Ag News

Last month, Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan (AITC-SK) unveiled a brand-new ‘Grains of Saskatchewan’ interactive display. A new interactive display that will allow a more hands-on learning experience surrounding agriculture and crops grown in Saskatchewan. Sara Shymko, executive director with Agriculture in the Classroom, explains how hands-on learning can benefit when teaching about agriculture.  

Canola growers are encouraged to check their bins for heated seed during this cold weather.

Breanna Miller Friesen is an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada. She says it is during cold spells, like what the Prairies have been experiencing when issues of bin heating start to pop up.

National Farmers Union (NFU) president Jenn Pfenning says Canadian farmers need greater support for domestic food production as uncertainty over tariffs continues to disrupt trade. 

"We in Canada have focused a lot of our efforts in agriculture around export markets. Successive governments have pushed Canadian farmers to scale up to meet export demand, largely outside our borders." 

That focus, she says, has increased reliance on imported food, leaving the country vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. 

Cattle producers are seeing a strong 2025 in what could be a good year to see prices rise and cattle herds repopulate following years of harsh conditions.

That was the focus of a recent look that Farm Credit Canada took for the cattle industry in Canada and what it has to contend with in 2025.

Leigh Anderson, a senior economist with the FCC, talks about his optimism for the industry for the year.

Manitoba Beef Producers has been looking at the western provinces’ program of mandatory livestock inspection, where livestock inspectors are at the auction mart drop-off sites to confirm ownership – and to ensure sales don’t happen without that proof of ownership. 

The mandatory livestock inspection proposal will be discussed at this week's 46th Annual General Meeting for Manitoba Beef Producers in Winnipeg.

Producers will be able to see a wide variety of webinars for agriculture practices as the province of Saskatchewan is hosting those through the winter and spring.

Those are set to begin next week, with Crops Extension SPecialist Meghan Rosso talking about what producers can expect.

The Manitoba Association of Watersheds (MAW) has announced the continuation of the Prairie Watersheds Climate Program (PWCP) following its initial success. With renewed funding under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Agricultural Climate Solutions Program – On-Farm Climate Action Fund, the program will receive up to $40 million over the next three years. The expansion will focus in Manitoba will continue to support local producers in sustainable land management practices. Programs will continue is Saskatchewan as well but will be handled separately.

U.S. president Donald Trump announced he has postponed the 25% implementation of widespread tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico until March 4th. These tariffs would have economic impacts on a variety of industries, including canola. The canola industry in massive in terms of supporting Canadian agriculture, with the economic activity accounting for over $43.5 billion a year. Chris Davison, President and CEO of the Canola Council of Canada, reiterates just how impactful this industry truly is and how important trade relations between Canada & the United States are. 

It's not just the municipal leaders feeling the pressure of the proposed tariffs from the United States. 

Even the RM of Swift Current has been feeling the tension. The RM is home to many agricultural producers and ag-related entities, which are all nervous about what may happen once President Trump implements a broad spectrum 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods. 

The Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing recently launched a new initiative to support the mental health of Canadian farmers, their families, and agricultural workers. The National Farmer Wellness Network Crisis Line is a free, confidential, 24/7 mental health support tailored specifically to the agricultural community. 

The idea behind the crisis line is to ensure that farmers across the country have access to farm-specific crisis services delivered by licensed professionals trained in the Canadian Agricultural Literacy Program (CALP).