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Each year at Canada’s Farm Progress Show held in Regina in June a farm couple are presented the ‘Outstanding Young Farmers Award’ which recognizes young farmers who demonstrate excellence in their profession.

It never ceases to surprise me the entrepreneurial spirit of rural Saskatchewan to try to develop new economies.

Thanks to another week of relatively good conditions, 91 per cent of the crop is now in the ground. This is up from 70 per cent last week and remains well ahead of the five-year (2013-2017) seeding average of 81 per cent for this time of year.

When it comes to farming there has always been a generous amount of hope and finger crossing involved. Farmers hope frosts in the spring and fall will stay away until crops are grown and harvested.

Recently, Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison introduced Bill 125, The Saskatchewan Value-Added Agriculture Incentive, for first reading in the Saskatchewan Legislature.

Due to dry conditions producers are anticipating reduced pasture and hay yields this summer. Many are now considering seeding annuals for forage.

Thanks to good seeding conditions, Saskatchewan producers made up the time lost in previous weeks. Thirty-five per cent of the crop is now in the ground, just ahead of the five-year (2013-2017) seeding average of 32 per cent for this time of year.

There is a reason people are reluctant to open a can of worms; once it is open, the wiggly critters tend to escape and can be very hard to get back in the can.

Over the years, there have been many stories of European farmers pulling up roots and moving to Canada. There have generally been two motivating factors in the decision to make such a huge change. The first has been simple economics.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister, Lawrence MacAulay, announced today the appointment of Mr. Serge Riendeau as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) following an open, transparent and merit-based selection process.