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By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup

Agriculture Roundup for Monday, March 11, 2024

Mar 12, 2024 | 8:53 AM

Lonny McKague as been reappointed the Commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC).

McKague has over 40 years of experience as a primary producer and has also served as president of the Canadian Limousin Association, the Ogema Agricultural Society, and of the local Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association.

He was first appointed in 2017 and his re-appointment is for a term of three years.

The CGC regulates grain handling in Canada and establishes and maintains science-based standards of quality for Canadian grain.

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The Saskatchewan government has renewed a five-year funding agreement with the Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan.

The $3 million per year will support ongoing operations including crop breeding through sequencing, biometrics and data analytics services or technology development that facilitates commercialization of new products.

Agriculture Minister David Marit said the commitment is fundamental to keeping our agriculture industry a global leader in technology, production and best practices.

“Investing in research activities undertaken by GIFS and similar institutions is the first step toward enabling Saskatchewan’s producers to not only stay competitive, but proving that they remain among the most productive, innovative and sustainable in the world,” Marit said.

In January, GIFS released the results of a two-year study showing Saskatchewan’s production of five major field crops has a significantly smaller carbon footprint in comparison to regions that export the same products, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.

The conclusions of the study have become a fundamental aspect of Saskatchewan’s sustainability story and the sector’s increasingly important role in global food production.

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Drones and robots will be put to work in the orchards of Kelowna this spring as part of a pilot project to promote what the equipment maker calls ‘precision farming.’

The city is collaborating with B.C. company InDro Robotics to use its aerial drones and ground-roving industrial robots to patrol 80 hectares of apple, pear, and cherry trees to monitor fruit health and growth.

A statement from the city said the equipment will help farmers better manage their crops.

InDro Robotics CEO Philip Reece said autonomous robots and drones can inspect crops and provide real-time data on plant health, soil moisture and infestations.

The pilot project will last two years, with funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Data gathered by the drones and robots will be stored by the city and is expected to help farmers increase yields and improve resiliency amid climate change, the statement says.

The selection of farms for the project is being co-ordinated with the Regional District of Central Okanagan.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @farmnewsNOW