Angus association selects interns
The Canadian Angus Association has chosen Kaitlin Olynyk of Goodeve, Sask., and Sophie Wotten of Little Britain, Ont., as summer marketing interns.
Also, Matt Bates of Cameron, Ont., will take an internship position in the Calgary office. He will focus on research and special projects during a 32-week contract.
Olynyk has been director for the Canadian Junior Angus Association and the Saskatchewan Junior Angus Association. She is in her third year at the University of Regina in the faculty of education.
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Wotten grew up on a Simmental seed stock and commercial sheep operation in Ontario. She has won several scholarships and awards through 4-H and the Young Canadian Simmental Association. She is studying marketing at the University of Guelph.
A past marketing intern, Bates will organize research projects, work with research facilities in Alberta and apply for grant applications.
Studying at the University of Guelph, he was recently named the top individual at the World Angus Forum Youth Competition.
The interns are available to attend schools to hold agricultural workshops that focus on purebred livestock.
For more information, call the association at 888-571-3580.
Federal, B.C. gov’ts fund fruit research
Funding of $125,000 from the federal and British Columbia governments will help the B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative monitor the health of fruit trees in relation to their levels of production.
The co-operative will study tree cankers in the apple industry by testing five blight and canker control methods, which are a combination of cultural, biological, and chemical options.
Funding of $43,000 will install the newest technologies to two cherry packing lines in Oliver and Kelowna, which will boost packing capacity by 50 percent.
More than $500,000 will also go to a new technology upgrade aimed at improving cherry production from two tons to 5.3 tons per hour.
Ag scholarships for students
Two Future Ag Leaders Scholarships of $1,000 each are available from the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors Inc.
The scholarships are available to students in ag-related studies in Western Canada and Ontario.
Candidates need to demonstrate abilities in leadership and academic excellence and complete a brief essay or video on why they consider agriculture a vibrant and diverse industry.
The scholarships also offer a free CAFA membership, free registration to a regional conference and access to farm adviser mentors.
For more information, visit www.cafanet.com, or contact Liz Robertson at 877-474-2871 or Amanda Hammell at 519-364-2423.
Federal funding boosts poultry research
The Canadian Poultry Research Council has received $4 million in federal funding to boost the poultry industry’s role within the country’s agri-food sector. Research will focus on developing new vaccines. It will also address consumer concerns by finding ways to reduce poultry farms’ environmental footprint.
Collaborative research will include developing viable alternatives to the use of dietary antibiotics in chicken production.
