Ag creates jobs in Sask.

Nov 13, 2019

The industry created more than 3,000 jobs between October 2018 and 2019

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Saskatchewan’s ag industry played a role in overall job growth across the province.

The province created 11,000 jobs in October, bringing the total workforce to 613,100 people and achieving 15 consecutive months of job growth year-over-year.

The unemployment rate in Saskatchewan is at 5.1 per cent, below the national average of 5.5 per cent.

“Saskatchewan continues to experience one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and below the national average, despite external headwinds,” Jeremy Harrison, minister of immigration and career training, said in a statement.

Ag is one of the industries that experienced an increase in jobs between October 2018 and 2019.

The sector employed 42,400 people last month. That figure represents an uptick of 3,600 jobs over the one-year period.

The increase in jobs within the industry helps prove how important it is to the province.

“It is encouraging to see that primary agriculture continues to be a key source of employment in the province,” David Marit, Saskatchewan’s minister of agriculture, told Farms.com in an emailed statement. “It makes up about 7 per cent of the Saskatchewan’s employment.

“While it is hard to say why agriculture is seeing an increase, we are optimistic the trend will continue. Growth in primary agriculture is a key component of Saskatchewan’s Plan for Growth.”

Other industries that experienced job growth between October 2018 and 2019 include manufacturing (up 3,000 jobs) and educational services (up 1,800 jobs).

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.