A southwestern Manitoba farmer is calling on government and industry to explore the feasibility of establishing a processing facility that would extract medical compounds from the byproducts of hog processing.

Heparin is a blood thinner that prevents the formation of blood clots.
Jim Downey says he became interested in the medical side of production about three years ago when he was contacted by a Chinese company looking to find out what was being done with the mucosa from the guts of the hogs being slaughtered in Manitoba.

The July heat did a number on 2024 crop yields in Saskatchewan, but it did prevent major disease outbreaks.

Sandy Junek, the Molecular Lab Manager with Discovery Seed Labs in Saskatoon says seed germination levels range from good to very good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers get a lot of direction from agronomists, accountants, bankers and lawyers. All have a direct impact on their business. But one area they often neglect is their closest personal relationships.Our guest, Sean Brotherson, a professor and extension family science specialist from North Dakota State University says a farmer’s highest priority should be their spouse or partner.

Today we talk about how healthy relationships can improve the farm business.

And, the cattle industry has been hit particularly hard during the pandemic. Low prices and reduced processing capacity have devastated the industry.

We have Saskatchewan rancher Adrienne Ivey here to talk about how livestock producers are coping, why two large players in the meat packing industry in Western Canada hold the monopoly on processing and why its so difficult for small meat processing facilities to make a go of it.

Adrienne discusses why she chooses to share her personal story on social media, the positives and the disappointments, and how she is committed to working not only with farmers and consumers but with the entire value chain.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Federal Government needs to make changes to policies on illegal immigration and the illicit sale of drugs to avoid imposition of a 25 per cent US tariff on Canadian and Mexican pork imports.

That comes from Florian Possberg, a partner in Polar Pork. He says 2025 looks positive for pork producers but a tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports could change all of that.

A farmer and agricultural input dealer from West Central Saskatchewan has written a book for the average grocery shopper. Denis Bulani, the CEO of the Rack, is the author of What a Farmer Wants You to Know About Food.

He was inspired to write the book after attending a major entrepreneurs conference in Arizona, where one of the speakers made several remarks denigrating food production.
Belani wrote the easy-to-understand book using facts backed up by 199 footnotes.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Researchers with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are using radio-frequency identification technology to track the feeding behavior of pigs to provide an early warning of disease.

Dr. Raj Sharma says the development of autonomous technologies are designed to capture data 24-7 to monitor and track individual pig feeding behavior to provide early disease detection.

He says it provides real-time insights on what an individual pig eats and drinks and will help them identify sick animals more quickly.

It's been said a lot that cattle prices in 2024 have been strong all year, but will they continue in 2025 and moisture improved for pastureland especially in areas where there’s been multiple years of drought.

CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association Grant McLellan will discuss these and other important issues for producers in 2025.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weather and international trade top the list of concerns for grain, oilseed and pulse crop producers heading into 2025. Unfortunately, both issues are out of farmer control making it difficult to develop a risk management plan.

Likely the biggest unknown is the United States and incoming President Donald Trump, who is already promising to impose 25 per cent import tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports unless the two countries tighten border security for drugs and illegal immigrants.
A steep tariff would be especially harmful for canola oil, durum, oats, and mustard, which heavily rely on the US market.

Chuck Penner with LeftField Commodity Research will talk about some of these issues including production of crops in other countries.

Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan reports, over the past year, it has seen an increase in its membership and a significant increase in the level of support provided by those members.

FFC was formed in 2014 to bring the agriculture industry together in an effort to engage with consumers in Saskatchewan and across the country and ensure those with an interest in how their food is being produced have a truthful verifiable way to get that information.

Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan Executive Director Clinton Monchuk says members have recognized the importance of sharing the story of how food is being produced and have doubled their level of support.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was during very dry conditions that a retired soil scientist sent a message out on social media telling farmers they need to soil sample to understand what the nutrient carryover will be for the next crop. Smaller yields likely mean the fertilizer applied in the spring was not used up and could be available for the next crop.

Ross McKenzie explains how the soil test could save farmers money at seeding.

In part two of Agripod...Ross will explain why it’s important to sample at the right time, give some guidelines for sampling and gives a list of labs that can provide that analysis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan has a new president.
Bill Prybyski was elected to the position during the group's annual general meeting.
Prybylski says there are many files the organization is working on but he has one of particular interest to him.

Dr. Louis-Pierre Comeau of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has been working with Dr. Franck Stefani to lead the Canadian Soil Biome Survey.
More information was released on Dec 5th which is World Soil Day.
Dr. Comeau will share some thoughts on data that has been gathered so far

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're going to be talking a lot in the next few weeks about 'year-in-review stories'.
Two specialists have examined the ten most important variables impacting Canadian Agriculture for 2025. It was compiled by two senior analysts from GrainFox---Neil Townsend and Ranulf Glanville.

They will share their thoughts on 2024 and the year to come.

Canadian Western Agribition wrapped up with organizers expecting attendance to be near the record set one year ago. Agribition President Michael Latimer will talk about some of the highlights of the event and particularly the purebred and commercial cattle shows and sales.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A professor with Dalhousie University says Canada will need to work with the United States under the new Donald Trump administration to ensure benefits to Canadian agriculture. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois says Canada followed the United States in terms of food inflation, but Canada is now higher, the result of Canada's own food policies.

Farmers are investing in the next generation of young people by participating in the Acres for Education program. A voluntary donation of 10 cents an acre goes to help Ag in the Classroom and its many programs both inside and outside school. Some farmers also participate by allowing students to come to their farms on tours and learn more about what modern agriculture is all about.

McArthur Ag Ventures in the Watrous, Sask. area have participated in both programs

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Manitoba Pork is calling for the creation of strategic plan for dealing with trade.
General manager Cam Dahl says in the wake of the recent U.S. election, the federal government needs to develop a national strategy for agriculture and food trade particularly as Canada heads into the 2026 review of the Canada U.S. Mexico Agreement.

Protein Industries Canada is looking for companies that can blend pulses AND cereals to create new food products and ingredients. PIC Senior Director of Programs Lisa Campbell says the purpose of calling for Expression of Interests (EOI) is to meet the consumer demand for more innovative ways to incorporate protein and fibre into their diets.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.