Ag News

Cereal Crop Specialist Anne Kirk says the spring cereal harvest is almost done with 97 per cent of the spring wheat in and 98 per cent of the barley and oat crops now complete.

"Field peas are complete, canola is about 78 per cent complete, soybeans we have at 41 per cent, dry beans at 84 per cent and the grain corn harvest has just started in the central region and we're estimating that at about five per cent complete."

Saskatchewan is reporting its first case of anthrax this year.

Anthrax can live in the soil for decades and with this years dry conditions in many areas animals are rooting in the soil stirring up those spores which can lead to exposure.

Over the years, the soil borne disease has been found in each of the prairie provinces, the last reported case in Alberta was in 2022, and in Manitoba in 2007.

Agriculture Minister David Marit is leading a trade mission this week to Mexico.

He says its important for us to get out and tell our sustainability story across the globe, especially in key jurisdictions like Mexico who is our fourth largest trading partner,.

"As we work to keep Saskatchewan's economy strong, it's important to prioritize important markets and the relationships we have with them. We look forward to using this mission to grow our network, increase collaboration and explore new ventures that benefit both parties."

Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez says they have called for the review in order to ensure that we have fair competition at Canada's ports.

The transaction will be reviewed under the mergers and acquisitions provisions of the Canada Transportation Act.

Rodriguez says a public interest assessment will also be held which will include consultations with Canada's ports and marine industry, stakeholders, other government departments, other orders of government, and Canadians.

Checking the prairie cattle marketing reports for last week  ... all prices in per hundred weights.

In Manitoba, Feeder Steer prices were up across the board with the largest increase  ( $28.79) for the 401 to 500 pound weight category for an average price of $452 

In Saskatchewan, feeder steer prices ranged from $505.63 for the 300-400 pound weight category to $313.80 for the 900+ category.

In Alberta, the price for fed steers averaged $232.87 that's up from the average price of $181.94 for the same week last year.

The countdown is on as voters get set to go to the polls in the provincial election on October 3rd.

Cam Dahl, the general manager of Manitoba Pork says its important for producers to meet with all their candidates no matter their political stripe and talk about the importance of agriculture.

Alberta's Agriculture Minister RJ Sigurdson is back from his international trade mission to South Korea and Japan.

He says it was a very productive trip adding that we've seen South Korea increase its agri investment and trade with Alberta by 230 per cent.

"Of course a lot of it is focused around our beef and pork. We had a chance to visit some restaurants that are featuring Alberta beef and Alberta pork. As well as some of the shops that are marketing it there to get a greater understanding of what we're seeing in South Korean and what is important to them."

On Monday, the Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne along with Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay met with major international food processors to talk about the need to stabilize food prices in Canada.

During the meeting, the ministers emphasized the importance of food processors to work with retailers to support new strategies and actions that will make a real difference to stabilizing grocery prices.

David Przednowek, assistant vice-president of grain for CN Rail, says now that we're looking towards the end of September and early October, that's always going to be full run rate.

The Old Farmer's Almanac is known by many for its long range weather forecasting, but the book also includes a variety of features including farmer profiles.

The Almanac's Managing Editor Jack Burnett says they like to profile producers adding that among the farmers featured in the 2024 edition is Allison Squires and Cody Straza.

"The farm in Wood Mountain is called Upland Organics. They're organic farmers, stewarding 4500 acres as mix cattle and grain.  So, it's all about their story."

Squires says it was a pretty huge surprise.