October has once again been proclaimed as Agriculture Month in Saskatchewan.
As we recognize local producers for their dedication to the agriculture sector, I encourage you to participate in #CelebrateAg on social media. In collaboration with industry partners, Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan will share food stories about modern agriculture throughout October.
The ongoing dry conditions are causing major concerns with increased fire risks. Hot, dry weather has prompted the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency to issue fire bans for all provincial Crown lands, including provincial parks, located in east-central Saskatchewan. The ban also includes all land within 4 1/2 kilometres of the provincial forest boundary. Hunters and late-season campers are reminded to keep up to date with the latest developments by visiting saskpublicsafety.ca.
Our government has heard the concerns from ranchers and acted to improve the Canada-Saskatchewan Drought Response Initiative to deal with the current drought conditions. The initiative will consist of two payments totalling $200/head for cattle, with adjustments based on animal unit equivalents for other livestock.
The initial payment will provide producers with $100 per breeding female equivalent in inventory as of Aug. 1. Secondary payments will be up to $100 per breeding female equivalent in stock as of Dec. 31.
In addition to being Agriculture Month in Saskatchewan, Ag Minister David Marit has proclaimed October 2021 as Registered Veterinary Technologist Month. Animal health goes hand in hand with success on the farm, and we want to thank those who take care of our animals. Saskatchewan has over 530 registered veterinary technologists.
This past week also recognized the work registered veterinary technologists perform with the proclamation of Animal Health Week. This year's national theme, "Animal Health + Human Health + Planet Health = One Health," highlights the roles and responsibilities within the national One Health community, including critical roles in food safety, public health and environmental protection.
Innovation Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Agriculture will be providing combined multi-year funding of $3.2 million to the Global Institute for Food Security's new engineering biology centre at the University of Saskatchewan. This new centre will help attract investments and companies to the province's agriculture and food sectors. The resulting research and development will build on Saskatchewan's world-class research hub at the university.
More good news comes from the tech sector, which saw the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association report that Saskatchewan Venture Capital investment reached a record-breaking level of $171 million for the first half of 2021. This investment momentum is a strong indicator of the province's natural economic strengths, strong wages, lower cost of living, and government programs that encourage investment. This shows the world that Saskatchewan is a great place to develop technology.
As always, if you have questions, comments, concerns, or require assistance with provincial government programs or services, please get in touch with our constituency office.
