A Busy Summer for SaskBarley: Events and Engagements
This summer, SaskBarley staff and board members attended a variety of events and engagements with farmers and end users across the country, and the world.
Sask Crop Commissions Field Tour at Biggar, SK
Co-hosted with SaskPulse, Sask Wheat, and SaskCanola, this event was supposed to tour the on-farm field trails around Biggar, SK on June 26th but had to switch to a ‘Coffee Shop Talk‘ format due to extensive rains and wet road conditions. Despite the change, attendees enjoyed engaging round-table discussions with researchers and agronomists about their specific agronomic challenges and solutions. The weather cleared up enough after lunch that the tour did get to stop at the barley plot.
Agri-ARM Field Days
SaskBarley staff and board members participated in several Agri-ARM field days across the province. Research and Extension Manager Mitchell Japp spoke at multiple locations:
- Wheatland Conservation Area (WCA), Swift Current
- Indian Head Agricultural Research Farm (IHARF), Indian Head
- Western Applied Research Corporation (WARC), Scott, SK
- Irrigation Crop Development Centre (ICDC), Outlook, SK
Despite record-breaking heat at Outlook, the event provided a great platform to showcase SaskBarley’s research projects. Videos of these projects and their results will be shared over the coming months.
Canada-China Barley Seminar in Qingdao, China
Chair Cody Glenn and Vice Chair Matt Enns joined the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) at the Canada-China Barley Seminar in Qingdao, China. They spent five days educating malt and feed barley customers about Canada’s production practices, quality control measures, and sustainability efforts. This trip focused on building relationships with some of China’s largest brewers and gaining valuable insights into their requirements.
Read more about their trip to Strengthen Relationships in China here.
Centennial Celebration at Brandon, MB
Executive Director Jill McDonald attended the centennial celebration of AAFC’s Brandon Research and Development Centre’s Barley Breeding Program. The program has produced 40 barley varieties, including the notable AC Metcalfe, AC Synergy and AC Connect
Strategic Planning Session in Saskatoon, SK
On July 23 and 24, the SaskBarley Board of Directors met in Saskatoon for a strategic planning session facilitated by Synthesis. The opportunity to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing Saskatchewan barley farmers and to set the next three years of priority areas for SaskBarley is essential for the success of the organization. Immediately following the strategic planning sessions, we were also able have our end of the fiscal year board meeting.
Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC) Barley Committee Meeting in Saskatoon, SK
CBRC held its annual Barley Committee meeting in Saskatoon, SK on July 25th. This brought 35 stakeholders from across the Canadian barley value chain to Saskatoon to connect researchers, farmers and end users (including maltsters and food companies) and discuss current challenges or opportunities of stakeholders.
Upcoming Events
We are excited to co-host an incoming delegation of malt buyers from Japan to Saskatchewan in August. This annual Malt Barley New Crop Field Tour, presented by CMBTC, will bring representatives from major beer companies like Sapporo to our area and highlight the high quality barley produced in Canada.
Winter events to watch for include:
- Grade School, November 2024
- Annual General Meeting and Conference, January 2025
- Top Notch Farming, February 2025
Stay tuned to our e-newsletter or website for a save the date to these events and more.
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