Agripod

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&r...

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...

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 be...

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 gen...

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...

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 whi...

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 Res...

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 Ph...

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...

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...

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 farme...

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...

A Montreal area-based farmer and agrotourism operator is taking steps to help maintain rare livestock genetics, particularly the Lacombe breed of pig. Established in 1982, Quinn Farm is a 200-acre agricultural and agrotourism operation that produces a variety of horticultural crops, more than 18 varieties of apples, Christmas and balsam trees, raises chickens, pigs and sheep, including many rare b...

Quick crop establishment lowers flea beetle risk. Growers responding to a Canola Council of Canada survey indicated flea beetles were the number one economic risk to canola last year . . . as well as 2022 and 2020. Flea beetle populations vary from year-to-year . . . but seeding depth and weather are  the two main variables. Keith Gabert is an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Ca...

Technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect weeds and other crop pests while passing over a field could reduce pesticide use by up to 95 per cent, maintaining crop yield, saving farmers roughly $50 per acre per growing season. A $26.2 million project is being led by Precision.ai, Sure Growth Solutions, Exceed Grain Marketing, and the Global Institute for Food Security at the Univer...

Control your money so it does not control you. Vanessa Stockbrugger is a former investment banker on Toronto’s Bay Street who went on to found and run Womencents. She says having more money does not necessarily fix things – instead, people need a strategy or action plan to achieve their financial goals. But what happens when that business is a farm. To reduce stress, she says people mu...

The dust has settled on the federal election and Canadian farmers will be looking to Canada's newly elected minority Liberal government to resolve Canada's trade disputes with both the United States and China. We talk to Florian Possberg, a partner with Polar Pork, about the tariff threats and its impact on the agriculture sector. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is waiting to see what the n...

Amid a simmering global trade war, a former Manitoba Liberal leader is calling on Canadian agriculture to put a greater emphasis on supplying more of Canada's food needs, adding more value to Canadian agricultural products within Canada-- and diversifying Canada's export markets. Dr. Jon Gerrard says retaliatory tariffs imposed by China on Canadian canola, pea, pork and seafood imports / along wit...

With a lack of temporary foreign workers are higher food prices and fewer food choices on the horizon for Canadians? University of Calgary research associate Robert Falconer has released his second report on the role of temporary foreign workers in the Canadian agriculture sector. He said if there was any attempt to manage the food supply without these workers it is a strong possibility. Robert wi...

A farmer from southwestern Manitoba is calling for a patient and reasoned response from the federal government to the imposition of reciprocal tariffs by the United States on its trading partners to avoid escalating a brewing trade war. Jim Downey says it's hard to read what's happening in the U.S. from day-to-day but at this point, we still have the ability to trade freely with the United States....

Retaliatory duties imposed on U.S. pork in response to the Trump Administration's tariff threats will have a far more negative effect on Canadian market hog prices than U.S. duties on imports from Canada. As North American farmers await the next moves in Donald Trump's on again off again tariff war, analysts are monitoring developments in the U.S. as well as the international reaction to them. Pau...

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 Res...

Saskatchewan Open Farm Days provides a great opportunity for farmers to interact with and expand the public's understanding and trust of agriculture and to showcase the great agricultural products grown in the province. Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan Executive Director Clinton Monchuk says expanding the understanding of those who do not live on a farm of what farmers do to produce food is becomin...

Preliminary results of research show pigs can be stimulated into engaging in play. The Western College of Veterinary Medicine and the Prairie Swine Centre are exploring the prospects of using play to improve the emotional well being of pigs and improve their resilience and performance. In one experiment the behavior of two groups of pigs provided intermittent play opportunities was compared to a c...

Farmers have a plethora of support available at their fingertips - from apps to websites. But a very important national phone line has been launched to help farmers with their  mental health. The Canadian Centre for Agricultural Well-being (CCAW) announced the launch of the National Farmer Wellness Network Crisis Line, an initiative designed to help farmers, farm families, and agricultural wo...