Ag News

In 2024, Farmers for Climate Solutions (FCS) commissioned market research firm Leger to conduct a national poll of Canadian producers during the 2024 growing season.

The goal was to:

Looking at this year's grow season, Manitoba Agriculture Applied Research Specialist with WADO, Scott Chalmers says something to certainly be watching out for is the herbicide resistant weeds that are starting to really take hold, like Kochia here in the southwest corner of the province.

Chalmers says Kochia has become resistant to a variety of herbicides and if it starts cross-pollinating it could turn into a super weed.  In the eastern region of Manitoba water hemp is a problem and we're not wanting that weed to come this way.

Farmland values continue to rise and as producers head into the 2025 growing year, operations will have to take a calculated approach to either expanding their business or even just staying competitive. Farmland values within Canada increased by 11.5% in 2023 and 12.8% in 2022. Farm Credit Canada or FCC reports on these increasing farmland values and will release a full report for the 2024 year expected in March 2025. Justin Shepherd is a senior economist with FCC who sheds some light on the rise of land prices over the last few years. 

When you think back to 2024, what were the most impactful food stories?

The Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University has released its Top 10 list of most impactful food stories that shaped Canada's agri-food landscape. 

Saskatchewan continued on the path to recovery as another year saw conditions remain closer to normal following the droughts earlier this decade.

The ag sector is hoping to see more progress on that with a good snowpack over winter helping to balance that moisture deficit.

Daryl Harrison, Saskatchewan's Minister of Agriculture, talks about the province's economic fortunes over 2024.

Healthy crop yields were the most significant highlights of 2024, says Manitoba Agriculture's Applied Research Specialist with WADO, Scott Chalmers in the Melita area.

"Here at WADO we had some of our best yields ever," shares Chalmers. "I've been here for 17 years and by far 2024 was the record for us in the plots, and I think it had a lot to do with getting the rains at the right time.  Some of our yields were quite dominating, I would say."

"We had record prices in 2024,” says Manitoba Livestock Marketing Association Executive Administrator, Rick Wright. "For the cow/calf breeders in Manitoba, across Western Canada, it's the best year we've ever had."

“I've been in the business 45 years, and we've never seen cattle prices where they were this fall. And the good news is that looking ahead into 2025, it looks like these prices have the potential to carry on for next year and possibly the year after,” he says. 

With everything going on around the world, pork producers across the prairies are keeping a watchful eye on developments and planning for what may come. 

Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl characterized 2024 as a significant turnaround for the province’s hog industry, following a challenging couple of years marked by tight margins and disease concerns. Dahl is optimistic about the industry’s trajectory, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning for future uncertainties. 

The second annual Canadian Soybean Harvest Update attracted more than 100 virtual attendees from Asia and the Indo-Pacific on December 10, 2024. 

Hosted by Soy Canada, the live-streamed event brought together participants from Canada, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan’s annual general meeting or AGM is on January 8th. It is an online AGM both recapping the 2024 year as well as looking ahead to the 2025 growing year. Anyone interested is invited to join and learn about the inner workings of Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan and will be introduced to a new organization created in partnership called Canadian Food Focus. Clinton Monchuk, program director with Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan, is excited for this new organization to help bring food awareness to more urban centers.