Ag News

The Saskatchewan Young Ag Entrepreneurs have hired Kaitlyn Kitzan as the organization's new general manager.

Kitzan, a grain and cattle producer with extensive experience in agriculture, business development, and leadership, moves into the role.

She comes in with a clear understanding of the organization and its goals, having previously served on the SYA Board of Directors.

As General Manager, she will oversee SYA's programming, partnerships, and member engagement.

Kitzan says she's honoured to step into this role with SYA.

Harvest is well underway across the province, and while cold weather may still be a little way off, now is the time to start planning for fall soil testing, which is a key step in setting up next season’s success.

Tariffs and trade were among the key topics of discussion for the country's agriculture ministers during their annual conference this week in Manitoba.

Federal, provincial, and territorial ministers reaffirming their commitment for a resilient, sustainable, and competitive agriculture and agri-food sector.

At the end of August, PhiBer Manufacturing Inc. announced it had been selected for funding through the PrairiesCan Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program, a Government of Canada initiative supporting high-growth companies across the Prairies.

This investment will help PhiBer strengthen its advanced manufacturing capabilities, accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, and create meaningful new job opportunities in rural Manitoba.

Farmers have had some decent harvest weather as they work on the harvest, with a few occasional showers moving through.

Canada’s canola industry is expressing deep frustration over the federal government’s newly announced support package, saying it fails to meet the urgent needs of farmers and the broader value chain affected by the ongoing closure of the Chinese market.

While industry leaders welcomed the government’s attention to agriculture, they say the measures announced on Friday do not reflect the scale of the crisis.

Harvest is back on track and farmers are pushing hard to get as much grain in the bin as possible before the rain showers come.

For many across the Westman Region the crops have done fairly well, with some crops doing exceptionally well, such as pea fields east of Killarney.  For some, yields are being reported at an average of 80-85 bu/acre.  Last week's Foodgrains field northeast of Killarney yielded an average of 73.44 bu/acre.

Federal, provincial, and territorial agriculture ministers are gathered in Manitoba this week for critical discussions on the future of Canadian agriculture. The meetings, which wrap up Tuesday, come at a time when global trade disruptions, domestic infrastructure needs, and food security are top of mind for producers and policymakers alike.

Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald says the meetings are an opportunity to listen to regional concerns and collaborate on national solutions.

As federal, provincial, and territorial agriculture ministers are meeting in Winnipeg this week, the future of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is drawing renewed attention. While the Conservative Party has proposed eliminating the broader program, both farm leaders and Conservative MPs are emphasizing that agriculture will remain exempt.

Keith Currie, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), stressed the importance of the program to the sector.

Conservative Agriculture Critic John Barlow and Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Keith Currie are calling on the federal Liberal government to approve the emergency use of strychnine as a way to deal with the increased number of gophers or Richardson’s ground squirrels (RGS) across the Prairies.