By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Friday June 25, 2021

Jun 25, 2021 | 10:38 AM

MELFORT, Sask. – New partnership has been formed to promote inclusion of Indigenous groups in Canadian agriculture.

A national consortium will build a strategy focused on improving diversity.

Led by Indigenous Works, the project is part of the organization’s Luminary Initiative— a six-year program created to advance Indigenous-led research and innovation to generate employment, and improve the wellbeing of Indigenous groups in Canada.

Indigenous Works President and CEO Kelly Lendsay said indigenous people want to expand their national and global businesses to bring economic prosperity, jobs, and well-being to their communities.

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Many crops could use an extra shot of rain but the long-range forecast is calling for hot, dry conditions.

Glacier Media director of markets and weather Bruce Burnett said most of Western Canada got some rain in early June, but it was not evenly distributed.

“We had some areas pick up about an inch, other areas up over four or five inches. I think we still have enough soil moisture still hanging around,” Burnett said. “But for those areas that didn’t pick up as much, we’re starting to see crops get back into stressful conditions.”

Burnett said it will be important for the prairies to get rain in the next two to three weeks during the critical flowering period of canola.

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The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) is pleased with news of more improvements to rural internet service.

The provincial government will spend $50 million to bring fibre optic broadband infrastructure to an additional 24 communities and create an opportunity for smaller providers to accelerate service delivery in even more locations.

APAS Rural Connectivity Task Force Chair Jeremy Welter said bringing fibre to more of Saskatchewan’s communities will be an important step in bridging the digital divide.

“This is good news for Saskatchewan’s rural communities and these improvements will help increase their prosperity and resilience in the future,” Welter said in a news release.

Last September 2020, APAS launched the task force to understand the challenges in Saskatchewan’s inadequate rural internet and cellphone coverage. The group then released 43 recommendations to improve connectivity in rural Saskatchewan.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW