Mapping genome | Identifying traits that increase tolerance to infection can help determine best breeding combinations
LINDELL BEACH, B.C. — Scientists have discovered genetic resistance to a parasite nematode that infects sheep. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Kenya detected quantitative trait loci (QTL) genetic locations on chromosomes for resistance to gastrointestinal nematode parasites while studying a double-backcross population of African native […] Read moreNews — page 2496
Secret to parasite resistance found in African sheep
Letters — for Feb. 2, 2012
Trade deal on beef sparks hope for pork producers
Canada’s recent deal with South Korea to resume trade in Canadian beef should be an impetus to resume free trade talks that would help the pork sector, say industry players. However, there is no guarantee that will happen. So far, Ottawa has been silent on the prospect for renewed free trade talks with Korea, which […] Read more
Maintain livestock handling equipment
Cattle producers may dream big after hearing Temple Grandin talk about proper animal handling, but they have to be careful not to slip back into old ways. Grandin, arguably the world’s most famous animal behaviour specialist, spoke to a standing room only crowd Jan. 19 as keynote speaker at the Lethbridge College Tiffin Conference. “You’ve […] Read more
Hoppers expected this spring in Alberta
Grasshopper forecast | Saskatchewan, Manitoba predicted to have few troubles with grasshoppers this spring
EDMONTON — Saskatchewan and Manitoba look safe from grasshoppers this year, according to the 2012 forecast, but Alberta farmers need to beware. “Alberta gets to be the lucky contender with grasshoppers this year,” said Jennifer Otani, an Agriculture Canada entomologist. “The forecast in Alberta has pockets with severe populations, but that depends what happens in […] Read more
Flooded Manitoba farmers blame western neighbour
KAP convention | Saskatchewan farm group leader accepts partial responsibility and says stricter laws are needed on illegal drainage
Some Manitoba farmers at the Keystone Agricultural Producers convention picked a familiar and easy target to blame for the Assiniboine River’s flood last year: Saskatchewan producers. “This is about the longest flood I’ve ever seen, this spring and summer,” George Harrison of Oak Lake told Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan president Norm Hall. “My understanding […] Read more
Researchers deliver ‘hard’ news
EDMONTON — The head of a seed germination lab says last spring’s excess water has created seed characteristics never before seen in this country: pulse seeds impermeable to water. Lentils and peas from southern Alberta are showing signs of hard seed, said Sarah Foster of 20/20 Seed Labs in Nisku, Alta. “There is not a […] Read more
Mining parliamentary trivia
It is the kind of salacious information about frivolous government spending, unearthed by diligent opposition sleuths, that can bring governments down. Or not. A 67-page government answer tabled in Parliament Jan. 29 to an opposition MP’s written query offers a glimpse into the obtuse behind-the-scenes world of Parliament where many costly hours of staff time […] Read more
Useless ag degrees? I think not
When The Daily Beast put various agricultural programs on its list of “useless” degrees last year, I blogged about it, noting the error of its assessment. So when Yahoo came out with a similar “useless” list earlier this month, listing three agriculturally related degrees in its top five, I rejected it as ridiculous. Only two […] Read more
U of S ag and–bioresources college not just for farm kids
The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources is educating its largest class of first year students in the last decade. At 231, the number of first year students is 17 percent higher than 2010, when 198 students were in the first year of the program. In 2009, there were 108 first year students. […] Read more
