5 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca TOP LEFT: BLUECOOLY - ADOBE STOCK | TOP RIGHT: TENSOR5PARK - ADOBE STOCK | BOTTOM: PAVLO SYVAK - ADOBE STOCK NEWS & NOTES REVENGE SAVING After years of “revenge spending” post-pandemic, our neighbours to the south have a new financial priority. As the Trump administration’s ever- changing tariff policy unsettles the economic outlook, increases retail prices and shakes up the stock market. That new priority is boosting their savings. New data indicates Americans are buckling down when it comes to their finances. The personal savings rate, or the percentage of people’s disposable income that they save, increased to 4.9 per cent in April from 4.1 per cent in January, according to a recent report by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. “Revenge saving” is trending after years of high inflation with the prospect of continued economic volatility. Source: marketwatch.com ANTHRAX IN SASKATCHEWAN Saskatchewan Agriculture is asking cattle producers to be on the lookout for anthrax. Infections from the bacterial disease caused cattle loss in the northwestern region of the province in early May. Anthrax is caused by the spore-forming bacteria Bacillus anthracis. The pathogen can survive in spore form in soil for decades while changes in soil moisture, either flooding or drying, can spur a buildup of spores on pastures. A related news release noted that spores can concentrate in sloughs and potholes, and risk of animal exposure rises when areas dry up and become accessible. Cattle are infected when they eat forage contaminated with spores. Ruminants such as bison, cattle, sheep and goats are also highly susceptible. It can be prevented with vaccination. The Saskatchewan government urges farmers in areas with a history of anthrax to vaccinate their herds annually. Source: Canadian Cattle Association INDIA’S SECOND GREEN REVOLUTION May 4, 2025, could be a significant day in the history of agriculture. On that day, Indian agriculture minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the release of two gene-edited rice varieties. India — a country of nearly 1.5 billion people — is committed to gene edited technologies and modern tools to improve crop production. “This is a golden opportunity for the agriculture sector…. These new varieties will play a leading role in heralding the second Green Revolution,” says the Indian agriculture minister. Ironically the father of the first Green Revolution, Dr. Norman Borlaug initially described the Green Revolution as a shortterm fix to head-off the imminent starvation of millions. Gene editing involves changing the genetic code of a plant with technology such as CRISPR-Cas9, a technique used to cut sections of DNA. The gene edited varieties will provide multiple benefits, says the government: • 19 per cent increase in yield. • 20 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. • Improved drought, salinity and climate stress tolerance. India’s decision to embrace gene edited crops has global implications, as the country is the world’s largest producer of rice. Source: Seed World
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