Recently published papers that have drawn a direct link between insecticides and declining bee populations don’t apply to Canadian bees, say scientists in Ontario and British Columbia. Studies released in the last four weeks based on research in France, Britain and Harvard University determined that a popular insecticide is killing bees. The studies concluded that […] Read more
Tag Archives Research
Dogs may have been fetching bones for 33,000 years
Domestication pushed back | An archaeological dig in Siberia found a skull with characteristics of a dog from the last ice age
LINDELL BEACH, B.C. — A find deep in a Siberian mountain cave has pushed back the date for the domestication of dogs to 33,000 years ago. It’s 19,000 years earlier than the previously accepted date of 14,000 years ago. Equally intriguing is that ancient dog remains of the same antiquity have also been found in […] Read more
Food security relies on ag research
Producing more food with the same or fewer resources has been one of humankind’s most remarkable accomplishments. From 1950 to 1990, yield improvements in global food production enabled farmers to feed a population that doubled to 5.3 billion, with food prices declining by one percent per year during that time. But since 1990, the rate […] Read more
Independent research sorts through the jargon
Remember when you were a wide-eyed kid attending the exhibition in the city? All the hucksters wanted your money. Throw the ball in the basket or shoot a target and win a prize. It was always much harder than it looked. And in the games with “a winner every time,” the prize was worth a […] Read more
Sask. farmers learning lessons about water
Farmers trying to make the most of a bad situation may want to consider broadcasting canola in waterlogged fields, says an official with Saskatchewan’s South East Research Farm. While typically not a recommended practice, it could help producers recoup some costs when they’ve already applied fertilizer and conditions turn ugly, Lana Shaw of the non-profit […] Read more
Driving biocomposites forward
Exterior automobile parts | Researchers study composite made from hemp, agave and other fibres
Automobile makers have touted their green credentials for the last few years, using words like “sustainability” in nearly every television ad and turning trademarks like EcoBoost into household names. Besides manufacturing more efficient engines, automakers are also greening their vehicles by using biomaterials for minor components, such as storage compartments made from wheat straw. However, […] Read more
Winter wheat promising, but problematic
When to seed | Field tests put winter wheat into pulse stubble with mixed results
Researchers in Saskatchewan are trying to crack the code that will allow prairie producers to fully realize the potential of winter wheat. Experts in the field have identified potential, but researchers told the University of Saskatchewan’s recent Soils and Crops presentations that more work is required to better understand the crop and identify best practices. […] Read moreOrganic industry must share research information
Organic researchers met in Winnipeg in late February to share results at the first Organic Science Cluster Conference. Organic research has been augmented under a science cluster funding arrangement from Agriculture Canada through the Organic Federation of Canada to the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC). This funding arrangement began in September 2010 and will […] Read more
Ecologist’s search for answers makes rangeland better place
The range is where the deer and the antelope play. It’s also where Walter Willms has studied for more than 40 years, and where the renowned Agriculture Canada researcher in range ecology and management has uttered that seldom heard discouraging word about grazing systems. They aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, he says. He […] Read more
Wind statistics not extraordinary
Damaging storms | Other factors play role in devastating grass fires and windstorms
Wind is Chris Hugenholtz’s family heritage. His Dutch grandfather created his own miniature wind turbine to power radios that supplied information to the resistance during the Second World War. Thus the power and importance of wind was ingrained in the family culture, augmented in the young Hugenholtz by family sailing and wind surfing activities. But […] Read more
