When it comes to farming, it remains an integral element of both the Saskatchewan economy, and of our own city economy.
Yorkton may be recognized as the hub of a trading area of more than 50,000 people, but it is also a hub for a diverse and prosperous agricultural area.
There is a reason businesses from Morris Industries, to Grain Millers, to Louis Dreyfus Commodities to TA Foods have established here through the decades. Such companies recognized Yorkton as central to a robust farming area for both sale of agricultural products, and as collection hub for what producers grow.
For farmers, having access to local suppliers and markets has been a positive through the years.
But there is more to farm success, and that includes access to reliable research data which can be used to help make good production decisions which go a long way toward ensuring a return in excess of cost-of-production.
The best research in terms of crops and how they respond to inoculants, fertilizers and weed control is generated as close to the farm as possible to ensure results are based on conditions which closely mimic local farms.
That is where the work that is being carried out the past half-decade by Parkland College in partnership with the East Central Research Foundation is so important. The data the research projects are generating are most easily transferred to area farms.
So it is to the credit of Yorkton Council who became involved in the research initiative by providing City-owned farm land for the research plots.
The provision of land has facilitated some 82 research projects over the last five years, with an investment of more than $1 million for staff, equipment and supplies. Most of that money is spent locally as well, itself an economic stimulus.
But, the overall impact to the economy will be far greater as time moves forward, although tracking the exact numbers will be near impossible.
It will be hard to detail the impact of research which help producers across the region grow larger canola crops, and what impact that will have in terms of two local canola crushing plants in terms of accessing raw product.
What might new oat research mean to area farmers and Grain Millers?
Or what could flax research mean for farmers and TA Foods?
Regionally relevant research which helps local farms be more efficient, productive and cost-effective will trickle to local agriculture support businesses and then through the rest of the economy.
That is what the College and ECRF can achieve, and that the City saw its way to be part of the effort shows they recognize just how critical farming remains to our city’s economic future.
