Orchid donation
Students from Olds College’s horticulture club expanded their orchid collection recently with a gift of 80 orchid plants from Donna Hamel of Edmonton’s Muttart Conservatory.
Students began their orchid collection last November when they saved 421 plants that had been left behind in the sale of a greenhouse north of Red Deer. Orchids are the number one potted crop in North America and represent an important niche in the greenhouse industry.
Hamel said the college’s collection will complement the conservatory’s orchid species collection.
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Federal government supports soil health strategy
Sophie Beecher, director general at Agriculture Canada, said at a soil conference in Winnipeg that the feds support the idea of a national soil health strategy.
Fusarium research
The Canadian Wheat Board has committed $300,000 over three years to fund research against fusarium head blight in barley.
The board has supported research in barley at Agriculture Canada’s cereal research centre in Brandon since 2004. The new funding for the centre is contingent on matching support from other sources.
So far, funding has also been committed by Agriculture Canada’s matching investment initiative and the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre, with support from Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund.
Lead project scientist Bill Legge said program funding to date, including wheat board contributions, has resulted in increased capacity for barley nurseries and more testing for deoxynivalenol, or DON, which is the mycotoxin that fusarium produces.
Canola board officials
Brian Tischler is the new president of the Canadian Canola Growers Association. The Mannville, Alta., farmer and former CCGA vice-president was elected for a two-year term. He replaces outgoing president Ross Ravelli of Dawson Creek, B.C.
Tischler said he looked forward to working with the board to ensure that CCGA continues to be an effective organization committed to representing the interests of its growers on national and international issues.
Elections were also held for other positions on the CCGA board. Brian Chorney from Manitoba was elected CCGA vice-president, Ed Schafer from Saskatchewan was re-elected as secretary and Greg Porozni from Alberta was elected treasurer.
