Patrick Bergermann, associate vice-president, energy roadmap, with Federated Co-operatives, says Canadian refiners are keenly interested in co-processing, which is a more efficient way to produce biofuel.

It allows refiners to use existing production facilities to make biofuel, rather than building expensive biodiesel or renewable diesel plants.

Co-processing enables refiners to simultaneously run canola oil and crude oil through their existing facilities and generate carbon credits from the resulting fuel.

The more traditional approach is to use separate facilities to create regular fuel and biofuel and blend the two together.

“I don’t think that there is a refiner in Canada that isn’t at least testing (co-processing),” said Bergermann, who recently delivered a presentation on biofuels at the Seeds Canada 2026 annual meeting.

The co-processing feedstock of choice is refined, bleached and deodorized canola oil.

“It’s clean, it’s easy to utilize and it’s fairly good on some of the units,” he said.

Refiners must invest in dewaxing catalysts, but that’s about it for extra costs.

“Most of our peers in Canada’s refining sector share our view that this represents a far more capital-efficient way for the country to build renewable diesel production,” said Bergermann.

If refiners in Ontario and Western Canada used 10 per cent co-processing in their catalytic cracking units and five per cent in their hydrotreater units, it would create a brand-new market for 2.7 million tonnes of canola oil per year.

“That’s the equivalent of about five crush plants,” said Bergermann.

The only thing holding refiners back from commercializing the technology is the high cost of canola oil compared to crude oil.

“The difference there is big enough that the CFR (Clean Fuel Regulations) credit values would need to rise a bit more to be able to justify turning it on full-time,” he said.

That is why farm organizations, biofuel groups and oil refiners are lobbying Environment Canada to amend the CFR to include a multiplier that would give refiners extra credits for using Canadian feedstocks such as canola oil.

The multiplier would narrow the gap between crude oil and canola oil prices.

“If those pieces fall in place, you’re going to see some movement on co-processing in a significant way,” said Bergermann.

Some refiners are already using co-processing technology, but many more are waiting for a market signal from government.

“Certainly, in the next couple of years, there would be a lot of movement that would happen if the right policy framework is in place,” he said.

Co-processing has already been approved as a legitimate pathway under the CFR. Refiners just need to apply to Environment Canada to have their assets and feedstocks certified.

Bergermann said Canada can’t afford to make the same mistake it made with ethanol policy, where 64 per cent of the domestic demand is being met by imported product.

Chris Vervaet, senior associate with T. Bjornson and Associates Inc. and former executive director of the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association, said canola crushers have done their part to prepare for this potential new source of demand.

They invested $2 billion to expand Canadian crush capacity by 40 per cent. Three-quarters of the country’s canola production is now being processed at home.

Vervaet said Canada’s biofuel policy added nearly $600 million to the farmgate value of canola in 2025-26, which amounted to an extra $0.62 per bushel.

A minor feedstock

However, the returns should be better than that. Canola accounted for only 29 per cent of the feedstock share for biodiesel and renewable diesel in 2024. Used cooking oil and tallow contributed 53 per cent by comparison.

“In our own backyard we’re not even the dominant feedstock, which is disappointing,” he said.

The other thing that concerns him is the “stroke-of-pen risk” for Canadian biofuel policy.

Biofuel is a non-partisan issue in the United States, but that is not the case in Canada.

Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre considers the CFR to be a “second carbon tax,” driving up the cost of living for Canadian consumers.

Bergermann said the first renewable fuel standard mandate happened under a Conservative government, but today, the CFR is very much viewed as a Liberal policy.

“That’s one of the biggest things we need to change in the agriculture industry is to make sure it becomes a non-partisan issue,” he said.

Bergermann noted that when the Republicans are in power in the United States, biofuel is heavily promoted as being good for rural economic development.

When the Democrats are in power, the lobbyist narrative quickly shifts to emissions reduction and environmental benefits.

Production ‘insufficiently incented’

Canada and the U.S. have taken opposite approaches to biofuel policy. In Canada it has always been about creating biofuel demand, while the U.S. has focused on production incentives.

“The U.S. has the capacity built and they’re looking for a market, and we’ve built a market but have insufficiently incented the production to fill that market need,” he said.

Bergermann hopes the promised CFR amendments address that shortcoming and create policy that drives production.

“Production is where the jobs are,” he said.

In the meantime, FCL has completed its co-processing trials on both its catalytic cracking and hydrotreater units and is pleased with the results.

