Saskatchewan Announces Additional Investment For Irrigation Development

Jun 10, 2021

The Province of Saskatchewan recently announced an additional investment of $5 Million for irrigation development.

Agriculture Minister David Marit says the funding will provide more support to develop irrigation infrastructure, with producers now being able to access up to $500,000 per application from the previous level of $300,000.

"We've seen increases in irrigation acres over the last few years. Since the start of the CAP program in 2018 - 2020, we've seen an increase of close to 10,000 acres. So obviously it has a huge interest by the farming and ranching community out there. So we thought this is an opportunity to help grow that."

He says the new funding for the Irrigation Development Program will support projects that are ready for construction to be completed in the next two years that are located outside of the irrigation district.

"So, this really gives an opportunity for farmers and ranchers if they have the water source close by or whatever the case may b, this gives them an opportunity also to grow their business. So this is outside the irrigation program. This is a stand alone for opportunities for farmers and ranchers outside that area to grow their irrigation as well."

Application forms and funding is available through the Saskatchewan's Irrigation Development Program.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.