BY: Toban Dyck, Writer and Farmer
Extension is the bridge between research, public policy, and on-farm practice. It helps farmers make sense of agronomy, programs, and innovations without sales pressure or hidden incentives.
It’s a uniquely agricultural term that, for many, conjures nostalgia for the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) or Manitoba Agriculture’s now-gone extension offices. As a practice, it ensured the agronomic and political complexities of Canada’s agricultural industry were available to farmers to understand and/or implement.
Across the Prairies, this bridge has changed shape. Provinces have reorganized their services, private actors have stepped into the space, and producer organizations aware of this disturbance are being challenged to think about what this means for them and how they serve their farmer members. The question isn’t whether extension matters. It’s how we deliver it in a world where the old model no longer exists.
Manitoba
Manitoba historically operated a network of regional extension offices that offered local, in-person support. Over time, the province restructured these services. Rather than eliminating large numbers of staff, Manitoba shifted to a train-the-trainer model, where government specialists support private agronomists, commodity groups and other partners who work directly with farmers. The closure of several walk-in offices has reduced the local presence, even as research and advisory work continued.
This evolution created gaps. How knowledge flows has changed
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan’s long extension tradition has also undergone waves of restructuring. District offices gave way to regional service centres and specialized teams. While this model has increased technical specialization, it has also widened coverage areas and made localized support uneven. Some crops, regions, and issues now receive more consistent attention than others.
Alberta
Alberta has experienced the most dramatic restructuring. The Ag-Info Centre lost many specialist positions, and producers have been increasingly directed to online resources or external advisors. Consolidation has reduced the province’s ability to deliver independent, staff-led extension, and farmers now have fewer neutral touchpoints than in previous decades. The transition reshaped not only how information moves, but who is trusted to move it.
Extension Gap
These differences in provincial philosophy have created a clear pattern across the Prairies. These shifts have resulted in reduced access to regional, unbiased, unbranded advice previously provided from people walking the fields, hosting community meetings, or responding directly to local issues. This will likely be felt the most in remote regions with fewer private agronomists.
Research and policy issues are, in some cases, only reaching farmers too late for critical engagement or too late for implementation. The visibility of issues that matter has diminished. Critical discussions around soil, carbon, business risk management, or new regulations are harder to navigate without public extension efforts putting these things in front of farmers in ways that facilitate understanding and engagement.
Private companies are filling this public extension vacuum and taking advantage of this fluctuating landscape, offering valuable and responsive agronomic insights. Their agronomists are visible and well-resourced. But the information isn’t independent. Sales incentives and commercial priorities shape what gets emphasized, what gets omitted and how success is defined.
Private companies have filled much of the space once occupied by public extension. Their agronomists are visible and well-resourced. Their recommendations are often practical and timely. But the information isn’t independent. Sales incentives and commercial priorities shape what gets emphasized, omitted and how success is defined.
Where neutral, comparative information is lacking, the risk is that commercial voices become the dominant or sole source of extension.
Opportunity for Producer Groups
Crop commissions like Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers (MPSG) aren’t replacements for public extension. Nor should they be. But they are uniquely positioned to strengthen the system by:
- Continuing to fund farmer-relevant research
- Translating and distributing research results in ways and channels relevant to their farmer members
- Hosting field tours, webinars, events and other extension-related activities
These activities show how producer groups can play a leadership role in modern extension; not by taking over government responsibilities, but by complementing them. Neutrality remains a cornerstone of MPSG’s work, and maintaining a clear separation between education and promotion is a big part of their value proposition to farmers.
MPSG is innovating its extension service offerings further. They’re introducing short-form videos, hands-on agronomy demonstrations, an increased and more diverse digital presence, partnerships with other producer groups, and much more to their extension repertoire.
Where Extension Goes from Here
The University of Guelph’s Capacity Development and Extension (CDE) graduate program remains one of only a few extension-focused programs in Canada, combining communication, leadership and applied rural development projects.
This fall, Guelph hosted a major national event: “Extension 4.0: Disruption and Transformation in Agri-Food & Rural Development.” As the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development explains, the conference gathered researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to reimagine extension in the digital era.
Farmers aren’t getting information like they once did. The risk is that they’ll get it instead from those selling them something. Independent research will go unseen and policy shifts will go unheeded.
Extension as a discipline and the entire extension landscape are evolving, and if future delivery models keep learning from farmers and from each other, it can remain one of the most powerful tools in agriculture.
Crop commissions like MPSG are well suited to support, strengthen, and, in some cases, develop new models for how knowledge flows.
What we have now is fragile and fragmented. That’s both a warning and an invitation.
Extension isn’t gone. It’s in flux.
Extension Insights from Across Canada
In conversations on The Extensionists podcast, extension experts and practitioners from across Canada echoed a consistent message: listen deeply, communicate clearly, adapt to new formats, and never lose sight of farmer priorities. In other words, extension begins with listening, it grows through asking the right questions, and it succeeds when insights are delivered in formats that resonate with real people on the ground. Across the first 21 episodes of the podcast, a set of key takeaways emerged:
- Afua Mante, soil physicist with the University of Manitoba: teach the physics of soil health; compaction, infiltration, and structure.
- Jeff Schoenau, soil scientist with the University of Saskatchewan: practice “forensic agronomy” – help farmers interpret soil tests and nutrient cycles.
- Tracy Herbert, Beef Cattle Research Council extension and communications director: take risks with new methods; failure is better than standing still.
- Daryl Domitruk, executive director of MPSG: treat extension as a discipline. Listening is as important as presenting; extension must bridge public expectations with farmer realities, acting as a trusted, objective mediator.
- Justice Acoose, communications specialist with the National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture and Food: meet audiences where they are; social media, youth platforms and cultural storytelling.
- David Sauchyn, director of the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative (PARC): use climate history to prepare for the future. Don’t rely only on short-term data.
- Francois Labelle, former executive director of MPSG: build organizations that listen to growers and reflect their priorities.
- Diljeet Brar, former ag extension specialist: knowledge transfer depends on community trust and personal connection.
- Alison Sunstrum, managing partner of NYA Ventures: help farmers adopt digital agriculture by linking tools to real challenges.
- Mark Campbell, manager of AHDB’s AgriLeader Program: train farmers in leadership and communication to multiply extension impact.
- Scott Day, agronomist and director with Fall Line Capital: bridge agronomy with ag tech; connect soil health to precision tools.
- Jenelle Hamblin, director of swine health with Manitoba Pork: extension in livestock means preparing farmers with biosecurity and crisis plans.
- John Burns, farmer with Windy Poplars Farms: treat farms as businesses that learn; balance innovation with mental health.
- Ryan Barrett, research and agronomy specialist with the Prince Edward Island Potato Board: farmer-driven research, such as on-farm trials, advisory groups, and local adaptation, builds trust.
- Jolanda Jansen, communications consultant and co-owner of St. Anna Advies: ask before you tell; curiosity and respect unlock change.