The Saskatchewan 4-H Council was named the 2011 recipient of the Donner Award for education. It marks the second consecutive win for the organization, which provides hands-on learning and personal development opportunities for Saskatchewan youth aged six to 21. The annual awards are sponsored by the Donner Canadian Foundation and administered by the Fraser Institute. […] Read more
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Sask. 4-h council wins award
First research council president revolutionary for his time
David Hopper, the first president of Canada’s world-renowned International Development Research Council, had a vision of agricultural development in poor countries that was ahead of its time, say former colleagues. He died in late November at age 84, hailed in life and death as one of the fathers of the Green Revolution that turned India […] Read more
Genomics help tackle pests
A new research project to combat pests in Canadian forests has received $4.2 million from Genome British Columbia and Genome Canada. Professor Jeremy Hall of Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business is leading the social science research component. The project will use genomics to develop a DNA-based diagnostic test to detect and monitor pests […] Read more
Alberta Pork eliminates delegates from board
Alberta Pork producers voted to eliminate delegates from the board table after the group struggled to find producers to fill the positions. With only four of the nine delegate positions of Alberta Pork filled, producer Bryan Perkins suggested pork producers have little interest in serving as delegates. “We’re having trouble getting people to be interested […] Read more
New hybrid poplar tree
Tree nursery owners on the Prairies are eagerly awaiting the release of a new poplar variety developed by federal researchers. AC Sundancer, developed at Agriculture Canada’s Agro Forestry Development Centre, is now being released as a commercial cultivar for the landscape industry and is in high demand from rural landowners. The tree is suited for […] Read more
Wheat board wrangling leaves many producers in confusion
After weeks of rancorous debate regarding the fate of the Canadian Wheat Board and an avalanche of contentious words like “steam-rolling”, “Big Brother” and “court injunction,” western Canadian cereal growers are craving another word to describe Canada’s grain industry: certainty. Last week, the board’s fate became less certain when a Federal Court of Canada judge […] Read more
Provinces import to meet biofuel needs
British Columbia and Alberta are importing biofuel to reduce carbon emissions and meet government mandated inclusion rates in gasoline and diesel. B.C. imports most of its biofuel requirements, including renewable diesel from Finland, said Michael Rensing, manager of renewable and low carbon fuels with the province’s energy ministry. B.C. requires five percent renewable content in […] Read more
Spraying for fusarium worth its weight
WINNIPEG — Wheat flowering used to be one of the most stressful times of the growing season for Neil Galbraith, who farms 3,000 acres north of Minnedosa, Man. Galbraith would become agitated in the middle of summer when high humidity and other factors created the ideal conditions for fusarium head blight to flourish on his […] Read more
Ag exporters back new border deal
They haven’t signed their names in blood or written them on legally binding contracts, but agricultural exporters say the Canada-U. S. border co-operation agreement puts the names of Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper and U.S. president Barack Obama on the line. They hope that means the deal to clear away many delays and red tape […] Read more
GM policy seen to hurt food safety
The Canadian government is being hypocritical in pursuing a low level presence policy for unapproved genetically modified crops, says an anti-biotechnology crusader. “Low level presence punches a big hole right through the government’s claim that our regulation of GM foods is science-based,” said Lucy Sharratt, co-ordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. Agriculture Canada wants […] Read more
