Ag News

Former Morse MLA Harold Martens is being remembered as a kind man dedicated to family and friends with a passion for agriculture.

SSGA President Garner Deobald says the Herbert area farmer and rancher served as president of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association from 2011 to 2014.

"He was very much appreciated. The work and effort that he put into into serving on the SSGA board. You know  it's always of such great value to have someone like that serve, and you know we were very appreciative of that."

A key research announcement coming out of Saskatchewan will benefit producers across the prairies.

Agriculture Minister David Marit announced a total of $17.6 million in crop-related research in 2023.

The Do More Agriculture Foundation will look at better understanding the state of mental health awareness, educational offerings, and resource delivery in the Canadian ag sector.

The overall goal is to identify current gaps in mental health resources for the industry as a whole, and more specifically the gaps that exist for traditionally underrepresented and marginalized groups.

They'll be collaborating with Wilton Consulting Group, Openly, and Psychotherapist Bonnie Taylor to conduct: workshops, an environmental scan, key informant interviews, surveys, and focus groups.

Last Friday in Kerrobert at the local Kinsmen Hall there was a special grazing plan workshop that took place with host Kelly Sidoryk. It was put on by the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association and is part of the OFCAF (On Farm Climate Action Fund) Program put into place by the Federal government.

The same workshop was held back on Monday in Lloydminster, as we got into contact with Sidoryk to learn more about just what OFCAF is. 

The Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame is proud to announce five exceptional individuals who will be inducted into the hall later this spring. Making up the list of inductees for 2023 are Bill Huber, Kevin Hursh, Dorothy Long, John McKinnon, and Laurie Tollefson.

“The 2023 inductees highlight the depth and commitment people have in improving and promoting Saskatchewan agriculture,” said Reed Andrew, president of the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame.

When it comes to supply and demand for wheat, demand has outstripped supply for the past couple of years.

Chuck Penner with LeftField Commodity Research says with the strength in demand, we've seen an increase in prices.

The price rally was accelerated by the drought and most recently by the war in Ukraine.

In terms of major exporters, he says, Canada bounced back while there was a drop from other key exporters.

The Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission and the SaskWheat will amalgamate under the name Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission.

Five years of drought in the Southwest and dry conditions in other areas have resulted in reduced winter cereal acreage and in turn reduced producer levies.

Those producer levies are used to support research and development projects.

Winter Cereals Chair Brad White says the decision to amalgamate came after extensive review and consultation with growers.

Clubroot is a soil-borne disease that can cause significant yield loss.

In 2022, over 500 fields were inspected as part of the clubroot monitoring program. 

Chair of SaskCanola's Research Committee Keith Fournier says SaskCanola funds province-wide disease testing for clubroot to ensure we have a good understanding of the regions where the disease is present. 

The latest map shows visible clubroot symptoms were recorded in two more commercial canola fields, while the clubroot pathogen was detected in four new fields.

Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson took part in the event over the weekend in the Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit in South Carolina.

The event gave state and provincial leaders an opportunity to discuss agricultural issues and trends like food security and climate change.

Johnson says the government continues to advocate for producers and industries, and has positioned the province as a world agriculture leader. 

"Manitoba is always developing creative solutions to agricultural issues, which I was happy to showcase at the summit to my colleagues."

Orders are coming in from around the world for PIP International's new all-natural plant-based pea protein.

PIP International is an ag tech company based out of Lethbridge focusing in on pea processing.

CEO Christine Lewington says they've cracked the code and developed a pea-based protein that promises to revolutionize plant-based food products.

They've been able to remove the protein from the pea while leaving the starch and fibre behind.