Agripod

It wasn’t just farmers growing vegetables this year in Canada. According to a study from Dalhousie University, the pandemic inspired a lot of people to grow their own garden. Vanessa Young with the Horticulture and Agriculture Lifelong Learning Programs with the University of Saskatchewan says there was an increased interest in gardening. Part of it she believes is provide food for the famil...

Just sign on the dotted line. I just need your signature. How many times are you asked to do this over the course of a year? We’ve all done it….you read the terms of agreement on your phone you scroll down and click "accept" without really reading the fine details. This has the potential to be disastrous for a farmer, particularly this year when it comes to the eligibility declaration...

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) wants to reward farmers for using practices that make the farm environmentally friendly. FCC released its Sustainable Finance Framework, outlining how they will invest $1.9 billion by the year 2030, to help producers increase their farm's resilience to weather challenges, increase productivity, and ensure it's a long-term viable operation. Marie-Claude Bourgie is the Vice-...

The spread of African Swine Fever to wild boar in Spain is a reminder of the importance of vigilance in terms of biosecurity especially as more people are traveling out of country. Dr. Megan Niederwerder says a recent European Food Safety Authority review of the risk factors particular to Europe offers important information for North America. There are more handling tips and tricks available to po...

Global Agri-Trends says tariffs on trade haven’t been as serious a concern for the meat sector. Brett Stuart is a founding partner for Global AgriTrends. He was formerly employed by the US Meat Export Federation as their lead economist. He conducted numerous research and analysis projects in the global meat trade areas as well as advising US trade officials on internation meat access issues....

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 f...

 African Swine Fever and emerging diseases was a main topic of discussion at the recent Sask Industry Pork Symposium. Dr. Stephanie Smith, the director of the veterinary unit with the Ministry of Agriculture, shares how the industry and farmers can prepare for emerging diseases like African Swine fever. AND The federal government is planning to reduce the amount of money spent on internationa...

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...

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 wa...

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 lik...

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 f...

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,...

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 o...

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....

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 an...

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...