“We’ve got some adjustments we’re going to make based upon the trial results, but it looks really promising.”

An online fundraising campaign had raised more than $96,000 as of noon July 10 for Evan and Annika Hansen.

Evan Hansen is in critical condition in University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton with burns to 80 per cent of his body after the accident.

Annika Hansen’s sister, Laurel Stickel, created the fundraiser. She wrote that the couple were married just five months ago.

The plane hit power lines about 50 kilometres southwest of Weyburn, Sask., around 11 a.m. Wednesday. STARS Air Ambulance was dispatched and transported Hansen to hospital.

Stickel wrote that the family needs a miracle to stabilize Hansen’s blood pressure, reduce swelling, heal his lungs and keep him safe from infections.

The province’s latest weekly crop report, released on July 10, said that 64.2 per cent of Alberta’s major crops were rated good to excellent, ahead of the five-year average of 60.6 per cent but below last year’s rating of 65.9 per cent. Dry peas rated the best at 73.8 per cent, while oats lagged behind at 50.2 per cent. The south region had the best rating at 84.7 per cent, followed by the central region at 81.2 per cent. However, the northwest region had the worst rating at 29.1 per cent.

Spring wheat, barley and oats reported staging that is less advanced than the five-year average. All major cereals varied between late stem elongation and early heading depending on the area, but the provincial averages for spring wheat and barley are in the mid-booting stage. At this time of year, spring wheat and barley should be in the late-booting and early-heading stages. Provincial oats are averaging late stem elongation but the five-year and 10- year averages suggested the crop should have been in mid-booting during the week.

Surface soil moisture in Alberta was 80.2 per cent good to excellent with 13.5 per cent excessive. The provincial five-year average was 54.2 per cent good to excellent and 1.6 per cent excessive. The Peace region had the highest good to excellent rating at 87.1 per cent, while the northwest region was the lowest at 55.5 per cent with a provincial high 44.5 per cent excessive moisture. Although the south region had 80.2 per cent good to excellent, it also had the highest poor to fair rating of 16.6 per cent.

Meanwhile, sub-surface soil moisture was rated at 83 per cent good to excellent, above the five-year average of 47 per cent. The Peace region had 92 per cent good to excellent sub-surface soil moisture, followed by the central and northwest regions at 90 per cent. The northeast had 83 per cent and the south had 72 per cent.

Pasture growth was rated 82.2 per cent good to excellent in Alberta, well above the 45.7 per cent five-year average. The central region was rated best at 94.5 per cent, while the Peace region was the worst at 56.3 per cent. Tame hay growth across Alberta was 81 per cent good to excellent.

Wheat

The USDA lowered U.S. 2026-27 wheat production to 1.536 billion bushels, above an average of analyst estimates for 1.525 billion bushels and below its June estimate of 1.543 billion bushels.

The report was “less friendly on wheat than anticipated,” said Charlie Sernatinger, analyst with Marex Capital.

Still, the production figure would represent the smallest U.S. wheat harvest since the 1970-71 marketing year.

World wheat ending stocks also fell to 272.84 million tonnes, due in part to smaller planted acreage in Canada and drought damage to the U.S. wheat crop. The world ending stocks figure fell below the average analyst expectation of 273.17 million tonnes.

Wheat futures maintained gains after rallying roughly three per cent ahead of the report as traders reacted to signs of escalation in the four-year war between Russia and Ukraine, both major wheat exporters, including signs of disruption to shipping in the Sea of Azov. Ukraine has struck a number of Russian tankers in the Sea of Azov that connects with the Black Sea, and traders said there was talk of a possible closure to Azov traffic.

Corn

In corn, the USDA lowered its forecast for 2026-27 U.S. corn ending stocks to 1.79 billion bushels, below analyst expectations of 1.873 billion bushels, after reporting tight quarterly corn stocks in June.

“It’s a pretty friendly report for corn. It will be very much weather-driven from here on out. The balance sheet that USDA gave us today should make us very sensitive to weather. It really sets the stage for an interesting finish to the growing season,” said Ted Seifried, chief market strategist of Zaner Ag Hedge.

The USDA also raised its forecast for the 2026-27 U.S. corn production to 16 billion bushels — up slightly from its June estimate of 15.995 billion bushels and above analyst expectations for 15.975 billion bushels.

Soybeans

The USDA pegged 2026-27 U.S. soybean production at 4.475 billion bushels, slightly above analyst expectations of 4.459 billion bushels and above the June estimate of 4.435 billion bushels. The agency reported U.S. 2026-27 soybean ending stocks at 310 million bushels, unchanged from June and below analyst expectations of 330 million bushels.

