EDMONTON — Alberta research scientist Neil Harker has been awarded the FarmTech Recognition Award for his contributions to agriculture.
Harker has worked as a weed scientist at Agriculture Canada in Lacombe since 1985, specializing in no-till cropping systems, competitive crop stands, weed ecology, weed interactions with insects, canola production and canola biodiesel quality.
He has published 165 scientific papers and 13 book chapters.
He is an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta, where he supervises graduate students and guest lectures.
One of Harker’s research projects was to develop the best ways to manage weeds in conservation tillage, while his canola research has helped increase the adoption of herbicide-resistant canola and hybrid canola cultivars.
He has also promoted the importance of early season weed control in canola, which has saved farmers millions of dollars. In recent years, he has examined the value of beneficial insects in crop production.
mary.macarthur@producer.com
