Tourism News

SFGA Conference Seeks to Further The Prairie Fruit Industry

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

“Welcome to our ‘An Industry in Motion’ conference,” says the invitation brochure. “Whether you currently own an established operation or are just now looking into opportunities in the fruit industry, this conference offers something for you.”

“You can make money growing fruit in Saskatchewan," says Charon Blakley of the Saskatchewan Fruit Growers Association (SFGA). "That is partly what we wish to convey to participants on January 13 and 14 in Saskatoon at our annual conference during Crop Production Week. With today's focus on health and the importance of a healthy diet, we have a huge potential in Saskatchewan. The cleanliness of our environment compared to that of other parts of the world is also a big advantage.”

The SFGA event is designed to set the stage for the future of the fruit industry, and the agenda is loaded with topics ranging from beginner interests to very advanced issues.

Here is a sample…

Food Safe Farm Practices A Sign of the Times

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

Food safety is becoming an increasingly important topic within the agriculture community.

Around the globe, food safety programs and practices are becoming an essential component to regular business and trade. Within Canada, many commodity groups are taking a proactive approach and are beginning to develop and implement food safety programs.

One such group is the Canadian Sheep Federation, which introduced a national Food Safe Farm Practices Program designed to provide assurance that the sheep and lamb products on our farms are produced through a safe and verifiable process, according to Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board Executive Director Gordon Schroeder.

“The Food Safe Farm Practices Program is driven by the Canadian sheep industry for the Canadian sheep industry. A technical committee, including sheep producers and technical experts in sheep production and food safety, from across the country, developed program materials for the initiative.”

The sheep producers were an integral part of the process, explains Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food (SAF) Livestock Development Specialist Tara Jaboeuf. “They provided clear input to make the program efficient, non-invasive and affordable.”

This food safety program was developed under the auspices of the Canadian On-Farm Food Safety Program (COFFS), and funded through the new Agricultural Policy Framework.

“COFFS is a producer-driven partnership between industry and government, that helps national commodity organizations develop and implement on-farm food safety programs," says Jaboeuf. "The sheep industry’s program has undergone technical review by the CFIA, and has been approved as a result. We are now starting on implementation of the program across Canada.”

In essence, the program is based on an internationally recognized hazard control system called HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points). This is a proactive approach to the identification, evaluation and control of food safety hazards. It is endorsed by government health agencies worldwide, including the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the United States Department of Agriculture.

“Most producers are already adopting the practices stipulated in the program, “Jaboeuf points out. “The program represents a formalization of these practices, demonstrating to the public and consumer that their food is indeed a safe and healthy choice.

“Participating in this nationally recognized food safety program will demonstrate to customers that producers have exercised due diligence in their production activities to minimize the possibility of physical, chemical and/or biological hazards.”

Jaboeuf adds that “some of the benefits of participating in an on-farm food safety program include maintaining or expanding domestic and international markets; increased management effectiveness, with efficiencies and cost savings on–farm; employee knowledge on-farm; and increased consumer confidence."

The Sheep Development Board's Schroeder concurs. “Saskatchewan sheep farmers already provide a safe, high quality meat, milk and wool product to our customers; however, we are now entering a time when it will become even more necessary that we demonstrate that the food we produce is safe.”

Tara Jaboeuf has taken the initiative one step further:

“We have decided to try something different. We are teaming up with the Environmental Farm Plan co-ordinator and holding workshops in Saskatoon and Regina as a pilot.”

The registration is free for both workshops, and lunch is provided. Both events will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Agriculture Business Centre at 3830 Thatcher Avenue in Saskatoon on February 24, and on February 25 at a location yet to be determined in Regina.

To find out more about the Food Safe Farm Practices Program, call the sheep development board or Tara Jaboeuf at Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food at (306) 933-5099.

For more information, contact:

Gord Schroeder
Executive Director
Saskatchewan Sheep Development Board
(306) 933-5200

Tara Jaboeuf
Livestock Development Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 933-5099

"The Big Picture Crop" Sunflower Seminar Coming to Moose Jaw

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

On a recent cold Saturday in November, a dozen brave riders sat on their horses, herding 100 cows back from pasture along the Qu’Appelle Valley. In the background, fields of brown, frozen sunflower still awaited harvest.

