REGINA, Sask. — Saskatchewan’s agriculture minister said Tuesday that existing support programs are sufficient for producers navigating higher input costs and an exceptionally late harvest, as the Opposition New Democratic Party called for a boost to farm funding.
The government’s most recent crop report, also released Tuesday and covering the week ending Sept. 14, showed province-wide harvest at 32 per cent complete. That’s well under the five-year average of 71 per cent and the 10-year average of 63 per cent.
“We're not looking at doing anything different,” Saskatchewan Party MLA David Marit told reporters over the noon hour at the Legislature. “We've got a good suite of programs. We've got an excellent suite of programs for crop insurance, things like that. We've made changes to (AgriStability) to go to 75 per cent (of the insurance program’s estimated final payout) if they so wish … so we have, I think, our suite of programs for the ag community are very well compensated.”
Crop producers are facing a three-headed monster of sorts with heavy rainfall delaying harvest, rising fuel and fertilizer costs, and ongoing trade and tariff uncertainty with the United States.
“With sky-high input costs such as fertilizer and diesel, this year's crop was the most expensive crop for producers to put in the ground by a country mile ever,” NDP shadow agriculture minister Trent Wotherspoon said Tuesday, speaking to reporters from a farm south of Lumsden. “Very expensive crop. Now Saskatchewan farmers, Saskatchewan producers, are facing a very serious cash crunch.
“Harvest, of course, has been delayed. You can see that here behind me. Seeding was late for many. And then we have these very challenging wet conditions at a time where producers should be taking off the crop. Crop quality is deteriorating, and that means price and return for producers, all while production costs have soared in this last year.”
On the weather front, Tuesday’s provincial report showed 34 per cent of cropland topsoil across Saskatchewan with surplus moisture levels, with 63 per cent rated as adequate and 3 per cent as short.
Another 21 millimetres of rain was reported to have fallen in the Rural Municipality of Langenburg, bringing that area’s annual total to 618 mm, more than double the 301 mm that fell through Sept. 15 last year.
Among the RMs receiving 50 mm or more from Sept. 8-14 were Martin near Moosomin, Sasman east of Wadena, Huron near Tugaske, Grant northeast of Saskatoon, Foam Lake, Porcupine, Aberdeen and Prince Albert.
One reporting location in the RM of Foam Lake had received 687 mm of rainfall for the year, topping all stations in the province and also nearly double its growing season total (beginning April 1) from 2025.
“Our farmers, our producers have taken the risk,” said Wotherspoon. “They've done the work. They're putting food on our tables and driving Saskatchewan's economy forward as they do every year, doing everything they can. But right now, in face of these circumstances, they need their provincial government to have their backs.”
The NDP’s proposal included a 12 cents-per-litre rebate as well as elimination of a three centre-per-litre provincial tax on farm (dyed) diesel; a 15 per cent rebate on propane, natural gas or electricity used for grain drying; an increase in maximum AgriStability payments to 90 per cent; additional cash advance availability for producers through AgriStability; and an ask for the federal government to expand its own cash advance program to cover crops other than canola.
“This isn't a time for the Moe government to sit on its hands, to sit idle. It needs to step up, to do its job, and to have the backs of the world-class producers that call Saskatchewan home,” said Wotherspoon.
