Prairie barley growers may have dealt with a variety of growing conditions but for the most part the 2020 harvest was a success simply because the dry, warm fall had farmers bringing in the crop in near-record time. With strong feed barley prices producers will have a lot to consider before Plant 2021 begins. Mitchell Japp is the research and extension manager with the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission. We'll talk about the condition of last year's crop and some of the strong performing barley varieties to think about before spring seeding.

Researchers with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine have found using body cameras, similar to those used by police, offers a viable option for swine barn workers to support remote animal welfare assessments.Dr. Yolande Seddon is an Assistant Professor of Swine Behaviour and Welfare with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. She says the technology might also be able to identify animal welfare factors that impact product quality.

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What should I make for dinner?  Canada Beef will say...beef.. of course. But what cut of beef should I chose? How do I prepare it? That's why Canada Beef is working towards getting QR codes on every package of beef.  One quick scan with your smart phone and all of those questions will be answered. Canada Beef President Michael Young says when every cut of beef has its own QR code the home cook will have the information they need to make a decision on the type of beef to buy, how to cook it, access to recipes and videos and even a grocery list, at their fingertips. Eventually the QR code will be part of the retail meat case, print or digital flyers. While beef will be the first to do this, Young believes other commodities like chicken and pork will soon follow.

Better brome....better beef. The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan will receive $332,000 from the Agriculture Development Fund to find ways to make genetic improvements in bromegrass, an essential forage crop for cattle.

GIFS Director of Genomics and Bioinformatics Dr. Andrew Sharpe will explain how the research being done will produce a catalogue of genetic variations for bromegrass.

 

He says it will have a direct impact on the ability of breeders to select the most nutritious varieties of bromegrass that produce the largest yield.

 

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It is the first of its kind in Canada. Lakeland College announced the new Bachelor of Agriculture Technology degree program starting in the fall of 2021 at the Vermilion, Alberta campus. Josie Van Lent, the dean of agriculture technology and applied research will tell us about the development of this new program, how students, wanting to stay and learn more at the college played a roll, and the consultations and feedback from the agriculture industry shaped the curriculum.

The commodity markets continue to shock and amaze farmers and grain traders. February arrived the same way January ended with prices technically and fundamentally trending higher. Exceed Grain Marketing senior analyst Wayne Palmer says the market’s wild ride of the past few weeks may be a recurring theme this year and are showing no sign of easing up heading into planting and the summer growing season.

Wayne will talk about the latest trends, how every USDA supply/demand report will be important in confirming the continuation of very tight supplies and aggressive demand. While prices are great for farmers who still have grain to sell, there is also a downside to this active market.

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Farmers and ranchers are wanted to participate in a mental health project. Saskatchewan Polytechnic wants to identify exactly what is needed for a mental health support system for the agriculture sector. Michelle Pavloff is the research chair for rural health and principal investigator with Sask Polytech. She will explain what they are looking for and how producers can participate.

Fertilizer Canada estimates 60 percent of forage crops are under fertilized. Imagine, each ton of dry matter harvested from a hayfield removes 35-50 pounds of nitrogen and about 10 pounds of phosphorous. Nutrient removal through grazing is substantially less, but there is still a net loss of nutrients from the grazing system. Replenishing these nutrients can help to improve forage productivity. But it can be a tricky process.

Dr. Jeff Schoenau is a professor and strategic research chair at the University of Saskatchewan’s Soil Science department. He will talk about some strategies to get the most out of those valuable forage stands.

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Infectious diseases threaten the health of people and animals and impact the global economy. The University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) works with international partners to study human and animal pathogens and develop solutions. VIDO-InterVac has developed a COVID-19 vaccine which it is preparing to test in humans.  Just before Christmas VIDO-InterVac received approval from Health Canada to begin a combined phase-1, phase-2 human clinical trial of its vaccine to protect against COVID-19.

Director and CEO Dr. Volker Gerdts says that vaccine was developed using a technology that is proved to be safe, reliable, and cost effective.

We have heard about the devastating impact of African Swine Fever (ASF) on the pig population. Canada is still ASF free, but the work continues to prevent the spread but there is also a lot of work going on behind the scenes developing a strategy to deal with it IF it comes to Canada. John Ross with the Canadian Pork Council will explain the complex process involved in developing a plan in order to protect the industry.

