Water is the backbone of Saskatchewan agriculture. In this talk, SaskFSA’s Candace Mitschke explains why practical, producer-led water management — from responsible drainage to irrigation and soil-health practices — is central to farm profitability, climate resilience and food security.
Key Takeaways
- Managed water moves risk into opportunity: well‑planned drainage and targeted tile reduce crop losses, improve fertilizer efficiency and cut input overlap and equipment wear — turning lost acres into productive ones.
- Field efficiency matters: poorly drained fields force more turns, more hours, more fuel and higher costs; efficient fields show measurably better yields and resilience.
- Collaboration wins: knowledge and research exist in pockets. The Saskatchewan Drainage Extension Network (SK DEN) aims to connect producers, researchers, regulators and industry to scale Saskatchewan‑made BMPs (best management practices).
- Policy gap to fix: coordinated funding, long‑term research capacity, demonstration sites across soil zones, and stronger extension are needed so research reaches farmers and adoption accelerates.
- A shared goal: aligning water management with climate and food‑security outcomes strengthens farms, communities and public trust.
Watch the full presentation above to see on‑farm examples, yield maps and the concrete program ideas Candace recommends for the next policy framework.