Agriculture Canada

Alberta researchers are evaluating dust emissions from feedlots to provide a scientific basis for management practices to reduce them and their potential effects. The two-year study slated for completion next spring is conducted by Alberta Agriculture, the Alberta Research Council and Agriculture Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre. It is measuring and analyzing emissions of particulate matter, […] Read more

Most farmers are familiar with the notion of soil testing. It’s the creed for most agricultural extension workers. But surprisingly, many producers, including organic farmers, do not regularly test their soil. There are several explanations. A few farmers do not see the potential economic benefit, and therefore view soil testing as an additional expense. Many […] Read more

An Agriculture Canada study shows that four common parasite control products all reduce insect activity in cattle manure, but to varying degrees. The findings are part of ongoing research to help cattle producers make informed pest control decisions, says Kevin Floate, who led the three-year study with Doug Colwell at Ag Canada’s research centre in […] Read more

An old prairie crop is showing new benefits to improve farmers’ bottom lines and boost the health of their soil. New studies at Agriculture Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre show that using sweet clover as a fallow replacement can increase soil nitrogen and dramatically reduce weeds, resulting in higher subsequent crop yields and lower fertilizer and […] Read more

Western Canadian producers will have a new forage crop in their arsenal next spring. Surya Acharya, a forage breeder at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lethbridge, Alta, said the first forage fenugreek variety for Western Canada will be aimed at the cattle industry, its largest potential market. Fenugreek is an annual legume with diverse environmental […] Read more

Mulch systems are a key part of organic conservation tillage. Advances in cover crop research have permitted organic producers to experiment with living and killed mulches to suppress weeds. In a killed mulch system, a dense cover crop is grown and killed, and a new crop planted into the residue. The dense biomass provided by […] Read more

Four Chinese agricultural scientists visited the Agriculture Canada Lethbridge Research Centre recently to investigate the potential for increasing Chinese imports of Canadian alfalfa seed. Verticillium wilt of alfalfa is a major concern of the Chinese government when making import decisions. During the visit, Lethbridge scientists presented evidence that Canada’s stringent precautions against verticillium wilt, as […] Read more

New research is trying to improve dry bean production in southern Alberta, where most dry beans are sown under irrigation on heavily tilled soil that requires heavy inputs and is vulnerable to wind erosion. Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lethbridge, Alta., will investigate the potential of direct seeding and zero tillage for dry beans under […] Read more

The secret for complete disease resistance in wheat lies almost entirely within the crop rather than in outside sources, says a crop pathologist on Agriculture Canada’s western Canadian wheat breeding team. Wheat has all the tools it needs to be disease resistant in its own genome, Lethbridge research centre scientist Denis Gaudet said. All wheat […] Read more

A new winter wheat variety with superior agronomic traits and resistance to wheat curl mite was recently recommended for registration by the Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain. The variety, now designated as W337, is the first in Canada with resistance to wheat curl mite, which transmits wheat streak mosaic virus, or WSMV. The committee’s […] Read more