Wild Rice Meeting (Beauval, SK)

Aug 5 2022 - Saskatchewan is the major producer of wild rice in Canada; with an annual production of 0.9 million kg. Shallow lakes and slow moving rivers make northern Saskatchewan an ideal place to harvest wild rice. 

The industry as a whole is healthy, however it doesn't come without its challenges. There are no commercially produced boats, which creates barriers of entry. This of course makes things like purchasing, repairs and maintenance difficult. Every year harvesters overcome these challenges and do very well. So in looking at the industry whole, what are ways we can advance the industry and move forward? 

This meeting was held in Beauval, Saskatchewan on August 4, 2022 and looked at discussing solutions; bringing together different organizations such as trainers, leaders, design engineers, harvesters, buyers and stakeholders. The topic is how can we support the industry going forward, and how can we grow the industry for future generations. So now we look at training opportunities, to train students how to repair harvest boats and motors. We now are looking at developing and streamlining boats for purchase, which eliminates the barrier of acquiring a safe and functional boat. 

Wild rice harvesting is part of our culture here in Northern Saskatchewan. It's something that should be encouraged and grown as a industry as a whole. Northern Saskatchewan is full of natural resources such as berries, medicines and of course wild rice. This meeting was a great first step. There is optimism that the industry is going in the right direction. The more resources and attention we give it, the more likely future generations will keep it alive.