Global highlights

Wheat 2026-27

• Canadian output reduced one million tonnes at 34 million.

• Russian and Ukrainian output raised 500,000 tonnes each at 88.5 million and 24 million tonnes, respectively.

• World ending stocks cut from 275.42 million tonnes to now 272.84 million tonnes.

Corn 2026-27

• Argentine and Brazilian output held at 55 million and 139 million tonnes respectively.

• European Union output reduced to 53.78 million tonnes from 57.5 million.

• Canadian output increased to 16.3 million tonnes from 14.5 million.

• World ending stocks reduced to 275.26 million tonnes from 281.22 million.

Soybeans 2026-27

• Argentine and Brazilian output held at 50 million and 186 million tonnes, respectively.

• World ending stocks trimmed to 124.17 million tonnes from 124.88 million.

• Also, Argentine and Brazilian output for 2025-26 was kept at 50 million and 180 million tonnes, respectively.

— Reporting by Heather Schlitz; additional reporting by Glen Hallick of Glacier FarmMedia

“It’s too early yet to say we’re in a recession,” Des Sobool, deputy chief economist with Farm Credit Canada, told delegates attending Seeds Canada’s 2026 annual meeting.

A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of decline in a country’s gross domestic product.

The Canadian economy shrunk by one per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025 followed by a 0.1 per cent contraction in the first quarter of 2026, so that meets the technical definition.

However, Sobool said it is more nuanced than that. Economists also look at other factors, such as how many sectors of the economy experienced a downturn and how the labour force is performing.

If Canada experienced a recession, it certainly was not as pronounced as previous ones.

And it appears to have been short-lived.

FCC’s expectation is that the economy rebounded in the second quarter of 2026, growing by an estimated 2.5 per cent.

However, there is no doubt that U.S. tariffs have caused considerable turmoil and volatility that is weighing on the Canadian economy.

FCC expects Canadian GDP will grow by a paltry 0.9 per cent in 2026, followed by 1.4 per cent in 2027. That would be five years in a row where growth was two per cent or less.

“That is just not sufficient,” said Sobool.

“Our growth should be above two per cent.”

Product inventories increased by 4.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, indicating that businesses are either anticipating a surge in future demand or that consumer purchasing has slumped.

Capital spending was down one per cent, which was a huge drain on GDP.

A mere 68 per cent of Canadian businesses polled in the second quarter of 2026 felt optimistic about the next 12 months, compared to 73 per cent before implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs.

“When the tariffs hit, business sentiment just tanked,” said Sobool.

Canada’s labour productivity grew at a rate of 0.7 per cent in 2025, which is above the G7 average but well below the U.S. market.

If productivity in Canada’s agriculture and food sector simply returned to historic levels, it would generate $28 billion in labour income, create 240,000 jobs and contribute $71 billion to GDP.

“That’s massive,” said Sobool.

“This is the opportunity.”

Inflation climbed to 3.2 per cent in May. FCC expects the full-year rate to end up at 2.7 per cent.

Energy price increases have yet to flow through the entire supply chain. There is typically a six- to 12-month lag for that to happen, so inflation will likely be pronounced again in 2027.

FCC expects the Bank of Canada’s overnight rate to remain at 2.25 per cent for the remainder of 2026, but it will likely experience two hikes in 2027, climbing to 2.75 per cent by the end of the year.

That is going to drive up both the variable and fixed rate costs of borrowing. The fixed rate hinges on the five-year Government of Canada bond rate.

“Debt is not going to get any cheaper,” said Sobool.

“The bond market is not a fan of tariffs and it’s not a fan of the U.S. debt, which is approaching US$39 trillion.”

The Canadian dollar is expected to continue trading in the US$0.72 to $0.74 range, which benefits exporters but not importers.

Trade uncertainty a certainty

Sobool said Trump’s decision to not extend the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) means there will be continued market uncertainty.

The good news is the agreement remains intact for the next 10 years, and 95 per cent of Canada’s agri-food exports are CUSMA compliant, which means they are tariff-free.

That’s a blessing because the U.S. market accounts for 61 per cent of Canada’s agri-food exports.

Despite all the diversification rhetoric, Canadian exporters will have a difficult time extricating themselves from the biggest economy in the world located right next door.

However, he believes there is an opportunity for Canada’s agriculture sector to expand processing and export more value-added products.

