Proudly Canadian

Sean Pratt

Reporter/Analyst

Sean Pratt has been working at The Western Producer since 1993 after graduating from the University of Regina’s School of Journalism. Sean also has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan and worked in a bank for a few years before switching careers. Sean primarily writes markets and policy stories about the grain industry and has attended more than 100 conferences over the past three decades. He has received awards from the Canadian Farm Writers Federation, North American Agricultural Journalists and the American Agricultural Editors Association.

Stories by Sean Pratt

Martin Mau, a senior researcher at the University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Food Security, examines mature boechera plants that are setting seeds in one of the institute’s climate chambers.

Crops, News

Game-changing breeding technique makes progress

University launches a four-year research project into apomixis, a ‘disruptive technology’ for plant breeding

By Sean Pratt April 3, 2019

University of Saskatchewan researchers are making good progress on a “disruptive technology” that will turn crop breeding on its head. Apomixis is a form of asexual seed production found in […] Read more

Shutting down small hog operations in China and moving production to large farms could result in a herd reduction that is the equivalent of almost the entire herd in the United States. This would drastically affect supply in the Asian country and in markets such as this one in Beijing.

Livestock, News

The long-term African swine fever implications

Some analysts think the effect on the Chinese swine herd could be catastrophic

By Sean Pratt December 14, 2018

Analysts think African swine fever could destroy China’s hog herd, forcing it to significantly increase meat imports. African swine fever is about to unleash the most profound changes in meat […] Read more