A new research report was released discussing the needs of Indigenous agricultural producers. Farm Management Canada executive director Heather Watson said Indigenous business owners from across the country talked about what would be helpful to them. 

In the last episode of Agripod, Heather discussed the five recommendations that came from the survey. She will discuss how these recommendations can be implemented to grow the number of Indigenous people participating in agriculture.

The wild boar population continues to grow and is causing concern because of the damage they cause to private property and native plants due to their feeding habits and reproductive capability.

Feral pigs can carry parasites, viruses or diseases that can be transmitted to domestic livestock, wildlife, and even humans. They are known to carry African Swine Fever, a serious disease which if introduced to domestic swine herds causes would cause financial and economic losses for Canadian hog producers.

Mark Ferguson with the Saskatchewan Pork Development Commission will talk about the efforts to control wild pigs and how the public can help.

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Farm Management Canada has released a research report investigating the business management needs of Indigenous agricultural producers. "The Path Forward” was made possible through the participation of Indigenous agricultural business owners from across the who participated in surveys, focus groups, and interviews.

FMC executive director Heather Watson said they were able to create a picture of the current state of their farm businesses and what they need. Heather will share what they learned and how the information will be used to benefit Indigenous agriculture.

Architectural planning has started on an insect research facility at the University of Saskatchewan. Just over one million dollars is being spent on the project located on the sixth floor of the Agriculture Building on campus.The facility will work with both plant pest and beneficial insects . . . . some of which are not native to Western Canada.

USask's first entomologist Sean Prager will talk about the work involved in getting this new facility operational.

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Farmers across Western Canada have received or are awaiting the results of their soil tests in order to make important decisions about fertilizer applications for the year ahead. Canola Council of Canada agronomy specialist Warren Ward says without soil testing, producers are guessing how much nutrients are in the soil and how much fertilizer is needed to hit target yields. He explains how soil sampling is the starting point of a good nutrient management plan.

The driving force of the agriculture industry is the resilient, hardworking, and dedicated individuals along the value chain who produce high-quality, safe food that feeds the world. As we become more urbanized it is increasingly important for farmers to connect with consumers and teach the public about modern agriculture.

Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan Executive Director Clinton Monchuk will talk about how agriculture month offers an opportunity to engage and build trust. Clinton is also a farmer, and he will share with us what this growing season has been like on his family farm near Lanigan, Sask.

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A new report is warning of the potential loss in farm incomes in the billions of dollars if proposed fertilizer reductions come to pass. Meyers Norris Penny compiled the report which stated cutting fertilizer use to reduce on-farm emissions could cost growers nearly $48 billion over the next eight years.

Karen Proud with Fertilizer Canada said under Canada’s A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, the Government of Canada is envisioning a 30 per cent absolute emissions reduction target for on-farm fertilizer use by the year 2030. Proud will explain how MNP used the European Union (EU) proposal of a 20 per cent reduction of fertilizer and what the implications would be if Canada adopted the EU model.

There has been a significant reduction in oat production because of the hot, dry conditions on the prairies. As a result, we are seeing record prices for oats. It's good news for the farmers who might have oats to sell, but what are the other implications as buyers look to other countries for product?

Scott Sheils with Grain Millers will discuss current prices and where they're likely to head into 2022

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Crop yields have been seriously impacted by this year's hot weather and lack of rainfall. As a result, many farmers will not be able to meet their contractual obligations to grain companies simply because they don't have the product to sell.

Saskatchewan's NDP opposition sent a letter to the government asking them to take immediate action to protect producers who are unable to fulfill the terms of their forward contracts and are now facing severe penalties. NDP agriculture opposition critic Trent Wotherspoon will outline what they want the government to do to help farmers.

A new diagnostic extension service is now being offered to farmers and veterinarians to help translate diagnostic results into treatment. Prairie Diagnostic Services (PDS) works collaboratively with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. PDS is a full-service animal health lab that provides diagnostic services for all animal species and primarily serves clinical veterinarians but also animal owners and researchers.

