Ag News

The National Farmers Union is standing in solidarity with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members currently on strike. 

The NFU's 2nd Vice President Stewart Wells says it's important to remember that nobody prefers to be in a strike or a lockout position, and this is a last-ditch attempt to come to an agreement.

He points out the negotiations have been going on for some time and there hasn't been any resolution.

Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) held its Annual General Meeting yesterday in Regina.

During the meeting the group elected its 2023-2024 leadership team with Kim Hextall of Grenfell, SK, continuing as President of CWA. 

Also elected to the executive Michael Latimer of Olds as Vice-President.

Executive Members at Large include Kelsey Ashworth of Oungre, SK, Levi Jackson of Sedley, SK and Blake MacMillan of Nokomis, SK.

CWA’s Executive Committee also includes Past President, Chris Lees of Arcola, SK.

A $1.6 million grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) will create a new training opportunity for U of S graduate students in agriculture technology.

The NSERC CREATE grant in Computational Agriculture will explore the deep-rooted collaboration between plant and computer sciences and enhance the shift towards data-rich processes in the ag sector to drive economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability.

The Province has announced a pilot partnership involving Innovation Saskatchewan (IS), Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN), and Cultivator powered by Conexus (Cultivator).

The new collaboration is expected to support agricultural technology development and economic growth.

The pilot partnership will establish an important connection to a significant market in the U.S. grain belt and help accelerate the commercialization and adoption of Saskatchewan agtech technologies through field trials with WHIN's Ag Alliance members. 

The Wheat Growers Association want to see a contingency plan in place to deal with the impact the PSAC strike could have on the ag sector, especially as it relates to grain movement and exports.

President Gunter Jochum says they'd like to see the government move to third-party inspectors for grain exports, something that is currently being done by Canadian Grain Commission (CGC).

The numbers are officially in Canadian Western Agribition is reporting record setting revenue of $4.74 million in 2022, an increase of $400,000 from 2021.

During the AGM Agribition reported an overall profit from the 2022 show of $83,450. 

President Kim Hextall says the numbers tell us we have returned to business as usual.

"The organization is in a strong cash financial position which will help us build and focus on our vision and future events."

Farm groups are starting to raise concerns about the potential impacts the PSAC strike could have for the ag sector.

Keystone Agricultural Producers President, Jill Verwey is calling on negotiators for the federal government and the union to continue an open dialogue with adequate contingencies in place to minimize the negative impacts for farmers and the ag sector.  

As snow melts and signs of spring start to emerge, many cow-calf producers are either just beginning to calve or their calving season is drawing to a close. For those nearing the end of calving, spring offers an opportunity to look back upon the successes and challenges of the season to make changes for next year. Spring is also a great time to begin planning for summer turnout and to consider implementing management practices that may offer health and performance benefits to your herd this summer.

For the cattle sector the first quarter of 2023 has been fairly good.

Brenna Grant, the Executive Director of Canfax says fed cattle prices in Alberta reached new record highs in mid March and are continuing to see one of the strongest spring rallies in the last 15 years. 

"We are seeing leverage shift from the packer to the feedlot across North America and we see fed cattle supplies tightening up."

It was just a few weeks ago, that slaughter cows prices hit $132 per hundred weight, their highest since September 2015. 

Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation has announced over $10 million in conservation funding for Manitoba based conservation organizations.

Manitoba’s Watershed Districts will receive up to $7.57 million, with an additional $2.79 million to support 19 projects delivered by conservation organizations and supported by endowments made by the Province of Manitoba.