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Weeds, transportation and women at forefront of agriculture AGM

Nov 30, 2017 | 4:00 PM

Women, grain transportation and the arrival of Clubroot in Saskatchewan were among the hot topics discussed during the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan’s (APAS) annual general meeting held in Regina this week.

On Thursday there was a panel discussion on the role of women in agriculture.

“The farmer’s daughter has just as much opportunity now as the father or son and certainly with spouses it’s a partnership,” APAS President Todd Lewis said.

Keynote speakers discussed some of the equality barriers which remain, specifically equal pay. 

Beyond gender, grain transportation was discussed. 

Lewis said producers are concerned with railway schedules and cost. 

“In many cases grain companies don’t know whether the train is coming on Monday or Friday so how does any business run on those kinds of variances,” Lewis said.

Clubroot was another high priority issue. The soil-borne disease which can kill an entire canola plant was recently associated more with crops in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Atlantic Canada, is now near the Alberta border.

“It’s an emerging problem and it’s been around a long time but now it’s here and our producers here want it recognized and we want to have protocols in place that can protect their land so Clubroot doesn’t spread any further,” Lewis said.

Currently, there are no ways to remove it from a field once it has become infested. However, it is possible to slow the spread and reduce the severity of the disease.

 

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell