As we head into harvest season, the Do More Ag Foundation, which champions the mental well-being of people in Canadian agriculture, is reminding farmers to make sure they keep their mental health top of mind when bringing in the crop.

Amid ongoing discussions on bringing down provincial trade barriers, some direct-to-market cattle producers are calling for changes to slaughter regulations.

Barry Doerksen, co-owner of Gemstone Grass-Fed Beef in Gem, Alberta, says they can only sell within the province unless they switch from provincially to federally inspected facilities.

Alberta is marking a milestone that few jurisdictions on the planet can claim: 75 consecutive years without a breeding population of rats. 

Alberta's Rat Control Program launched in 1950 after the province first declared the Norway rat a pest when the rodents crossed the Saskatchewan border. The program was a way to keep the rats from spreading disease and damaging infrastructure and agriculture. Armed with new legislation, a dedicated "Rat Control Zone" stretching 600 kilometres along Alberta's eastern edge, and a network of municipal pest inspectors, the province halted the rats' advance within three years. 

"It's something that's been decades of work," says Alberta Ag Minister RJ Sigurdson. "It's not a task we take lightly."

The Alberta government is calling for the reversal of a federal ban on strychnine as the Richardson's ground squirrel population booms. 

In an open letter posted on X, RJ Sigurdson, Alberta's Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, says farmers and ranchers are in crisis as the rodent, also called gophers, tears up crops, jeopardizes animal health, and destroys native grasslands.

This week on the podcast, Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, RJ Sigurdson, joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on some of the province’s most pressing ag issues.

From celebrating 75 years of being rat-free to the ongoing fight against Richardson Ground Squirrels and the call to bring back strychnine, Sigurdson shares his thoughts on pest management. He chats about pressing the federal government to make agriculture more of a priority. We also examine several counties and municipal districts that have declared agricultural disasters, with the Minister outlining the tools available to help them navigate these issues.

In this week's chat, Tim and Craig delve into Canada's Food System a new national, sector wide initiative led by Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI), which aims at elevating the conversation about what goes into producing food in our country. Executive Director Lisa Bishop-Spencer provides insight into the initiative.

We journey out to Brooks, Alberta to see the evolution of the Crop Diversification Centre - South, which is now being headed up by the County of Newell. The County sees the facility formerly run by the Government of Alberta has an economic opportunity. The county's Director of Agricultural Services Todd Green shares his excitement about the project.

Finally we head to Lexington, Kentucky where we talk about Ag extension with Alltech's Dr. Anne Koontz, who takes the company's fascinating research turns it into easily consumed information for the company's marketing and communication teams.

Canada's Food System believes it's time to rethink what it really takes to get food on our plates, and recognize the people and the work that goes into every bite. 

That's the goal of a new national campaign, positioning our food system as a critical part of our country's identity, economy, and future.

How much water do you think it takes to produce a Stampede breakfast, consisting of 5 pancakes, a sausage and a cup of coffee - from farm to fork?

According to a new study from the Simpson Centre for Food and Agriculture Policy  at the University of Calgary.. it's a whopping 652 litres of water. 

Research Associate Juhi Huda says it varies depending on where it is produced and what is included in the meal.

Summer storms are taking their toll on Prairie crops.

According to the Canadian Crop Hail Association, farmers across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have filed well over 1,600 crop damage claims since the start of summer.

But is it a particularly unusual hail season so far?

RRC's Tim Parent talks to Meteorologist David Spence about the storms we have seen.

In our latest podcast, we discuss our recent ag learning journey in the Yukon, where Nuffield Canada marked its 75th Anniversary in Canada's North. We chat with Leona Watson, a Nuffield Scholar and one of a small but determined group of farmers looking to redefine what farming looks like in the Yukon's stunning, rugged landscape. We also hear from Hanna Fish, Executive Director of the Yukon Agricultural Association, about both the opportunities and challenges of farming north of the 60th parallel.

RRC specializes in sharing local stories from the agricultural community.