Secret to parasite resistance found in African sheep

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 more


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


Temple Grandin spoke to a standing room only crowd about livestock management systems at the Lethbridge College Tiffin Conference Jan 19.  |  Barb Glen photo

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

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


Farmers along the Assiniboine River blame their flooding woes on illegal drainage in Saskatchewan.  |  File photo

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

Lentils and peas from southern Alberta are showing signs of hard seed, said Sarah Foster of 20/20 Seed Labs in Nisku, Alta. | File photo

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