FCC recently created an in-house venture capital team that will be deploying $2.5 billion in equity investments over the next five years to help foster innovation in Canada’s agri-food sector.

Some of that money may flow to firms in other countries with the caveat that the technology they are developing will make its way back to Canada.

Sobool said the U.S. invests $23 in agriculture technology for every $1 spent in Canada.

The group’s 2026 annual general meeting in early July took place in Whitehorse.

The family-friendly event included local tourism opportunities as well as a presentation from the Yukon Agricultural Association.

The region’s modern agricultural history started with the gold rush at the end of the 19th century, YAA executive director Hanna Fish and president Cain Vangel said during their presentation.

Gold rush prospectors had to eat, and they weren’t familiar with the millennia-old hunting, gathering and food preservation techniques of the 14 Indigenous groups that called Yukon home.

Rich river deposits made for strong agricultural potential, and there were strong local markets with a glut of mouths to feed. Dawson City, the epicentre of the gold rush, was one of those areas with an abundance of soil.

The short-lived stampede of prospectors created a population boom of 27,000 people at the height of the good rush, 56 per cent of Yukon’s current population. By 1911, however, the population had dropped to 8,500, said Fish. Dawson City farmers were providing nearly all of them with local vegetables.

“Necessity shaped early agricultural systems,” said Fish, and there are plenty of stories of that, from failed cattle drives across the vast and dangerous Yukon wilderness to the creation and popularity of evaporated milk because it was a shelf-stable milk source for prospectors.

Outfitting is still a prominent industry in Yukon, and with that comes continued need for grazing, hay and food, said Vangel.

Soil wasn’t the only agricultural boon that rivers brought. The sternwheeler ships that dominated water ways during the gold rush provided shipping avenues to get food from growers to consumers, Fish noted.

The creation of the Alaska Highway, the 2,232-kilometre route from Dawson Creek, B.C., to Delta Junction, Alaska, changed that immensely following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the United States entering the Second World War.

“Transportation infrastructure has always shaped agricultural opportunity here in Yukon,” Fish said, and “logistics can redefine what is possible, shift priorities and, in Yukon’s case, this (the building of the highway) was away from local production and a bit more into increased mining efforts.”

Northern growth

Only two per cent of the territory’s 482,443 sq. km is suitable for agriculture, but that has just pushed Yukon farmers toward innovation, cold-hardy crops, empirical seed selection and attention to maturity dates, said Fish.

There’s only a 60- to 90-day growing season, even less in some regions. On the other hand, each of those days comes with a lot of daylight.

The Yukon’s agricultural network is small compared to other provinces, but the YAA has 115 members. They commonly advocate for more local food production, especially through their five per cent local campaign, wherein they encourage the Yukon government to be the prime customer of Yukon farmers.

Their efforts are paying off, said Vangel. Yukon agriculture has seen steady growth.

“Producers are diversifying, infrastructure is improving,” Vangel said.

“The demand for local food is stronger than ever. We’re seeing innovation in greenhouse production, livestock expansion, soil enhancement and value-added processing.”

Fish and Vangel’s stories resonated with everyone in the room, said Phil Nadalin, Ontario Seed Growers Association vice-president.

Ontario’s southwest corridor is basically the banana belt, said Nadalin. Farmers are growing a lot of high-heat-unit crops. To come to Yukon and see their limitations and challenges, but also their successes, is amazing, he said.

“The resiliency to just not give up is phenomenal,” he said.

• Read more: Farming in Canada’s north can take a real toll on mental health

Southern producers can learn from the Yukon, said Carla Ventin, a government relations expert who also spoke at the annual meeting. Ventin pointed to the support for local food production and local Yukon initiatives.

On the flip side of that, the connection to the environment is important to Yukoners, she said, and more provinces could mirror that relationship as well.

“There’s been past projects that have not respected that, and that is very emotionally felt and significantly felt with people who live in Yukon. There is a sense of the importance of caring for our environment … because it is our future, and I think there’s a lot of support for that in Yukon,” Ventin said.

During a panel discussion about geopolitics and how it’s impacting agriculture in Canada, Ventin mentioned Prime Minister Mark Carney’s shift toward agriculture as an important piece of Canada’s security and sovereignty. With recent conversations growing around Arctic sovereignty, the importance of food production is felt deeply in Yukon, Fish said.

“Historically, agriculture has always been a way to help populate and sustain communities. It supports the economic development and reinforces the long-term stability of these regions. It’s no different here in Yukon,” she said.

