Saskatchewan’s 2018 crop insurance program will contain fire insurance for pastures and better compensation for livestock lost due to predators. Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart announced details for the coming year this morning in Melville. Average coverage levels are $216 per acre compared to $217 last year, mostly as a result of lower crop prices. The […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Sask. reinstates PST exemption on insurance premiums
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has made good on his campaign commitment to reinstate the PST exemption on insurance premiums. Effective Feb. 26, premiums for agriculture, life and health insurance will no longer be subject to the provincial sales tax. The move is retroactive to Aug. 1, 2017, when the tax was first applied. Crop, livestock […] Read more
Limousin breeders build sound reputation
Kelly and Jeff Yorga won big recently at a major livestock show, but they say their commercial success is what counts
FLINTOFT, Sask. — Success in the show ring is great, but success in the sale ring and ultimately calves on the ground are what drive Limousin breeders Kelly and Jeff Yorga. The father and son team’s most recent experience with the first came at the National Western Stock Show in Denver in January with their […] Read more
Meat price main issue for buyers
SASKATOON — If a consumer panel at the recent provincial beef conference is truly representative, meat buyers look at cost above anything else when deciding what to buy. The panel of six, four women and two men, all said they had cut back on meat purchases in the last couple of years. When asked when, […] Read more
Farmer input wanted on best way to fund future pulse research
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers is asking growers how best to fund research in the future. The organization’s 15-year funding arrangement with the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre ends in 2020. It gives Saskatchewan farmers exclusive rights to new varieties. Growers at the regional meeting in Regina Feb. 5 heard that the cost of breeding new […] Read more
Plant protein not competing against beef: processor
Pulses versus meat: it shouldn’t be seen as either-or, says president of AGT Food and Ingredients
SASKATOON — The beef sector shouldn’t look at pulses as competition in the protein market, says the president of AGT Food and Ingredients, one of the largest pulse processors in the world. Murad Al-Katib told people attending the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference that there is more than enough protein demand to go around. “I don’t […] Read more
Larger beef operations necessary to keep national herd stable
SASKATOON — Canadian beef herds are going to have to get a whole lot larger if overall cattle numbers are to hold steady, the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference heard. Dr. Murray Jelinski from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine said census data shows that producers are getting older and herds are getting larger, particularly in […] Read more
Half of water samples test as unacceptable
SASKATOON — Water testing through the summer of 2017 found about half of Saskatchewan water sources sampled were unacceptable for livestock to drink. Hot temperatures and dry conditions resulted in high levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) and sulfates in many locations. One extreme case of poor quality led to the deaths of more than […] Read more
Ag groups call for research funding
Canadian farmers are known for their ability to adapt but they will need continued investments to help them find climate change solutions, organizations told the House of Commons agriculture committee recently. Producers are feeling the effects of climate change in different ways, said Andrea Brocklebank, executive director of the Beef Cattle Research Council at the […] Read more
Fababeans chart own course in the livestock feed market
If fababean prices continue to move above feed peas, market analyst Chuck Penner thinks that could be positive for the crop in the longer term. Prices for the two crops often move in tandem, and Penner told the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers that has been true until recently. “Just in the last few months fabas have […] Read more
