SFSDC Annual General Meeting & Forage Seed Production Forum December 11, 2023
White Fox Community Hall, 301 Elinor St, Whitefox, SK, Monday, December 11th (full day and evening, registration at 8:30 AM). Event catering for noon lunches and the Monday evening supper of Black Angus roast beef raised by a local forage seed grower, Artesian Angus, and cooked/served by Joe’s Catering, Whitefox, SK.
AGM will be held prior to lunch, no charge meals to forage seed producers, at-cost to guests. Registration online SFSDC Dec 11 2023 Registration
SFSDC will send the final schedule and RSVP invitations to growers eligible to participate in the AGM. Please note: this will be an in-person meeting only.
SFSDC Vision: We grow high-quality forage seed in Saskatchewan for generations to come.
Our Purpose: We promote the development of solutions to grow clean, high-quality crops and promote forage seed production in Saskatchewan for domestic and global markets.
Our 18th AGM will coincide with a forage seed production forum, structured in topic areas related to our new vision and purpose statements.
Complimenting the knowledge updates and presentations from invited speakers, growers will take center stage to share their production experiences. This is a seed grower forum, and discussions are strongly encouraged.
Posters will be displayed so growers can read about the research supported by forage seed levy dollars and co-funders.
Seed production forum sessions cover:
Thinking about the heart and soil of growing forage seed crops in Saskatchewan, we start our day with a focus on soil health.
08:30 SESSION 1: MANAGING SOIL HEALTH & FERTILITY - balancing forage seed production fertility management challenges and strategies,
Speakers: Dr. Jeff Schoenau, Strategies to Build Soil Organic Matter and Soil Health in North-Eastern Saskatchewan. Dr. Nicole Anderson (nutrient use in forage seed crops), Ken Greer (biochar), Tom Barrie (fertilizer industry agronomist, N use efficiency products)
11:00 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
11:45 SESSION II: STATE OF THE FORAGE SEED INDUSTRY & MARKET PROSPECTS
Speakers: Dr. Nicole Anderson - the Oregon situation and Talon Gauthier, Peace Region Forage Seed Association, update from 11th International Herbage Seed Group Conference, France, June 2023 and update from the Peace Region. Lucas Menold update from the Manitoba Forage Seed Association, Dale Risula, Sk Ag Provincial Specialist (specialty crops) - Saskatchewan update and CSGA acreage reports, and Gerry Duynisveld DSV-Northstar - Market Prospects for Forage Seed Production
1:00 SESSION II: MANAGING PESTS Research on herbicide-resistant weeds and insects and management strategies, learn about the Saskatchewan Minor Use Program and Pest Management Regulatory Agency prioritization process
Speakers: Dr. Breanne Tidemann, AAFC Research Scientist, Weed Science and Field Agronomy, will present her findings on herbicide-resistant weeds and management strategies, Dr. Nicole Anderson will share news from Oregon about insecticide resistance challenges, and Carter Peru, SK Agriculture Integrated Pest Management Specialist, will present information on the minor use pesticide prioritization program
2:00 SESSION III: FORAGE SEED VARIETIES & PEDIGREED SEED PRODUCTION
Speaker: Dr. Bill Biligetu will update us on newly commercialized timothy, hybrid wheatgrass, meadow bromegrass and developments in red clover and other forage crops in the University of Saskatchewan plant breeding program. Dr. Bill Biligetu will also summarize proposed changes to the Canadian standards for turf and forage crop seed production.
3:00 SESSION IV: ORGANIC FORAGE SEED PRODUCTION & VALUE-ADD PERSPECTIVES Hear the industry, grower and value-add perspectives about Saskatchewan’s organic forage seed production.
