Rural Roots Canada

This week, dry areas stay dry, and wet areas get more snow. It's not promising for the agricultural south, where badly need snow is not forecast this week.

This week, dry areas stay dry, and wet areas get more snow. It's not promising for the agricultural south, where badly need snow is not forecast this week.

On this RRC podcast, hosts Tim Parent and Craig Lester look back on a busy year in Canadian agriculture. From their trip to the Yukon, where farmers like Leona Watson are forging their own path in the North (2:44), to celebrating the Perry Family Farm, winners of the inaugural PepsiCo Global Farmer of the Year Award (11:24), the team covers a lot of ground. They also talk changing perceptions around beef with Jenna Sarich (13:52), visit Cudlobe Angus to chat with David and Dyce Bolduc (16:50), and wrap up with a look ahead to 2026’s canola outlook with Alberta Canola chair Andre Harpe (21:15).

After four consecutive record harvests, Canadian potato production fell slightly in 2025 as drought conditions affected eastern growing regions, according to new Statistics Canada data. Production dropped 0.9 percent from 2024 to 125.8 million hundredweight, with Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick seeing the biggest declines. PEI saw production drop 15.9 percent to 21.8 million hundredweight after drought hit mid-season, while New Brunswick dropped 4.7 percent to 16.2 million hundredweight.

In this spotlight on research, we take a look at University of Alberta Master's Student Erica Prins work on soil health under different crop rotations on the prairies.  

In this spotlight on research, we look at University of Alberta Master's Student Sydney Wong's research into Tanspot - a fungal disease that primarily affects wheat.  "Specifically, I'm looking for chemical and genetic resistance, and hopefully using the information found to inform farmers about the types of management methods they should be applying,” says Wong. Wong is picking up research that was last published in 2013

Alberta Open Farm Days continues to grow both in size and impact. The province-wide initiative invites Albertans to step through farm gates and experience agriculture firsthand while learning where their food comes from. The 2025 edition was a record-setter. According to Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies CEO Tim Carson, this year’s event welcomed more than 52-thousand visitors, with several farms reporting their best-ever attendance and sales. Nearly a quarter of participating farms were new to the program, a sign of growing interest in agritourism across the province.

From devastating drought to a destructive storm that tore across the Prairies, 2025 was a year that tested Canada’s farmers and rural communities. In this episode of the Rural Roots Canada podcast, powered by Alberta Canola, hosts Tim Parent and Craig Lester sit down with Rural Roots Canada meteorologist David Spence to unpack the biggest weather stories of the year, from bone-dry fields throughout the west to the monster August storm that caused nearly a quarter-billion dollars in damage. What lessons did we learn, and what could 2026 have in store? David gives his expert insight and perspective, and we share the stories behind the forecasts that shaped a challenging year in Canadian agriculture.

A destructive summer storm that blew through three provinces caused almost a quarter of a billion dollars in insured damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada . The August storm brought large hail, strong winds, and torrential rain, and included confirmed tornadoes in both Alberta and Saskatchewan. In all, it's estimated that the storm resulted in over $235 million in insured damage. Alberta saw the largest share of losses, with vehicles making up roughly a third of all claims. The hardest hit communities included Brooks, Alberta; Radisson, Langham, and North Battleford in Saskatchewan; and Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. 

Canola growers saw strong yields in 2025, but the year was overshadowed by the trade uncertainty and the financial impact of Chinese tariffs, according to Andre Harpe, Chair of the Canadian Canola Growers Association. 

Prairie Weather reports from RRC Meteorologist David Spence.

Prairie Weather reports from RRC Meteorologist David Spence.

Prairie Weather reports from RRC Meteorologist David Spence.

Prairie Weather reports from RRC Meteorologist David Spence.

Prairie Weather reports from RRC Meteorologist David Spence.

In this episode of the Rural Roots Canada podcast, powered by Alberta Canola, hosts Tim Parent and Craig Lester celebrate the season with a look at how Alberta Milk is helping make the holidays a little brighter by partnering with the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation to give back in a big way. Then, Tim and Craig shift gears to the field, catching up with Alberta Canola Chair André Harpe to reflect on the year that was, the challenges producers faced, and what the canola sector can expect heading into 2026. Compassion, community, and canola, all in one RRC podcast. 

Canada’s agriculture and agri-food industry is rethinking its reliance on the U.S. as political uncertainty south of the border continues to raise concerns for producers and industry leaders. A new report from the Angus Reid Institute and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) finds that four out of five agriculture professionals are pessimistic about dealings with the second Trump presidency. Despite those concerns, seven-in-10 say they remain optimistic about the overall future of Canadian agriculture.

At the Advancing Women in Agriculture East Conference, business leader and speaker Anne Miner shared insights on a trait she believes every entrepreneur needs.  “Every entrepreneur has to have grit,” Miner stresses. Miner says it was American academic and psychologist Angela Duckworth who defined grit as passion and perseverance in pursuit of long-term goals and, inspired by that message, prompted Miner to launch Women with Grit, a community, classroom, podcast, and blog that's designed to help women strengthen their determination.

Canadian families can expect to spend nearly $1,000 more on food in 2026, according to the annual Canada Food Price Report. The annual forecast predicts that food prices will rise by 4% to 6% nationwide, pushing the average family of four's grocery bill to $17,571.79, an increase of up to $994,63 from 2025. Prices are now 27% higher than five years ago, and one in four households in Canada is considered food insecure. Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia are expected to face above-average increases, according to the report, produced by a coalition of eight Canadian universities that draw on climate, economic, and geopolitical data to forecast food spending and trends.

Snow and more snow. An active weather pattern this week brings significant snow to the partially buried prairies