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CAAP
Application Deadlines:
Projects where the requested amount is over $10,000:
June 15, 2010
Projects where the requested amount is $10,000 or less:
August 23, 2010
For more information on or to apply to the CAAP program, please go to
www.agcouncil.ca/caap.htm.
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CAAP funding update
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 Since
April 1, 2009, the ACS Board of Directors has approved Canadian
Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP) funding for 30 projects
for a total commitment of $4,212,122 for Saskatchewan
projects. ACS delivers CAAP in Saskatchewan on behalf of Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).
CAAP is a five-year (2009-2014), $163 million national AAFC initiative.
This federal program encourages farmers, processors, distributors,
and retailers to work together to find innovative solutions to common
concerns and to explore new market opportunities.
CAAP funds projects that align with priorities
identified by industry and/or government at the national, regional
and multi-regional levels by focusing on:
- Seizing opportunities;
- Responding
to new and emerging issues;
- And pathfinding and piloting solutions to
new and ongoing issues.
To
learn more about CAAP or ACS or to download an application form,
please visit www.agcouncil.ca/caap or call
1-800-641-8256 or (306) 975-6847. For more information on national
CAAP, its criteria, or contact information for regional industry
councils, please visit AAFC's website at www.agr.gc.ca/caap or call toll-free at
1-877-290-2188.
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ACS AGM and Industry
Forum this Friday!
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The ACS Annual General Meeting
and Industry Forum will be held on Friday, June 18, 2010. Once again,
we will be in Salon 3 of the Queensbury Convention Centre at Evraz
Place in Regina (held on location at the 2010 Western Canada Farm
Progress Show).
The AGM will run from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. with a complimentary
lunch from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. (RSVP required - members,
supporters and invited guests only). The Agricultural Industry Forum
is from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The theme of this year's industry forum is Sports Nutrition:
Opportunities for Agriculture. Our speakers include:
- Michele
Kuxhaus, Senior Analyst, Consumer Research and
Analysis, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, who will present
Global Market Overview of Sports Nutrition.
- Heather
Hynes,
Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutrition Consultant with the
Sports Medicine and Science Council of Saskatchewan, who will
present Saskatchewan Grown Nutrition for Optimal Performance.
- Lucas
Makowsky, an Olympic gold medal winning speed
skater at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Lucas, who is
originally from Regina, will present Race for the Gold.
Anyone attending the 2010 Farm Progress Show may
attend the Industry Forum. Only ACS members and supporters are
eligible to attend the AGM. Only full-members who have paid their
fees in advance of the AGM will be eligible to vote.
Please direct any questions to Dallas Carpenter, ACS Communications
Manager, at (306) 975-6856 or carpenterd@agcouncil.ca.
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Coordinating data on
the health of the prairie ecosystem
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 How can producers, governments,
and the various responsible agencies tell if the prairie is healthy?
How do we examine rangeland and riparian areas and agree on policies
and management practices? The best way is to conduct an assessment,
store and analyse the data.
Until recently, each organization collected and stored data using its
own format and protocol, with no shared methods available to monitor
the state of rangeland and riparian areas. Now, the Prairie
Conservation Action Plan (PCAP) is developing standard methods of
collecting and storing data, allowing agencies to share information
and coordinate their efforts in preserving the prairie ecosystem.
PCAP brings together partners with the common goal of a healthy
prairie. Since 1998 PCAP has been operating as a subcommittee of the
Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association. For this project, the PCAP
Working Prairie Group has developed standard protocols for data
collection and storage through the Saskatchewan Range and Riparian
Health Assessment Framework.
Partners include Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (which provides
funding through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP),
with delivery of funding by the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan),
Agri-Environment Services Branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,
the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, the Saskatchewan Watershed
Authority, the Saskatchewan Research Council, Ducks Unlimited Canada,
the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, and the Nature Conservancy
of Canada.
To read the rest of this article, please click here.
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Successful mentorship
program continues
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 Who learns more, the mentor or the protégé? The best
relationships are those where each party learns. The Agriculture
Mentorship Initiative (AMI), a pilot program of the Agriculture
Council of Saskatchewan (ACS) in conjunction with the Business
Mentorship Institute of Saskatchewan, is building those relationships
by linking mentors and protégés in the agriculture and agri-food
industry.
In its first year, the AMI has matched three mentors and protégés.
Mark Pickard, owner of InfraReady Products in Saskatoon has been
mentoring Tim and Carla Schultz, owners of The Green Ranch near
Ogema, since the start of the program.
As relative newcomers to agribusiness Tim and Carla were eager to
participate. "There's so much negativity in the agriculture
sector," Tim says. "This is like a breath of fresh air, and
a great opportunity for young people to gain experience."
They started The Green Ranch in 2007. Besides pasturing 450 head of
cattle and operating greenhouses, they have become partners with
other local producers. They market various products, all Saskatchewan
grown, along with their own produce at the Regina Farmers Market and
online.
Tim believes the future is bright, not only for his agriculture
business, but also for his mentoring relationship. "I see the
greatest potential yet ahead. Every time we meet with Mark our trust
level builds, and we're becoming better friends."
To read the rest of this article, please click here.
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FBDI courses listed
on the CATE website
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In
2009, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, through the
federal/provincial Growing Forward bilateral agreement, created the
Farm Business Development Initiative (FBDI). The FBDI was created to
help farmers to develop business plans and enhance business skills in
nine business practice areas: business strategy; marketing;
production economics; human resources; finance; environment;
succession planning; business structure; and risk management.
The Centre for Agribusiness Training and Education (CATE) website is
continually adding FBDI courses. Currently there are approximately
140 courses registered with FBDI. Visits to the website are
increasing, with 13,244 visits to the CATE website in May, up
substantially from the 9,946 in March.
For all the FBDI courses, please go to www.agtraining.ca. Any questions about CATE can be directed to
Lesley Dirkson, CATE Coordinator, at 975-6847 or dirksonl@agcouncil.ca.
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Funded by:
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Calendar
of Events
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June
18, 2010
ACS Annual General Meeting and Industry Forum.
Evraz Place, Regina. The theme of the Industry Forum is Sports
Nutrition: Opportunities for Agriculture.
More details will be available shortly on the ACS events page.
Sep. 12-15, 2010
The 2010 Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC)
returns to Saskatoon this September. It will include four keynote
presentations, 66 expert speakers, and a tradeshow. For more
information, go to the ABIC website.
Sep. 28-29, 2010
Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP) Trade
Conference. "Taking Saskatchewan's Best to the World".
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
For more information, please see the STEP website.
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