Speakers: Paul Gregory, Interlake Forage Seeds, organic forage seed producers panel, Mum’s Sprouting Seeds
4:00 SESSION V: CONVENTIONAL & ORGANIC RESEARCH RESULTS & ON FARM EXPERIMENTS & FIELD DEMONSTRATION FINDINGS
Speakers: Dr. Surendra Bhattarai from SARDA Ag Research at Fahler, AB, will present his work with Calvin Yoder on staging for growth regulators and forage seed research trial results from the Peace Region. Meet our collaborators in small plot research trials in red and alsike clover, tall fescue, hybrid bromegrass, slender wheatgrass, intermediate wheatgrass and perennial ryegrass done by the team at SM Ag Research, St., Brieux and Northeast Agricultural Research Foundation at Melfort, Lean about Jeremy Irvine’s graduate student fieldwork on economic thresholds for lesser clover leaf weevil in red clover and hear what we found out in our On-Farm Experiments in red clover, meadow fescue, crested wheatgrass, intermediate wheatgrass and perennial ryegrass.
Throughout the day, we will host a SCREENING CLINIC FOR HEART VALVE DISEASE at the Whitefox Seniors Centre. The clinic is supported by Heart Valve Voice Canada (HVVC). Through the HVVC, forage seed growers, family members and the general public will have the opportunity to have a cardiologist licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan listen to your heart sounds in a “Stethoscope Check”. For more information about the stethoscope check and heart valve disease, see Heart Valve Disease - what is it?
6:00 SUPPER & KEY NOTE SPEAKERS - SASKATCHEWAN’S FORAGE SEED COMMUNITY RESOURCES - THE PEOPLE & THE PLACE
We end our day of sharing information and networking with a forage seed community-focused event .
Around 6:00 PM we will have an evening meal featuring locally-raised Black Angus roast beef supper, expertly cooked & catered by Joe’s Catering, Whitefox with a fundraiser-cash bar by the Whitefox Skating Rink Club.
Enjoy the food, celebrate the knowledge & friendship of the forage seed community and listen to our keynote speakers:
Key Note Speakers: Cardiologist - Dr. J. Eckstein and Plant Manager & Chief Technology Officer, BioLesna Carrot River Biorefinery - Dylan Borody & Phil Marsh
Looking ahead: On December 12, as part of our planning future activities, the SFSDC Board of Directors went through a strategic planning process this past year. We will present the results, including themes from over 50 interviews with growers and industry. The feasibility of forming a western Canadian Forage Seed Research Working Group may be deliberated as a way to use our levy dollars efficiently and leverage resources across the regions. Growers – let us know what activities you need and want to see your levy invested and how.
Every seed grower matters
Last year, we ended our December 12th event with a fundraiser for STARS air ambulance. Our goal was to raise $5,000, the cost of one Mission(trip). The live auction was run courtesy of Bruce Schapansky Auctioneers Inc. Bidding on some items was fierce. A cheque for $7,350 was delivered to the STARS Foundation at the Saskatoon airport location by two SFSDC Directors. We are very grateful for the many donations for the STARS auction received, including cash donations from growers, ‘just because it’s a good cause.’
This year, we are coordinating a clinic for heart health. Heart Valve Voice Canada (HVVC) supports partners to host free, public stethoscope check events with resources. The aim is to increase heart valve disease awareness, detection of heart valve disease and build greater awareness for heart valve disease. Through the HVVC, forage seed growers, family members and the general public will have the opportunity to have a cardiologist licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan listen to your heart sounds for audible signs of abnormality in a “Stethoscope Check.”
Between 2007 and 2017, there was a 68% increase in the number of hospitalizations for heart valve disease in Canada. Heart valve disease is a significant and important part of cardiovascular disease yet often does not get as much attention as heart attack, heart failure or stroke, although it may be a significant factor responsible for such complications. One of the greatest challenges still remains early detection of valve disease, which is required to stratify patients quickly and effectively, to allow tailoring of the correct treatment or management plan to the patient.” Source: Heart Valve Disease in Canada: Recommended Components for a National Strategy. White Paper from National Policy Roundtable. March 2022.
The benefits of participation in the Stethoscope Check include possible early identification of symptoms of possible heart valve disease and, if present, referral back to your regular care provider. Please note: the Stethoscope Check is not intended to be a complete assessment for symptoms of heart valve disease, nor should it be used as a replacement for a comprehensive physical assessment by your regular health care provider.
The Stethoscope Check clinic will be set up on Monday, December 11, in the Whitefox Seniors Centre, beside the Community Hall, where the AGM and Forage Seed Production Forum will be held. Forage seed growers, family members and the general public are welcome to participate in the clinic.