Dr. Yanyun Huang, an Anatomic Pathologist and CEO with PDS says its new service provides analysis of the results and provides guidance for formulating treatment

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Ross McKenzie is a retired soil and crop research scientist with Alberta Agriculture. Ross shared a Tweet where he explained soil sampling to check for nutrient carryover would be important this year in order to prepare for the 2022 crop. On the last episode Ross shared why it’s important to sample at the right time. He's back to give some guidelines for sampling and gives a list of labs that can provide analysis.

The drought has meant many ranchers will not have enough feed and water to get them through the winter. Several provinces have set out a plan to provide assistance to producers to help cover the costs of those necessities. Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association chair Arnold Balicki says the payment will help.  What else has helped as been some rain that has made some improvements to pastures.

Arnold says those two little things have helped to improve the mood of cattle producers.

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The dry conditions prompted a retired soil scientist to send out a tweet telling farmers they need to soil sample this fall to understand what the nutrient carryover will be next spring. Smaller yields likely mean the fertilizer applied in the spring was not used up and could be available for next years crop. Ross McKenzie will explain how the soil test could possibly save farmers money at seeding time.


A deferred delivery contract locks in the price for a certain quantity of a base grade of grain to be delivered to a certain location at some date in the future. The drought reduced crop means that some producers will not have enough grain to cover even modest contracts. SaskCanola Chair Bernie McClean says commodity groups are reaching out to grain companies asking them to work with producers to reduce contract penalties and administration fees for this year in light of the growing conditions. Bernie will explain what they hope to accomplish during the discussions.

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Herbicide resistance is the ability of an individual plant to survive a herbicide application that would kill a normal population of the same species. Resistant weeds can often survive application of herbicide at rates that are much greater than the recommended rate. Farmer Josh Lade said there is new technology available to deal with this problem.

He'll explain the Seed Terminator, how its being used on his farm, and share the results of some trials.

Ag Transport Coalition (ATC) is a consortium of agriculture groups focused on measuring the service performance of Canada’s rail carriers. QGI Consulting is tasked with compiling this information for the partner groups. Milt Poirier with QGI will share the final results of the 2020-21 crop year and provide some insights for the new crop year. He says less grain to move this year doesn't necessarily mean it will get to port any quicker.

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Herbicide resistance is a growing concern and one of those biggest worries is with wild oats. In fact, the Herbicide Resistant Wild Oat action committee found roughly 69% of wild oat across the prairies display herbicide resistance. Farmer Josh Lade saw the devastating effects of herbicide resistance in his home country of Australia and now farming in west central Saskatchewan he has been dealing with herbicide resistant weeds.

He'll share his strategies for management including patch targeted spraying, herbicide layering and on farm trials.-

The prairies and parts of Ontario are dealing with extremely dry conditions. There has been a great deal of focus on grains, oilseeds, and the livestock sector. Wayne Dobbie with Nutrien will discuss forage seed stands and provides a strategy for preparing the crop for 2022.

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Do More Ag Foundation says more and more farmers are reaching out and asking for help because of the devastating effects of drought. The dry and hot conditions have impacted both the cattle and grain side. Executive Director Adele Stewart says farmers need to be supported and encouraged to take care of their mental well being now and, in the days, to come.

I talked to Adelle last fall about the work of the organization and the importance of producers needing to know they are not alone, and they have an entire industry behind them.

Dominican Republic is experiencing an outbreak of African Swine Fever. Dr. Paul Sundberg is the Executive Director of the Swine Health Information Center. Sundberg says he is confident the first outbreak of African Swine Fever identified in the Western Hemisphere in more than 40 years will not alter the level of risk for North America.

Sundberg explains the outbreak was identified through a cooperative surveillance program where banked tissue samples from sick, dying, and dead pigs as well as feral pigs collected in the Dominican Republic are sent to the USDA's Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab.

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