Agripod

There was an increase in calls to the Farm Stress Line last year. The pandemic was partly responsible for that..... but depression, isolation addictions and family disputes can happen throughout the year. Jan Thorson is the Acting Executive director of Saskatchewan Mobile Crisis Services which oversees the Farm Stress Line. The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.Thorson says many farmers are reluctant to call for help but she urges them to just give it a try.

In order to deal with concerns about food insecurity or simply finding a way to spend time during the pandemic many people found gardening gave them comfort. Vanessa Young is the with the Horticulture and Agriculture Lifelong Learning Programs with the University of Saskatchewan. She says we have a very old-fashioned view about gardening and a no till approach may be a good option for you especially if you're tired of pulling weeds.

Vanessa will explain how mulch plays an important role in a no till garden, its a lot of work the first year but is worth it.

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It wasn’t just farmers growing vegetables this year in Canada. According to a study from Dalhousie University, the pandemic inspired a lot of people to grow their own garden.

Vanessa Young with the Horticulture and Agriculture Lifelong Learning Programs
with the University of Saskatchewan says there was an increased interest in gardening.Part of it, she believes, is to provide food for the family, but it is also a stress reliever. She'll also talk about the different ways you can grow a garden on the prairies.

It is always great to connect with producers who are willing to share stories about their own farming operation. Lonny and Connie Bulmer run Bison River Ranch in northeast Saskatchewan. In addition to raising bison, the couple recently added a rental cabin to their property. I talk to Lonny about their farm and how the addition of the cabin has been a pleasant surprise and welcomed addition to their operation.

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An ancient practice involving the use of cover crops is being brought up with farmers across Canada. Callum Morrison is a second year PhD student at the University of Manitoba's Department of Plant Science says its a practice that has been used for thousands of years as a way to naturally keep the soil healthy.

Part of Morrison's research is looking for farmers' input and he says its just as  important to hear why farmers aren't growing cover crops, what challenges are limiting their use

Research being conducted at the University of Saskatchewan will benefit livestock producers whose crops have been contaminated by ergot. It infects primarily wheat and rye and grasses and If livestock consume very small amounts of ergot, there is reduction of feed intake, decreased growth and can cause gangrene and in very high amounts. Animals can lose tails and lose their ears and hooves often you'll see in lactating sows, milk output to be decreased.

Dr. Denise Beaulieu is part of a group evaluating the effect of various forms of feed processing using heat and moisture, such as pelleting, extrusion and steam explosion in reducing the toxic effects of ergot contamination.

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The House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women has been focusing on some of the specific issues rural women face on a day-to-day basis. Rural connectivity was discussed at a recent committee meeting.

Saskatchewan farmer and rancher Adrienne Ivey had a chance to share her challenges with internet and cell phone service and how it impacts the family and farming operation.

Farmer Jake Leguee has been writing a blog for a few years now. It was a way for him to share his thoughts on important topics like GMO's and the use of crop protection products. In his most recent post, he talked about his concern surrounding communication.  He called it Have We Forgotten How to Talk to Each Other.

I talk to Jake about his blog and why he is concerned about how we are losing the ability to have conversations especially when we do not agree.

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Seeding wheat early can provide several benefits without many risks. That has been the focus of Brian Beres, an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist based at Lethbridge, Alta. He has been evaluating ''ultra-early'' seeding for wheat.

Rather than using the calendar seeding started when the soil temperature was plus 2 by 10am. There were several test sites and co-operator trials in various parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Brian will share some of the outcomes of five years of research.

Manitoba ranch is using several production practices to lengthen the grazing season and reduce the number of days on winter feed. Nerbas Brothers Angus is located near Shellmouth, Manitoba north of Russell and near the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border. Arron Nerbas will discuss the holistic approach they have taken with an emphasis on pasture rejuvenation where they use a ''hooves not harrows'' approach to improving old pastures.

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Beekeepers have been challenged with consecutive years of very low honey prices. The weak prices have been a challenge for prairie beekeepers because the cost of production (buying queens, miticides, labour, equipment) has continued to increase.

Sheldon Hill with Sweet Pure Honey is all too familiar with the struggles. In fact, his struggles began to have a significant affect on his mental health. Sheldon will share his story and talk about what we can be doing to support beekeepers and those little bees.

A Canada-wide organization that teaches kids about food systems is celebrating an important milestone. Canadian agriculture literacy month is celebrating its tenth anniversary. The federal government announced $1.6 million for Agriculture in the Classroom Canada, an organization that works with schools across the country to implement food and agriculture into curricula. Sara Shymko with Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan will talk about the important work of educating our young people, many of whom do not have any connection to the farm.

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Agriculture is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. Canadian Western Agribition wanted to shine a spotlight on some of the movers and shakers in the sector. CWA initiated the Top 50 in agriculture program to recognize the best, brightest and boldest people ag leaders.

CWA and Farm Credit Canada (FCC) started the search last year by asking for nominations from across the country. A panel of judges then picked the top 10 finalists in the categories of mentors, upstarts, innovators, deal makers and designated hitters.

Kim Keller from Saskatchewan made the list in the Upstarts category. I talk to Kim about her work in the areas of technology and mental health.

Statistics Canada used the recent Canada's Agriculture Day to talk about some of the accomplishments and contributions of farmers and workers in the food industry, especially during the challenges of the pandemic. The gathering of agricultural information has a long history in Canada. The data collected is used to generate numerous statistics about agricultural commodities, food, land use, farm finances and much more.

Sébastien Larochelle-Côté is the assistant director with the agriculture division of Statistics Canada. He will tell us about why the information gathered is so important, How the stats are compiled and who uses it.

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Ranchers care about the animals they raise. That is why when it's -50 with the windchill - they are on high alert watching out for those newborn calves. Sometimes it means going to any lengths to get them warmed up quickly so they can be returned to their mothers. One rancher in southern Saskatchewan had several calves born on a very cold day. Those three newborn calves spent some time on a bathroom floor in the home of Chris Lees at Arcola, Saskatchewan. Chris will tell us about the busy start to calving season on his farm.

Nearly all forestry biomass pellets are shipped to the European Union, which wants environmentally friendly energy solutions that reduce the need to import oil and natural gas. Work at the University of Saskatchewan is exploring turning canola and oat hulls --along with canola meal into a better biomass pellet. The main work is being done by PhD candidate Tumpa Sarkar, under the supervision of Dr. Ajay Dalai. The hope is to have a final version of the biomass pellet in one to two years. Dr. Dalai is a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Saskatchewan and holds the Canada Research Chair in bio energy. He will share the research and the ultimate goal of developing a technology that would eventually be adopted by the private sector.

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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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