Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart is inviting farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses to provide input on how the province currently delivers agriculture extension services. Agriculture extension services include the business information, advice and support provided by specialists in regional offices around the province and at extension events, the toll-free Agriculture Knowledge Centre phone line, and a variety of print and electronic publications.
“Agriculture is the foundation of our province and we want to make sure we are providing the right services, in the right locations, using the best delivery options available,” Stewart said. “We are asking producers and industry how we can better serve them and how we can ensure our extension activities remain relevant and valuable.”
An online survey will help identify the current and future needs of farmers and ranchers and the most effective way to deliver services. Focus group discussions will also be hosted around the province to help identify what is working and possible gaps producers may be finding.
“The agriculture industry is forever evolving and our extension activities need to be driving sustainable growth and ensuring our producers stay competitive in a global market,” Stewart said. “Through our consultations, we need the voice of those who access our services currently, as well as those who don’t, to ensure we move our extension activities in the right direction.”
Information collected during the consultation process will help determine how extension services should be delivered by the Ministry of Agriculture. The new delivery model is expected to be in place when the next federal-provincial-territorial agriculture policy framework starts in April 2018.
The online survey can be found at
www.saskatchewan.ca/public-consultations and will be open until March 31, 2017. A report will be shared publicly following the conclusion of the survey and focus group discussions.
Source : Government of Saskatchewan