Southwest Agricultural Conference

Ontario Farmers Face Warmer 2026 Growing Season with Uneven Moisture Outlook

Ontario farmers are entering the 2026 growing season with a warmer-than-normal outlook and uncertain rainfall. While heat may boost crop development, uneven moisture conditions could create regional stress.

Canada Faces Below-Average Hurricane Season, Will Farmers be Safe?

A quieter hurricane season is expected in 2026, but Environment Canada warns that strong storms can still pose serious risks. Early preparation remains essential.

Future of research, regulations among topics discussed during Federal Ag Minister's visit to Saskatchewan

Federal Agriculture Minister Heath McDonald kicked off a two-day visit to Saskatchewan Tuesday with a stop at the University of Saskatchewan. McDonald toured the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and afterward met with industry stakeholders. The discussions were focused on research with 16 representatives participating in the discussions, both in-person and virtually. The federal government received heavy criticism for plans to close seven Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research facilities across the country. These include a major Research and Development Centre at Lacombe, Alberta, satellite research farms at Scott and Indian Head in Saskatchewan, as well as Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The planned closures are part of broader federal budget cuts. Farmer organizations and research scientists have been lobbying to keep the facilities open by looking at alternative measures. MacDonald is listening to what they are saying. "When these closures started, the discussion, it was

Ag in the Classroom connects Indigenous youth with agriculture opportunities

Ag in the Classroom is working with First Nations to inform young people about the opportunities available in Agriculture. An event was held last Wednesday at the University of Saskatchewan that was attended by more than 200 grade 8 to 12 students -- some travelling more than four hours to get to Saskatoon. "The idea behind this event was to bring Indigenous youth from across the province to the College of Ag and Bioresources and begin to explore agriculture and food sovereignty and hopefully get inspired to consider how they could be a part of either agriculture as a career in their future or different initiatives that might be taking place now or in the future in their community." explained Sara Shymko, Executive Director of Ag in the Classroom Saskatchewan. One of the guest speakers was Cadmus Delorme. While Delorme was Chief of the Cowessess First Nation, there was an agricultural revival, with more than 5,000 acres now being farmed. "They don't necessarily farm exactly the sam

Number of employees in the agriculture sector edges up in 2024

There were 280,991 employees in the agriculture sector in 2024, edging up 0.1% from 2023. Almost half of all agricultural workers were employed in horticulture industries in 2024, led by greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production (+1.6% to 64,682), and vegetable and melon farming (+3.5% to 36,105), while employment in fruit and tree nut farming (-9.0% to 28,271) declined year over year. Oilseed and grain farming remained the second-largest employer in the sector, with its number of agricultural employees rising 1.1% to 49,456. Seasonal employees accounted for almost half (48.6%) of all agricultural workers in 2024 (136,603), down from 49.5% in 2023, continuing the gradual decline in the share of seasonal employees in recent years. Full-time employment rose 1.8% to 103,948, while part-time employment was up 1.5% to 40,440. Farms in Ontario continued to employ the largest number of workers (83,363) in 2024, up 1.2% from 2023. Quebec followed with 69,717 employees (+0.9%). In 202