Estevan

The federal government plans to work urgently to remove Chinese tariffs on Canadian agriculture and seafood products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday.

"The Canadian government is engaging with its Chinese counterparts at the ministerial level and we'll continue those discussions," Carney told reporters after meeting with premiers in Saskatoon.

"They're a top priority for us." 

The commitment came in a statement after the meeting and it says premiers want Canada's trading relationship with China to improve. 

George Butt

1929 – 2025

Estevan Police Service members responded to 53 calls for service over the weekend. These included four motor vehicle collisions, all of which were non-injury, and six disturbance calls that were resolved without criminal charges. Officers also investigated two reports of assault, both of which remain under investigation, and issued eight traffic tickets for various offences.

Among the calls were several specific incidents that occurred on Saturday and Sunday.

Work is underway in the RM of Estevan as they're looking to improve a road that's been on their list of work for a while. The Rafferty Dam Road is currently undergoing work, giving the road, which links much of Estevan to the Rafferty Reservoir, a whole new surface.

Reeve Jason LeBlanc says that the RM is hoping to get some of those important projects wrapped up this summer.

Farm groups across the prairies are always looking for producers to take an active role in helping to determine the organization goals.

The nomination period is now open for director positions with the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley), Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG), Saskatchewan Mustard Development Commission (Sask Mustard) and Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (Sask Wheat).

Saskatchewan ATV Association (SATVA) says ATV'ing is a great way to introduce kids to the beauty of Saskatchewan. 

Moto Canada estimated there are around 60,000 ATV's in the province of Saskatchewan.  It's an activity the whole family can enjoy and John Meed with SATVA "With proper training, equipment and supervision, children and youth can safely take part in the activity and have a lot of fun"

The federal government is investing $15 million into Protein Industries Canada; the funding is being used to strengthen Canada's agri-food sector.

The new funding will focus on genomics and AI programs by bringing new tools to plant breeders, farmers, ingredient processors, and food manufacturers.

The programs will enable farmers and companies across Canada’s agrifood sector to build a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable food system. 

Alberta is working on strengthening its market presence in Southeast Asia.

Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson is in Southeast Asia to promote Alberta as a reliable supplier of agricultural products.

The overall goal is to strengthen relationships with Vietnam and the Philippines to increase trade and investment opportunities that 
will directly benefit producers and processors by opening new markets for Alberta agriculture and food products.

Farm Credit Canada is investing $2 billion to advance agtech innovation in Canada’s agriculture and food industry. 

The money which will be invested by 2030 will direct more investment into innovative devices, instrumentation, research, and methodologies designed to improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.

Stats show Canada’s agtech sector is lagging, putting Canada at a strategic disadvantage, while Japan  and the European Union have been increasing investments in ag tech.

Alberta's latest crop report shows 90 per cent of the provincial crop is now in; that's ahead of the 5-year average of 81 per cent. 

Roy Larsen, the director of Statistics and Data Development for Agriculture and Irrigation says seeding progress in the South is at 97 per cent complete, the North West at 93 per cent, the Central region is at 89 per cent, the North East at 86  per cent, and the Peace at 84 per cent.

Crop progress shows 99 per cent of the dry peas have been planted, while oats lag behind at 74 per cent.