Agripod

The Research Lead with Agri-Food Economic Systems suggests with Canadian oilseeds under increasing trade pressure, an oilseed strategy could be helpful. An Independent Agri-Food Policy Note and accompanying Policy Concepts Paper, released by Agri-Food Economic Systems, examined the pressures facing Canadian oilseeds including China's 100 per cent tariff on canola oil and canola meal, trade action on Canadian peas from China, and now India - and issues with China and the U.S. over soybeans. Research lead Dr. Al Mussell says Canadian oilseed producers are extremely export dependent but that's not a bad thing. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) have sent a letter to the provincial government, laying out their views on Saskatchewan farmland ownership. President Bill Prybylski says while he has no proof of foreign farmland ownership being an issue in Saskatchewan, he is concerned that the price of farmland could be inflated by outside interests. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A protein journalist says the technological revolution is helping shape the buying patterns of consumers more today than over the past century. "The Retail Meat Counter; What consumers are buying and how is it changing?" was among the topics discussed as part of the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium. Lisa Keefe says demographics are increasingly shaping consumer buying patterns. Pulse Canada was in China this past week. The goal was to work to maintain one-on-one relationships with business contacts in the effort to persuade the Chinese government to drop hefty tariffs on peas and canola. Pulse Canada President Greg Cherewyk spoke prior to his flight to China. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10 per cent increase in tariffs on goods imported from Canada in response to ads produced by the Ontario government. Manitoba Pork General manager Cam Dahl says Canada's elected officials need to prioritize the renegotiation and to tone down the rhetoric while working with our allies in the U.S. to maintain trade including representatives from key states like Iowa. He says there is an understanding among elected state officials and agricultural leaders in the U.S. - Canada must continue to work with like-minded partners helping them influence the Trump administration. There is a unique Kindergarten to Grade Nine School in the rural area . . . 21 kilometres east of Medicine Hal. In addition to the regular classes . . . the kids get a hands-on view of food production at the Irvine Agriculture Discovery Centre. An onsite agriculture demonstration project connects rural and urban students who look after a so-called "Noah's Ark" of animals as part of the education curriculum. We will talk to the centre coordinator Nicole Neubauer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crop diseases can have a serious impact on a farmer's bottom line, that’s why management is an ongoing concern for producers. Finding the right tools and technologies to help producers get a handle on diseases can be complicated and expensive. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researcher Kelly Turkington says it all starts with having a basic knowledge of the nature of plant diseases as the first step towards understanding what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. A University of British Columbia student design team has created the prototype for a fully autonomous agricultural robot. The creation of the AgroBot started with four students. The team has grown to 40 students with backgrounds in various areas of engineering. AgroBot team member Wendie Wu will explain the project and tell us about how the students took inspiration from other industries and applied them to the robot...all in an effort to make agriculture operations more sustainable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new online training platform for swine barn workers is allowing farms to manage, coordinate and track their training programs. Mark Fynn is the Training Resources Coordinator with the Canadian Pork Council. He will discuss the progress for the new program that was officially launched in March 2025. Challenges in the trade and economic environment, largely due to tariffs from the U.S. and China, have affected Canada's Food and Beverage sector. Farm Credit Canada released its mid-year update on the food and beverage industry and say while the first half of the year had a sales increase of 0.8 per cent, it’s not expected to hold, and FCC projects sales will decline to 0.3 per cent in the second half. Most of the growth has been from price increases, but Senior Economist Amanda Norris says declining volumes of goods sold is causing slower-than-expected growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Politics have had a significant impact on agriculture research in Alberta. The government in that province changed hands with the New Democrats taking power in 2015 and then new United Conservative Party winning the election in 2019. It has been a stressful time for those involved in research. A new organization called Results Driven Agriculture Research or RDAR has been given the responsibility of guiding Alberta’s ag research priorities to ensure they reflect the needs of farmers, ranchers, and others in the agriculture industry. I'll speak with RDAR board chair Dr. David Chalack about this new entity and its role in promoting beneficial research for the ag sector. Prairie honey producers take great pride in their pure product. But the fake honey showing up on store shelves is hurting their bottom line.Fake honey is being blamed for a dramatic drop in prices dating back to 2015 and it has been pushing the limits of beekeepers in Canada. In fact, prices were so low producers were not making enough money to even cover their costs. Tim Wendell of Wendell Honey Farm has felt the impact. Their operation includes sites in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Wendell will explain where this fake honey is coming from and how consumers can support this important industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers have shortened up crop rotation for a number of reasons. Oilseed agronomy research scientist Patrick Molecki is with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Saskatoon Research and Development Centre.  