“Sunflowers have a reputation as a crop you harvest in November or December after the snow flies,” explains Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food (SAF) Crop Development Specialist Elaine Moats, “and yet, under normal conditions, sunflowers are off earlier than that. They are a pretty dependable money-making crop, which is perhaps the most important characteristic of sunflowers.”

Moats and industry partners are getting ready for a one-of-a-kind seminar on January 24 and 25 at the Heritage Inn in Moose Jaw called Sunflower: The Big Picture Crop. “We called it that because we believe sunflowers have a bigger role to play in crop production and value-added agriculture in Saskatchewan than they have been given credit for.”

One of the obstacles sunflower growers face in Saskatchewan, Moats points out, is market access.

“Most of the sunflowers grown in Saskatchewanat this time are intended for the birdseed market, and sold into southern Alberta, North Dakota or Manitoba. We have a few processors—the biggest one is Monty Bergquist’s Sun Country Farms at Langham—producing snack-food sunflower seeds. We probably harvested about 35,000 acres of sunflowers this past growing season in Saskatchewan.

“Originally, most of the sunflowers we grew were crushed for cooking oil. There was a crusher in Manitoba as well as the United States. But with the strengthening of the canola industry, we don’t have any sunflower crushers in Canada anymore,” explains Moats...“Certainly, the snack-food market for the hulled sunflower seeds and the birdseed market are very big markets. One of the largest confection processors in Canada is Spitz Sunflower Seeds based out of southern Alberta.”

Moats believes the seminar will provide useful information to growers, potential new producers and people who are looking for ways to market their sunflowers differently.

“We will be providing information on improved ways of growing sunflower, whether it is in terms of weed control, timing of seeding, or other factors that will allow producers to get a good quality crop off the field a little bit earlier. It is important to know that we don’t have any plant breeders in Canada, and virtually all the seed is imported from the United States. There are new developments in seed treatment and disease control that are significant because some seed treatments are not allowed in Canada."

The seminar will feature a presentation by the director of the Canadian National Sunflower Association, Mel Reimer, who will bring participants up to date on developments on the Canadian scene.

“There a couple of sunflower roasters in Manitoba that he will tell us about,” says Moats, “and there are opportunities with China in the sunflower business. The NuSun market class has the mid-oleic oil profile and is in strong demand from the cooking oil industry. Commercial processors use NuSun oil in their deep fryers because of its cooking properties. Not only is it a healthier oil, but it also remains stable longer under the higher temperatures used in the food processing industry.”

Cliff Powlowski, the Variety Testing Co-ordinator for Saskatchewan, will provide an update on his results that are printed in the grain variety guide every year.

“There is also some new work on herbicides that are registered or coming down the pipe that SAF Provincial Weed Control Specialist Clerk Brenzil will tell us about. SAF Plant Disease Specialist Penny Pearse is going to talk about new fungicide registrations. SAF Insect/Pest Management Specialist Scott Hartley will talk about some of the insect concerns, as insect pressures vary from year to year, Moats says.

“Bill May is doing research on yield and adaptation, comparing sunflower and flax to other crops like mustard. Monty Bergquist of Sun Country Farms exports a wide variety of bird food mixes that include sunflower seeds. He asks questions like: is there room for small crushers or de-hullers? He has put a lot of thought into the new uses for sunflower seeds,” Moats points out.

Also, Vern Racz and Dave Christensen of Prairie Feed Resource Centre will elaborate on where sunflower seeds fit in beef or dairy cattle feeding programs.

“When you add sunflower seed to the ration, it affects the feed intake of the cattle, which has an impact on the cost of the ration,” according to Moats. “It affects the conjugated linoleic acid level in both the milk and meat, and therefore could potentially make the milk and the meat healthier, which would bring about significant marketing advantages.”

Moats and her colleagues invite everyone interested in sunflowers to take a second look at “The Big Picture Crop.”

For more information, contact:

Elaine Moats
Crop Development Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 848-2856