Saskatchewan Investing In Ag Tech Sector

Jul 24, 2020

On Wednesday, the Province announced the creation of a $1 million AgTech Growth Fund to encourage the development of agricultural technology.

Innovation Saskatchewan Minister Tina Beaudry-Mellor says they realized the need for the fund when they saw AgTech applications in the Saskatchewan Advantage for Innovation Fund go from zero to 31% in a two-year period.

She says the new AgTech Growth Fund will help people with really innovative ideas get them off the ground.

"We have found that in the past we have farmers that have been anxious to test out some of those ideas, and get help for those innovators and get them ready for commercialization."

She notes we have a thriving agriculture sector and a growing tech sector.

"Both of those areas have really been amplified by the COVID pandemic. It's been really important, everybody I think has had the experience of using increased technology throughout the pandemic. It's also been really critically important to make sure the food supply chain is intact and so that has actually amplified this opportunity even more."

Agriculture Minister David Marit says Saskatchewan is already an agriculture research hub and investing in farm equipment technology will add to our investments in crop breeding and production.

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Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.