ABOUT SASKOATS
The Saskatchewan Oat Development Commission (SaskOats) was established by the provincial government in 2006 to begin collecting a $0.50/tonne levy on all Saskatchewan-grown oats marketed commercially. In 2024, the voters in Saskatchewan unanimously voted to increase the levy to $0.75/tonne effective August 1, 2024.
SaskOats uses the producer funds for oat research and market development to enhance the profitability of oats for growers and increase its value to the customer.
The strategic priorities of SaskOats include research, market development; advocacy; building partnerships; and communication with oat growers, consumers, the oat industry, and governments.
The Prairie Oat Growers Association (POGA) was launched in 1998 by oat growers from the three prairie provinces and continues to act as an umbrella agency, coordinating activities with and through the producer associations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Each provincial oat commission has a Chair who is elected by the board, and that Chair is automatically a Vice-President of POGA. As well, members of the SaskOats board are directors of POGA.
SaskOats communicates with producers through the POGA newsletter that is distributed at least two times annually to inform producers with timely information on events, industry issues, research findings, and market information. Click here to view the Oat Scoop newsletter.
The Commission also connects with oat producers and industry at the annual general meeting (AGM) held in January each year. The AGM is an opportunity to inform producers of the activities of the organization, build relationships, and encourages members to bring their views to the board in-person.
Through its ongoing efforts, SaskOats has successfully contributed to the profile, representation and profit of Saskatchewan oat farmers.
As of 2021, through the three provincial associations, the Prairie oat growers have turned $3.9 M of levy dollars into $27.4 M which means growers in Western Canada have contributed less than 15 cents of every dollar spent on research and marketing.
The remainder is funded through partnerships and collaboration among industry and government,. For a full listing of projects go to the Marketing Development tab and the Research tab.
The continued success of SaskOats is based on ensuring that producer interests are at the forefront of all decisions.
