Funeral services are to be held and livestreamed Saturday for Prairie farmer, businessman and activist Percy Schmeiser, best known for his ultimately unsuccessful court battles with the company behind Roundup Ready canola. Schmeiser, who farmed at Bruno, Sask., about 90 km east of Saskatoon, died Tuesday at age 89. According to Saskatchewan media, he had […] Read more
Tag Archives genetics — page 4
Farmer and activist Percy Schmeiser, 89
Thorn in Monsanto's side also the subject of a new major film
Beef Breeds Council becomes arm of CCA
Cattle genetics body now a division of Canadian Cattlemen's Association
The market development group representing Canada’s beef cattle seedstock sector has formally merged into the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). The association on Friday announced the Canadian Beef Breeds Council (CBBC) has officially joined the Beef Cattle Research Council and Canfax among the divisions of the CCA. The move follows a cost-benefit review by an advisory […] Read more
Separating stature from major Holstein traits
A new composite index should help maintain desirable traits, while de-emphasizing stature
Canada’s dairy breeding sector is attempting to slow a gradual increase in the average size of the nation’s Holstein. At Lactanet Canada’s recent Open Industry Session held in Guelph, geneticist Dr. Allison Fleming provided information about the development of a composite index of four well-established dairy genetic traits. Why it matters: As the average height […] Read more
Supercluster backing canola protein production
The federally-backed research and development “supercluster” set up to boost Canada’s protein industries is funding work to wring more and better proteins out of canola seed. In Saskatoon on Wednesday, federal Industry Minister Navdeep Bains announced the Protein Industries Canada (PIC) supercluster has approved a new $27.6 million project to breed high-protein canola hybrids for […] Read more
Beef genomic selection finds its stride
Research is ongoing to find new traits and figure out genetic correlations to make the best breeding choice
Picking the best herd sire or selecting replacement heifers is getting easier for producers who use genomically enhanced expected progeny differences. The predictions of valuable traits like carcass merit, longevity and calving ease may not be 100 per cent accurate but new computing power is making the job easier. Why it matters: Genomics can be […] Read more
Genomic best practices from committed testers
Have a plan say dairy farmers who use genomics to determine which heifers to keep
If dairy producers want to use genomics to improve their herds, they should have a plan, develop goals for their operation, and stick to them, according to Gary Markus of Markhill Holsteins. “Jump in with both feet, use the data, and don’t dabble,” he said during a producer panel on Dairy Day at the recent […] Read more
Scientists overhaul corn domestication story with new analysis
Science Notes: Semi-wild proto-corn spread from Mexico to South America before becoming fully domesticated, offering new clues to its future
Smithsonian scientists and collaborators are revising the history of one of the world’s most important crops. Drawing on genetic and archaeological evidence, researchers have found that a predecessor of today’s corn plants still bearing many features of its wild ancestor, was likely brought to South America from Mexico more than 6,500 years ago. Farmers in […] Read more
Wheat’s bigger future
New genetic tools are emerging after the sequencing of the wheat genome
The sequencing of the wheat genome means researchers will finally have access to genetic tools to help with wheat development — an advantage other crops have had for years. It should also mean that Ontario growers will see quicker-developed varieties with traits like fusarium head blight resistance. Wheat’s genome was finally sequenced earlier this year […] Read more
Australian scientists find species-jumping genes more common than thought
Cross-species gene transfers, even between plants and animals have occurred frequently
University of Adelaide, Australia, scientists have shown that widespread transfer of genes between species has radically changed the genomes of today’s mammals and been an important driver of evolution. In the world’s largest study of so-called “jumping genes,” the researchers traced two particular jumping genes across 759 species of plants, animals and fungi. These jumping […] Read more
Gene editing to eliminate boar taint being explored
A research alliance is attempting to develop male pigs that are naturally castrated
Global swine and poultry breeding technology supplier Hendrix Genetics recently added its support to a U.S.-based research effort aimed at delaying or even eliminating maturity in piglets as a way of tackling the troublesome phenomenon of boar taint. However, a well-respected University of Guelph boar taint researcher says “the jury’s still out” on whether or […] Read more
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