Stock growers explore processing facility for Saskatchewan

Sep 13, 2022

Saskatchewan produces 30 per cent of Canada’s beef cattle, but there are no federally inspected packing facilities in the province.

The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) believes the province and its producers are selling all that potential value out-of-province and at a discount.

SSGA released a study into the feasibility of building and operating a packing plant in Saskatchewan. The study called Opportunities and Challenges for Growing Saskatchewan’s Beef Processing Sector indicated there is a way to create more packing capacity.

The province’s current beef cow herd is approximately 1.1 million head, with roughly the same number of calves born each year. A quarter million head are exported either to other provinces or United States for slaughter every year, and more than a million leave the province as feeder cattle.

SSGA President Garner Deobald said creating processing capacity in Saskatchewan would add value to beef exported as meat products and incentivize more feeding operations.

Click here to see more...

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.