Tough decisions ahead for Blades despite strong start to season
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The Blades are third in the eastern conference with a record of 11-5-1-1.
Saskatchewan farmers are getting more support in their ongoing war against pests and weeds.
On Wednesday, the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced $19.5 million in funding for what they’re calling an enhanced Pest Biosecurity Program.
The five-year program, which is funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, will be delivered by the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM).
Money is available to RMs and First Nations so they can help producers deal with invasive agricultural crop pests, prohibited and noxious weeds, and nuisance gophers, rats and beavers.
“Our farmers work hard to produce the high-quality crops and products that Canada and the world are looking for,” federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau said in a release. “This investment will strengthen our sector’s resilience by ensuring producers continue to have access to effective pest management tools that are safe for them, for consumers and the environment.”
“This support protects against the negative impact of pests and invasive weeds on Saskatchewan’s crops and natural landscape,” added Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit. “The program is an investment in the sector’s future, safeguarding the ability for Saskatchewan producers to continue growing crops and maintain the use of their land.”
The program offers education and training for farmers through the Plant Health Network. SARM’s full-time plant health technical advisers help farmers identify and control what the release called “invasive and emerging threats to plant biosecurity in agriculture.”
There’s also a new Gopher Control Program, which will offer a rebate for what the governments called “registered control products and for the purchase of materials to build a raptor platform as sustainable integrated pest management.”
More information on the program and the five-year, $3.5-billion Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership can be found on the SARM website or the Government of Saskatchewan’s website.