Ag News

Ranchers have observed an increase in woody species, such as western snowberry (or buckbrush) and wolf willow in their pasturelands. With the increase of woody species or brush density; comes reduced acres for livestock grazing.  With the loss of grazing acres, comes a large economic cost. With the increased density of woody species, the grassland is also negatively impacted through a shift in the desired plant community. Major barriers to addressing woody encroachment are, that it is time consuming and costly.

Since 2020, over 58,000 acres of irrigation have been developed, the largest growth since the early 1980s.  The Province says this is on track to achieve and exceed the goal of 85,000 acres in the Saskatchewan Growth Plan for 2030. 

Part of that Growth Plan includes the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Project.

The Province recently awarded Prairie Engineering Partners, a joint venture from Stantec and MPE engineering firms the next planning and engineering design work for Westside Irrigation Rehabilitation Project (WIRP).

From Thursday, August 1, 2024 to Friday, November 15, 2024 crop residue burning is NOT AUTHORIZED, except by permit, in the municipalities of Rosser, Headingley, St. François Xavier, Cartier, Macdonald, Ritchot, Taché, Springfield, East St. Paul and West St. Paul.

For information about applying for a burning permit, please call 204-745-5646 or

Last week Thursday Manitoba Agriculture hosted their annual WADO Field Day & Bus Tour in their Melita area and came upon a not-so-welcome surprise.

Applied Research Specialist with the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization, Scott Chalmers, says their crop discussions covered a large variety of topics including the presences of pea leaf weevils found in their crop trial.

"I've never seen a pea weevil and we had lives ones," he explains. "They were eating nodules in peas, and they make little birdhouses out of them."  

Earlier this week Canada's early detection surveillance program, CanSpotASF, announced wild pigs are now added to the list for African swine fever testing.

As we head into the month of August, most farmers will be getting the combine ready for harvest. However, the question of whether to desiccate or not is always on the minds of farmers that want to get a jumpstart on harvest. Sometimes that decision of desiccation can be answered as early as seeding time. Jason Stewart is an agrologist with Parrish & Heimbecker in Weyburn and has noticed the increase in desiccants used.  

Olds College of Agriculture announced RME - formerly known as Rocky Mountain Equipment - as their 2024 Partner of the Year.

RME has made significant contributions to Olds College by providing students with equipment giving them the opportunity to work with the latest machinery and technology in the agriculture industry. 

The research side of Olds also benefits as farm staff and researchers also have access to the equipment as they work the 3,000 acres that make up the Olds College Smart Farm.

The two-day event featured some key informational sessions and tours touching on every aspect of crop production from seeding to harvest, new advancements in technology, and livestock-related research.

The farm-focused and data-driven educational expo is celebrating five years of innovation.

Todd Ormann, vice president of development says AgSmart’s evolution is a testament to their commitment to agricultural innovation and education at Olds College.

An agricultural manufacturing firm in Saskatchewan has been ordered to pay $65, 000 relating to a workplace accident two years ago.

Highline Manufacturing Limited, a subsidiary of Bourgault Industries entered a guilty plea July 22nd in Saskatoon Provincial Court to one violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.

The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on June 22, 2022, in Vonda, when a worker was seriously injured while flushing highly flammable solvent through an electrostatic paint gun.

Two other charges were withdrawn.

Alberta has announced changes to the  Agriculture Financial Services Corporation’s (AFSC) Next Generation Loan program. 

The province says over the past 20 years, the number of young and middle-aged producers in agriculture has seen steep declines, while the number of farmers over 55 has increased. 

Alberta’s government wants to reverse that trend with changes to AFSC’s Next Gen Program .