The Agricultural Producers of Saskatchewan are wrapping up their AGM in Saskatoon.

The two-day meeting covered a variety of topics from the fertilizer emissions reduction target, to the vet shortage, grain transportation and contracts.

On Thursday, the President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture held a fireside chat with delegates. 

Mary Robinson will be stepping aside at the CFA annual general meeting in March after four years in the role.  

In reviewing her term she says there were a number of key issues to deal with.

"The first big thing that we faced when I became president was China and its shut out of Canadian canola. Then we were into rail strikes, rail blockades and we had COVID come along, and that created a lot of problems. One I definitely remember is the issue with temporary foreign workers because borders closed for all intents and purposes."

She notes that impacted a variety of farmers that were relying on that labor coming in from cherry farmers in BC, to asparagus growers in Ontario, and fruit tree growers in the Annapolis Valley. 

"So from there forward, we have had avian influenza, there was African swine fever, potato wart, hurricanes, droughts, atmospheric rivers. It's been a lot, and certainly, each of those challenges presented opportunity for problem-solving, for relationship-building, and for just trying to get through the moment. I love that this work means you don't bury your head in the sand, but you bring your best to the table and try to make it better."

APAS President Ian Boxall says Robinson has done just that noting she's been a unifying force bringing all of the industries together,

"I think she has done a phenomenal job of melding that table that maybe at one time at the CFA was a little bit divisive and now has come together as a group and works for the betterment of all of agriculture, whether they're involved in that sector or not. At the end of the day, that CFA board table and that organization works for the betterment of all and I think she has had a great hand in doing that at that table."