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Many of us will be missing the numerous farm shows and information meeting this winter and spring.  These events were canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. We always look forward to hearing from World Weather Meteorologist Drew Lerner who provides a glimpse into the weather for the upcoming growing season. Drew is here to share his thoughts on what is to come and look at some of the weather issues in other major growing regions and how that is affecting commodity markets.

 

Over the last four years more than 500 firefighters have been trained to respond to grain entrapments whether it be on-farm or at a commercial grain terminal. The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association has provided 16-hour training courses to over 30 fire departments in four provinces. It is a good start but more needs to be done. Rob Gobeil is the CASA's agricultural health and safety specialist. He will talk about the BeGrainSafe program.  We will also hear from a farmer who will share his own story of getting trapped in a grain bin of beans, the rescue, and his recovery.

 

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Several sectors deemed essential services are calling on governments to ensure

COVID-19 vaccines are provided to their workers. That includes meat processing plant employees. When the pandemic began disruptions in pork processing resulted in plant closures and impacted North American live hog prices. Sask Pork General Manager Mark Ferguson will discuss the impacts of the pandemic and praised the actions of western Canada's processors and farmers.

The federal government has released its Clean Fuel Standard that producers and distributors would have to follow under its climate plan. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the carbon in fuels people burn to run their cars or heat their homes. It is part of an overall federal strategy that the Liberal government says will allow Canada to meet or exceed its Paris climate agreement commitments.

It is expected it would increase the cost of a litre of gasoline by up to 11 cents over the next decade. Officials say the standard would reduce emissions by nearly 21 mega tonnes by 2030. What does this mean for farmers? Brian Innes with the Canola Council of Canada says there are benefits for canola producers because it would create a new, domestic market for their crop.

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CP Rail continues to outperform CN Rail on the percentage of hopper cars supplied to shippers. Those statistics come from the Ag Transport Coalition, which monitors rail performance on behalf of shippers and producer groups. CP supplied 79 per cent of cars ordered in shipping week 18 . . .compared to 68 per cent for CN. Those numbers show a small decline from the previous week.

Milt Poirier is with QGI Consulting, which produces the weekly report for the Ag Transport Coalition. He will tell us about the latest report on rail service and performance.

Saskatchewan's insect specialist calls 2020 a “relatively moderate” year for pests in the province’s agricultural crops. Flea beetle and cutworm in canola and other crops, grasshoppers, diamondback moth are just a few. James Tansey with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture will discuss the areas most impacted by insects and the pest that could be a real troublemaker in the 2021 growing season.

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Producers face a number of challenges from drought to disease pressure, unpredictable weather patterns, market volatility, fluctuations in input prices and labour shortages. These are just a few but they are the ones farmers have little to no control over and yet they have a huge impact on profitability and sustainability of farming operations. The Olds College Smart Farm in central Alberta is essentially a giant lab that provides the agriculture sector a venue for commercial scale applied research.

Director of Applied Research Joy Agnew will explain how the Smart Farm is examining the future of ag and technology and finding solutions to some of the problem’s farmers face every day.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on our lives. COVID-19 shut down large portions of the global economy this spring—and while there has been a moderate rebound—the overall numbers are negative. Craig Klemmer with Farm Credit Canada will talk about the repercussions of the pandemic on the Canadian economy, and the ag sector and provide us glimpse into 2021 when the recovery begins.

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Responsible Grain...it is a national code of practice being developed to show Canadian farmers care about the environment. It will address consumer and customer priorities and provide practical advice for farmers to continue to improve their practices. Committee chair Ted Menzies from Claresholm, Alberta says the draft code, developed by farmers and industry experts, has been completed and is now open for consultation.

Ted will share why it is important to have a code to share with our customers at home and abroad.

Agriculture is a key drive of Canadian economic growth. Achieving export goals will only happen through the development of a strong crops sector. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada along with Cereals Canada have established wheat research priorities from now to 2022.

Victoria Linden is the research director with Cereals Canada. She will share those priorities and why it's important to revisit these goals every few years.

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