He there are numerous issues popping up because of this practice including herbicide  resistance in weeds and increased disease pressure including blackleg and fusarium head blight. Patrick says the continuing practice will have long term implications. There tends to be a focus on the negative environmental aspects of farming like the greenhouse gases emitted from vehicles, fertilizers, and grain transportation. But there is new work showing this impact can be offset by planting trees. It's estimated more 21.3 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide-equivalent is stored in Saskatchewan’s 60,000 km of shelterbelts, representing about $639 million in total economic value under the federal $30 per tonne carbon-dioxide-equivalent pricing  system. Bryan Mood with USask will discuss a new app that is designed to show the economic value of shelterbelts while helping landowners determine the best trees to grow. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canada's elected officials need to prioritize the renegotiation of the Canada, United States, Mexico trade agreement and to tone down the rhetoric while working with allies in the U.S. to maintain trade. Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl suggests this matter should be the number one  issue of Canada's agriculture ministers from coast to coast. Farm Credit Canada hosted its annual Food and Beverage Summit in Saskatoon. Smaller and medium sized companies from all parts of Western Canada were on hand. Stacey Gordon, FCC's area vice-president of commercial financing, said entrepreneurs at varying stages of the journey to the supermarket shelf attended the trade show and listened to presentations.  Some are only selling locally; others are in regional stores while a few are looking to break  into the national market. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As parliament resumed the Grain Growers of Canada, who represent over 70-thousand producers across Canada, have four key priorities: international trade, capital gains tax, trade-enabling infrastructure, and research & development. Executive Director Kyle Larkin says continued uncertainty with the United States and tariffs from China is at the top of the list. And staying with Parliament, we’ll hear from new Saskatchewan senator Todd Lewis, who farms near Regina, on how he's fitting into his new role Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan estimate 4,000 visitors took part in this year's Saskatchewan Open Farm Days. The second edition of the event saw approximately 35 different agriculture-related venues opening their doors to the public. Farm and Food Care Executive Director Clinton Monchuk said the event provides an opportunity for farmers to engage directly with consumers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

African Swine Fever has hit a 27,000 pig facility in Estonia. That was one of the revelations from the monthly newsletter from the Swine Health Information Center that released its domestic and global swine disease monitoring reports. SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says the latest developments related to African Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease demonstrate the value of swine disease monitoring in understanding transmission routes and disease risks The Saskatchewan Pork Development Board has launched its second whole hog video series. Sask Pork Whole Hog Youth Ambassador is 12-year-old Reise Podhordeski, a farm kid who lives and works on his family's commercial hay operation near Marcelin, Sask. Reise says there's more involved in pork production than what happens in the barn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Manitoba's efforts to control Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea are drawing international attention.  Manitoba Pork Director of Swine Health Jenelle Hamblin says, since the introduction of Manitoba's PED elimination plan in the spring of 2023, numbers of cases have declined. Manitoba farmers and veterinarians have been reporting regular or lower incidences of other diseases. Hamblin says there has been a lot of outreaches from other jurisdictions on what's being done in Manitoba, particularly from the United States. The Saskatchewan Pork Development Board has launched its second whole hog video series. In the series of videos, the Sask Pork whole hog youth ambassador, interviewing various members of the pork value chain. Jessica Podhordeski with Sask Pork, says the videos run about three and a half minutes and are suitable for all audiences but they were primarily designed to educate youth about the pork industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was a lot of excitement at the University of Saskatchewan surrounding the release of a landmark study. The USask led team of roughly 100 international scientists from ten countries generated the first genomic atlas for global wheat improvement. Crop Development Centre director Dr. Curtis Pozniak will tell us how this atlas will enable scientists and breeders to much more quickly identify genes that will improve yield, pest resistance and other important crop traits. Grain Growers of Canada have released a new video project to help educate politicians and policymakers about the challenges and realities facing farmers today. Today's Modern Grain Farm: A Harvest Across Canada features farmers from across Canada including Saskatchewan grain farmer, Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel. Cherilyn will explain why it’s crucial to reach out to politicians and their teams and present what life is like as a modern grain farmer across the country. She says the when the question is asked How can the Canadian economy recover from the Coronavirus? The answer might be in a strong agriculture industry and there are a number of ways Ottawa can be supportive of farmers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harvest is still a few days away over most parts of the province----following rain in some regions last week. The 2025 crop will be a mixed bag-----very good in some areas----and poor in others. Twyla Jones is the Agronomic Innovation Lead with Nutrien Ag Solutions in Canada. She talks about how crops are looking across the Prairies and picks out a couple of locations that could be combining above average yields. Delisle is home to a brand-new flax processing facility. The plant is owned by the Minnesota company Grain Millers, which is widely recognized in Saskatchewan for its involvement in the oat industry, as they have a plant in Yorkton, but they are beginning to dabble in flax. The Delisle flax plant recently celebrated its grand opening where crews from the operations in Yorkton, of course Delisle, and also Minnesota were present for the event. CEO and President of Grain Millers Todd Stohlmeyer will talk about the reasons for the over 30-million-dollar expansion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Confidence in Canada's Food System at an all-time high according to new research from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI). Canadians are optimistic about their food supply, even as Canada's food system faces exceptional pressure and public scrutiny due to the global pandemic of COVID-19 in 2020. President and CEO of CCFI John Jamieson will share the results of the latest public Trust Research Report, and how the Canadians are feeling about the overall direction of the food system. Farmers are poised to play a key role in Canada's economic recovery. