LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Bernie Hill isn’t content to just study a problem; he also likes to explore solutions.
“That’s what drives you,” said Hill, an environmental chemist who has worked for 23 years at the Agriculture Canada Lethbridge Research Centre.
“You have to think you’re bettering some situation.”
The research scientist received the Caledon award this year for his long-time study of the environmental effects of pesticide residue. The award, sponsored by Caledon Laboratories, is given to scientists who have made significant contributions to the fields of agriculture, biology, the environment and health.
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Hill holds a PhD in pesticide biochemistry and analytical chemistry, has published dozens of research papers and gives as many presentations as he turns down every year.
His research has focused on chemical analysis to determine the persistence, nature and concentration of pesticide residues in plants, soil and water.
The 53-year-old scientist said his work has received much attention in recent years, due to heightened awareness of environmental issues. He credited the media, television and scientists like David Suzuki for raising awareness.
Hill calls himself part of a dying breed of “environmental snoopers” within Agriculture Canada. That sometimes makes him unpopular and results in his research being closely scrutinized.
Results showing problems or environmental damage are much better received when cushioned with solutions to tackle the problem, he said.
Agriculture Canada has gone from testing new chemicals to examining the environmental fate of these chemicals.
He said private funding, heavily relied on since the department cutbacks of the 1980s, have all but dried up this year. A reorganization under way could see more funding in the near future for “public good” research, familiar turf for Hill.
He praised the shift as proactive – a recognition of the importance of environmental issues.
“The department of agriculture has a track record of doing research and being concerned about the production side,” he said. “For them to also look at environmental aspects is just good stewardship.”
It also gives producers a different viewpoint than the one provided by chemical companies.
“Producers live with it. Don’t ever think they’re not concerned,” he said of chemical use on farms.
As that reorganization plays out, Hill keeps himself busy with new challenges in computer modeling to predict harvest dates, and image analysis to develop a seed analysis system for elevators. All are intended to help find solutions to “real world problems.”
It’s that Dick Tracy sleuthing and constant learning that he loves most about his work.
Looking back, he said he is most proud of getting a product registered in the 1980s for grasshopper control at half the recommended rate of application.
“We proved to the company that it did work well at lower rates.”
Hill also beams about Agriculture Canada’s response to mounting defences against possible outbreaks and infestations.
His most recent investigations have centred on developing a model to predict the leaching potential of herbicides into ground water, which could give producers the option of selecting herbicides with lower leaching potential.
Studies have centred on measuring pesticide residues in ground water in Alberta, where he found traces in half the wells tested.
He also has done extensive work developing monitors to assess if aerial applications are on target and the resulting effects on sensitive zones and crops.
“At first it appears you’re hindering, but by developing methods to monitor, it actually aids in getting (products) registered,” he said.
Since 1998, he has studied rainfall and pesticide levels in the Lethbridge area. Results will be released by Christmas following a peer review of the research.
That research found “sub-lethal damage” to plants like beans and sugar beets, shelterbelt trees and canola, crops sensitive to products like 2,4-D. It sets back crops and reduces yields, he said.
“If this is occurring, we need to do more work.”
In a perfect world, Hill said, chemical companies, government agencies, scientists and producer groups would work together.
“If we could all look at the bigger picture, we could work together and tackle environmental issues. We’re not there yet. There’s a natural reticence.”
For Hill the scientist, methodology is most important in his work. That’s not a stretch for the chemist-cum-agricultural researcher, who was drawn to a career in science because of that precision.
“I kind of liked the meticulousness, exactness of it and the fact it is based on the rules and laws of science,” he said. “Good science is opinion formed on fact versus opinion formed on personal biases.”
He grew up a city kid in Brandon, but learned much about plants and crops through summer jobs at Brandon University’s field trials while a student there. In graduate studies, he blended his chemical background with agricultural research.
The downside of his professional work is seeing his work shelved indefinitely.
“You have to get philosophical about it and be confident in your research and results,” he said.
“It’s a privilege to get a decent salary, and to be employed in science, and most days, to come to work and decide what I’m going to do.”
