally-approved carbon pricing systems in 2021. Many farmers argue the rebate has fallen short of what producers spend and farmers need more details on how the payment rates were set.

Retired agronomist Thom Weir says there are problems with the way the tax is applied to farmers.

The faba bean plant is high in protein, well-suited to growing in colder climates and capable of virtually eliminating the need for fertilizer. But like many other crops - fabas suffered with the drought conditions which impacted crop production in 2021. We're going to take a closer look at faba beans.

Chuck Penner with Leftfield Commodity Research will talk about last year's faba crop and give some projection for 2022.

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A popular agricultural trade show in Saskatchewan returned after a pandemic break and farmers as well as the agriculture industry welcomed the opportunity to meet face to face again. Scott Lessmeister is the western regional sales manager for Brandt Agricultural products.

He'll share what he heard from farmers who are preparing for spring seeding.


Farm Credit Canada economists have created a top five list of trends to watch for in 2022.

JP Gervais said the possibility of increased interest rates will be a major concern for producers.

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The 2021 growing season was one of challenges and successes at the Discovery Farm which is adjacent to the Ag in Motion site near Langham, Saskatchewan.

The Discovery Farm has released its 2021 Field Report which covers over 20 research and demonstration projects. Many of those projects are conducted in conjunction with industry partners. Blake Weiseth is the applied research lead at the Discovery Farm. He is also the agricultural research chair at Sask Polytechnic in Saskatoon.

He talks about the past year and the impact the drought had on their work.

Canary seed is well known as a bird seed, but it will soon be marketed as a health food product for consumers as well. In addition, the human food product will have a different name.

Adelle Buettner is the general manager of the Canary Seed Development Commission of Saskatchewan. She will share the change in marketing and the processing that's happening in the province.

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