While the CSGA does not have any members in Yukon, Caroline Lafontaine, chief operating officer and interim executive director, said hosting the event there was a conscious and deliberate decision by the board because it provided members a chance to experience a different region of the country.

Due to flight cancellations, Black was unable to attend in person but spoke via video chat about the recent work by the Senate’s agriculture and forestry committee.

The committee’s recent report, Critical Ground: Why Soil Is Essential to Canada’s Economic, Environmental, Human, and Social Health, was released June 6, 2024, and its main finding was that soils are under threat.

“Soils throughout Canada, and in fact around the world, are at risk, require immediate action to protect, remediate, preserve, and conserve our world soil,” Black said.

Soil degradation causes significant loss in yields, water content and biodiversity, he said, and according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, 2021 saw 30 per cent soil degradation around the world. By 2050, the UN is predicting that number to jump to 90 per cent.

“That’s a scary possibility that we need to work together to mitigate,” said Black.

Black said farmers already know about regenerative soil practices, including no- and low-till farming, cover cropping, input diversification and grazing management. Agroforestry has also had a “positive long-term impact on soil health in Canada when properly planned and managed.”

Not only does healthy soil management improve crop yields and profitability for farmers, but it also means cleaner air and water, mitigates the impacts of climate change and increases biosecurity and food security, the senator said.

Soil protection means long-term planning

The report also included 25 recommendations for the government to support soil protection, preservation and conservation, the number one recommendation being that “the government designate soil as a national strategic asset,” said Black.

“This requires a long-term strategy to protect and conserve soil across Canada, a strategy with concrete targets and timelines and provisions that are regularly reviewed.”

Other recommendations included the government recognizing concrete strategies and advocates, and collaboration between the federal governments, First Nations and the provinces and territories.

The Canadian government has agreed to the recommendations, but now they have to be held accountable, said Black. Prime agricultural land is often sacrificed for residential and industrial developments, especially during election time, he said, even though the government supports recommendations to protect agricultural land. Sacrificing agricultural land means sacrificing food security.

“We need to ensure that the value of preserving farmlands is kept front and centre in the minds of candidates when promises are made to build more housing,” Black said.

Bill S-230 is the act to bring the national strategy for “soil health protection, conservation and enhancement” into Canadian law. The bill passed first reading in the House of Commons on April 22, and Black expects it will be finalized by December 2027.

Despite the concerning predictions from the UN, Black said this gives him hope.

“We don’t have another 40 years, we’ve got 25 years or less … and for me, that keeps me up at night. A national strategy is just the beginning of a path to soil conservation in Canada.”

Treat the condition, not just the symptoms

Anytime something like soil health hits the political world, it increases awareness about the issues, said Kevin Elmy, a cover crop advocate for nearly 30 years and a regenerative agriculture coach.

However, he hopes it doesn’t get “bogged in regulations.” Regulation is needed, he said, but good policy needs grey areas for flexibility and context.

“Farmers want to do the right thing,” Elmy wrote in an email following his own presentation in Whitehorse, “but the financial stress is causing them not to allow change because of the fear of losing the farm. What if they do things differently and it doesn’t work?”

Elmy has developed five soil health principles that he shares with farmers in Canada, the United States, Australia and Ukraine to improve their soil health.

He said keeping a plant in the vegetative stage for as many days as possible through the whole growing season, increasing functional plant group diversity, reducing tillage, reducing reliance on synthetic inputs and incorporating livestock have all led to healthier soils for him and the farmers with whom he works.

The biggest challenge many producers face is treating the symptoms of poor soil and not the problem itself, said Elmy. Financial issues, yields, weeds and pests are all symptoms of a greater problem, he said, and treating the underlying problem of soils is a more effective solution that farmers can integrate into their operations.

“When we have an active and fully functioning biological system, it takes care of itself,” he said.

For seed producers, purity is their key concern, but that doesn’t eliminate cover cropping as a soil treatment option altogether, Elmy said.

Crops that don’t go to seed, as well as intercropped or cover-cropped plants that produce different sized seeds can potentially give seed farmers the benefits of cover cropping without affecting the quality of their product, he said.

However, these are also things they can practice on their commercial acres or talk about with their customers.

Elmy was a seed producer for 34 years and he knows it can be nerve-wracking to try something new.

Farmers can’t afford mistakes, he said, but a little bit of research and sharing knowledge with other farmers, knowing what they’re planting, what their goals are for their operation and their soil and how it will help their crops grow better and more sustainably can go a long way.

