Discovery of the gene has helped scientists reverse the shortcoming and boost plants’ defences in rising temperatures
Heat waves hitting Europe, the United Kingdom, as well as regions of Canada and the United States are threatening plants as well as people. While scientists have known that heat suppresses a plant’s ability to make salicylic acid, the defence hormone that protects plants against pests, they have not understood why plants suffer this immunity […] Read moreStories by Freelance writer
New generation of CRISPR is able to multi-task
The latest technology can now edit multiple genes in plants while simultaneously changing the expression of other genes
In 2012, a powerful molecular gene-editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9 was discovered by American scientist Jennifer Doudna and French scientist Emmanuelle Charpentier and their colleagues. It was a game-changer in refining the DNA of crops to improve qualities like yield, growth and drought and pest resistance. The discovery earned the scientists the 2020 Nobel Prize […] Read more
‘Going to the farm now is more fun’
Alberta farmer makes a smooth transition, moving into town and driving to the farm to help his son on his own schedule
CAMROSE, Alta. — When Warren Moseson retired from farming and moved to the city, he kept on farming. With his son Adam making the decisions, Warren could come and go as he pleased. He has the benefit of still having a connection to the farm, without the farming pressures. “He would go nuts if he […] Read more
Man. farm couple retired into the fruit business
The venture began with the planting of haskap berry bushes and culminated with the purchase of a jam-making business
When Joyce and Doug Livingston went looking for fruit trees to plant in their yard they never dreamed they’d own a fruit-processing business. Originally looking for blueberry bushes to have fresh fruit, Joyce bought one haskap bush, planted it in her yard and then forgot the name of the fruit. Eventually figuring out the bush […] Read more
Research shows flash droughts happening faster
Rapid onset droughts, which dry out soil within five days, have increased from three to 19 percent around the world
Recent research from the University of Texas at Austin, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Texas Tech University has shown that flash droughts are as threatening as flash floods and are developing much more quickly than traditional droughts. Rapid onset droughts — those that dry out soils within five days — have increased from three […] Read more
Drones find their place on the ranch
The technology can help check fences and find cattle but also map fields, identify plants and check protein levels
KINSELLA, Alta. — Looking for cows in thick brush, checking for trees fallen on fence lines, identifying livestock in a herd, spraying weeds and creating maps of pastures are just some of the possible uses for drones, said John Church during a University of Alberta field day of new agriculture technology. The Thompson Rivers University […] Read more
Alberta farm leader moves to town
The president of the Alberta Federation of Agriculture has replaced life in the country with a new beginning in Lethbridge
The acreage has been sold, the land rented, a house bought and Lynn and Elaine Jacobson are moving off the farm near Enchant, Alta., into Lethbridge for the next stage of their life. The couple even bought a pair of e-bikes to explore their new community. The couple will miss their farm home, but Lynn […] Read more
Retired farmer lands part-time job
Farmer puts past experience to good use while helping mediate equipment repairs that don’t always go smoothly
CAMROSE, Alta. — An agriculture engineering degree, a lifetime of farming and volunteering on local boards and committees scored Keith Rasmuson his first job off the farm. Almost three years ago, Rasmuson was hired as a farm implement inspector, a type of mediator to help farmers and machinery dealers navigate the sometimes tricky negotiations when […] Read more
Old farm machinery transformed into yard art
Couple turned yard into a showpiece of flower beds before starting to create art out of rusty equipment found in the bush
Don Engbrecht is into heavy metal, just not the music. The former farmer, agricultural salesperson and community association executive transforms old farm machinery into yard art. A dozen pieces are nestled between the flowers at the International Peace Garden in southern Manitoba, a massive piece is installed at an assisted living facility in Boissevain, Man., […] Read more
Climate effects on aflatoxin in corn crops
Research scientists at Michigan State University have modelled the impact of potentially hotter, dryer weather on key crops such as corn. In the 2021-2022 production year, the United States was the biggest corn producer worldwide. The research focused on the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, both of which produce aflatoxins that can infect peanuts, […] Read more