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business submitted a list of concerns to the country's agriculture ministers, topping the list is needed improvements to Business Risk Management programs. CFIB senior policy analyst Virginia Labbie says the focus should be on policies that will help drive growth in the agriculture and agri-food sector so that it can perform to its potential. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As North America closes in on the time frame for renegotiating the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement the U.S. and has launched a U.S. International Trade Commission investigation into Canada's exports of skim milk. An Independent Agri-Food Policy Note released by Agri-Food Economic Systems suggests U.S. complaints about Canadian dairy policy are unfounded. Research lead Dr. Al Mussell says while Canadian dairy policy has long been an irritant, Canada has remained in full compliance with its international trade obligations, including the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. China has implemented a 75.8 per cent duty on Canadian canola seed imports. China's Ministry of Commerce announced the preliminary ruling regarding their anti-dumping investigation on canola. The latest tariff on canola seed is in addition to the 100 per cent tariff implemented on Canadian oil and meal back in March 2025. President and CEO of the Canola Council of Canada, Chris Davison, says China is a highly valued and important market but there is great disappointed with the preliminary ruling. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canada's position on supply management could trigger a further escalation of trade tensions between Canada and the U.S. Florian Possberg, a partner with Polar Pork, says hope of reaching a trade deal between Canada and the United States are dwindling. Agriculture Innovation Awards were presented at Western Canada's largest outdoor farm show Ag in Motion. The Innovation Award for Ag Tech went to Phiber Manufacturing of Crystal City, Manitoba for its DASH drone carrier. Steve Froese is Phiber's Director of Sales and he talks about what is unique about the drone carrier. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Responsible Grain...it is a national code of practice being developed to show Canadian farmers care about the environment. It will address consumer and customer priorities and provide practical advice for farmers to continue to improve their practices. Committee chair Ted Menzies from Claresholm, Alberta says the draft code, developed by farmers and industry experts, has been completed and is now open for consultation. Ted will share why it is important to have a code to share with our customers at home and abroad. Agriculture is a key driver of Canadian economic growth. Achieving export goals will only happen through the development of a strong crops sector. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada along with Cereals Canada have established wheat research priorities from now to 2022. Victoria Linden is the research director with Cereals Canada. She will share those priorities and why it's important to revisit these goals every few years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

North America is a role model when it comes to reducing the environmental footprint of livestock production. Dr. Frank Mitloehner is a professor with the University of California Davis. He told delegates at the recent Saskatchewan Swine Symposium the public needs to recognize the contributions of livestock agriculture to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. He said the most pressing need is to get the countries that are not efficient in producing animal sourced food to change, and that objective can be met while, at the same time, minimizing the carbon footprint. Shelby Corey wears many hats. She is a wife and mother. She is a rancher, a rural municipal councillor, and a development officer with 4-H Saskatchewan. Life is hectic. Shelby will share how balancing the farm, kids, career, and everything else can be overwhelming but there is a way to find balance. She will share some of the things she has learned to avoid burnout. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canada's new agriculture minister spent some time in Saskatchewan. Heath MacDonald toured around various areas---Regina, Indian Head, and Davidson and met with farm leaders from the grain and oilseed, beef, and dairy sectors. Saskatchewan agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison also accompanied MacDonald on all stops during his tour. MacDonald will share more on the conversations and concerns of farmers during his visit. Prairie farmers may face a potential rust threat this year Dr. Kelly Turkington, a research scientist in plant pathology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Lacombe, says rust spores typically originate from the Pacific Northwest and the Texas-to-Nebraska corridor in the U.S. These spores, which include stripe rust, leaf rust, stem rust, and crown rust in oats, are carried by the wind and usually start appearing in the prairies in June. Over the years, research scientists, breeders, and pathologists have been working on developing crop varieties with increased rust resistance with moderately resistant (MR), or resistant (R) rating can control the disease effectively, making fungicide application unnecessary. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farm Credit Canada's Food and Beverage Report for 2025 shows in detail the challenges each manufacturing sector faces due to the ongoing trade dispute with the U.S. as well as changing consumer habits. But it also shows opportunity through those challenges. Senior Economist Amanda Norris will be looking at two sectors in particular: grain and oilseed milling and meat. Saskatchewan Pulse Growers is partnering with provincially owned, private plant breeding company J4 Agri-Science to develop improved lines of faba bean. It is the second major collaboration SPG has entered into since its long-term agreement with the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre ran out more than four years ago. SPG provides upfront investments with any future royalties shared by the two parties. J4 Agri-Science was founded by two farmers and has its main testing sites in northeast Saskatchewan. Dr. Jodi Souter is a plant breeder and co-founder of J4-Agri-Science. She'll talk about the collaboration. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.