National Beef Packing Company and JBS — which includes JBS USA Company, JBS Packerland Inc., JBS Canada ULC and Swift Beef Company – have agreed to pay out nearly C$8 million to members of class action lawsuits alleging “an unlawful conspiracy regarding the supply and/or price of beef sold in Canada,” said a July 9 media release.

The class action lawsuits against defendants representing Cargill and Tyson are still ongoing. The lawsuits are on behalf of Canadian customers who purchased beef after Jan. 1, 2015.

JBS agreed to pay a total of C$7,498,700 while National Beef will give out C$495,000. Both companies also agreed to co-operate with plaintiffs seeking claims against non-settling defendants. The settlements are not admissions of guilt by JBS or National Beef but are compromises of disputed claims.

The settlements must be approved in court before coming into effect. Settlement approval hearings will take place in Vancouver on Sept. 10 and Montreal on Dec. 1.

Excessive moisture over the last two weeks continued to have a negative impact on crops. This included those drowned out, yellowing, developing slower and delays to spraying and haying. There were also problems with hail, gophers, cabbage seedpod weevils and wind damage.

Moisture

Saskatchewan topsoil moisture ratings dipped slightly during the week, despite the rain.

• Cropland: 30 per cent surplus, 69 per cent adequate, one per cent short.

• Hayland: 23 per cent surplus, 76 per cent adequate, one per cent short

• Pasture: 16 per cent surplus, 82 per cent adequate, two per cent short.

Conditions

Crop ratings and development stages varied across Saskatchewan.

• Winter cereals: two per cent stem elongation, eight per cent flag leaf, 56 per cent heading, 34 per cent dough.

• Spring cereals: three per cent seedling, 21 per cent tillering, 27 per cent stem elongation, 34 per cent flag leaf, 14 per cent heading.

• Flax: 24 per cent seedling, 62 per cent stem elongation, 13 per cent flowering, one per cent boil.

• Canola and mustard: eight per cent seedling, 27 per cent rosette, 37 per cent bolting, 27 per cent flowering, one per cent podded.

• Pulses: two per cent seedling, 52 per cent vegetative, 43 per cent flowering, three per cent podded.

Forage

Haying was essentially stalled provincewide, with the first cut only four per cent complete and two per cent baled or silage. Hay quality was pegged at 13 per cent excellent, 66 per cent good and 13 per cent poor. Pastures were 38 per cent excellent, 55 per cent good and seven per cent fair.

“In God we trust. All others bring replicated data.”

On July 21, Karamanos will be recognized for that nugget of wisdom and his decades of work in soil science and crop fertility.

Croptimistic Technology, a Saskatchewan ag tech company known for SWAT Maps, announced July 8 that Karamanos, now retired and based in Calgary, had won the Les Henry Award, presented for excellence in soil and water science and the applications of same in the farming community.

The presentation ceremony will happen near the University of Saskatchewan booth at Ag in Motion, an outdoor farm show near Langham, Sask.

“Rigas has contributed so much to the agriculture community in the Canadian Prairies over the past 50 years and has certainly earned this recognition,” said Don Flaten, a retired University of Manitoba soil scientist and long-time friend of Karamanos.

Henry influenced dozens of scientists during his career, telling them that ag research doesn’t mean much unless farmers hear about the findings.

“Les inspired me in the importance of getting that research information out to growers … to go out to the field days … go to the farmer meetings in the small towns, talk about your research work,” said Jeff Schoenau, a U of S soil scientist and previous winner of the Les Henry Award.

Karamanos has followed suit. Over the last five decades, he has shared his expertise with thousands of farmers.

He once told The Western Producer that in the 1990s and parts of the 2000s, he took 130 to 140 flights per year.

The airline travel was necessary because Karamanos was constantly speaking at farm meetings and ag industry conferences across North America.

“Over his distinguished career, Karamanos authored or co-authored over 400 research, technical and conference proceedings and delivered over 1,000 extension presentations,” said the press release announcing the Les Henry Award.

“He taught at universities, operated a Saskatchewan soils lab and helped senior positions in industry … (at) Esso, Viterra and Koch.”

Following the award ceremony, at 10 a.m., there will be a panel session with Karamanos, Flaten and Schoenau.

The copyright to Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water and the Les Henry Award were passed on to Cory Willness of Croptimistic Technology. For more information on Henry’s handbook, visit the SWAT Maps booth at Ag In Motion.