Canola Award of Excellence given out
Mairlyn Smith was awarded the 2016 Canola Award of Excellence from The Manitoba Canola Growers Association.
Smith is the first professional home economist to be recognized for her contributions to the canola industry.
Smith has been using and promoting canola oil for decades using her cookbooks, keynote speaking and social media.
Her seventh and latest book, Homegrown: Celebrating the Canadian Foods We Grow, Raise and Produce, is a collaborative effort with the Ontario Home Economics Association.
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Going beyond “Resistant” on crop seed labels
Variety resistance is getting more specific on crop disease pathogens, but that information must be conveyed in a way that actually helps producers make rotation decisions.
For more information, visit canolagrowers.com/about-mcga/canola-award-of-excellence.
Ag Canada unveils new potato varieties
Agriculture Canada’s potato breeding team has unveiled 16 new potato selections this year.
One has dark pink flesh and red skin that is rich in antioxidants.
Another is a french fry super performer that could increase yields by as much as 35 percent compared to the russet burbank.
The selections were narrowed down from more than 120,000 hybrid seedlings that were grown, tested and measured in Agriculture Canada greenhouses, laboratories and fields over six years.
Researchers are identifying genes and strands of DNA that produce better yields, nutrition and cooking and processing qualities.
The selections also feature disease and pest resistance.
Survey looks into water
An online survey of 14 questions is being distributed to livestock producers in Alberta called the Animal Drinking Water: Producer Perception and Quality Testing in Alberta.
The survey is a research study by Animal Science students at the University of Alberta to assess differences in well water quality in geographical locations across Alberta.
It will also improve understanding of producer perceptions on water quality, as well as guide future initiatives that help manage water resources across the province.
The confidential survey is voluntary and participants will have free water samples taken for analysis including the results.
Further information is available from Dr. Daniel R. Barreda at 780-492-0375.
World wheat experts to meet in Saskatoon in 2019
Saskatoon will host the 2019 International Wheat Congress, thanks in part to its research infrastructure and talent pool.
More than 500 international wheat scientists voted for the Saskatoon venue from six competing countries.
The University of Saskatchewan, Genome Prairie, Tourism Saskatoon, Ag-West Bio and the Saskatchewan and national wheat research community collaborated on the successful bid.
The event will draw more than 600 wheat scientists to discuss advances in wheat research and the future of wheat in helping avert a global food security crisis by 2050.
It’s also expected to raise the local research community’s international profile, which will result in new opportunities and collaborations.
The event will bring two major wheat research conferences together for the first time: the International Wheat Conference and the International Wheat Genetics Symposium.
