The Federal and Manitoba governments have thrown their weight behind development of a facility touted to become Canada’s pre-eminent resource for field crop research. “A great deal of our agriculture industry’s success comes from research and skill development,” said federal ag minister Marie-Claude Bibeau in a news release, Tuesday. Bibeau and Derek Johnson, Manitoba’s minister […] Read more
Tag Archives research — page 5

Feds, Manitoba pledge $6.4M to ag research facility
The new facility will modernize crop and soil research and training at the University of Manitoba

U of G hits sweet spot with honeybee research centre
New centre to operate as hive of community engagement
The University of Guelph is abuzz with anticipation now the ground has broken for a new $16 million honeybee research facility. The 15,000-square-foot Luckevich Pinchin Honey Bee Research Centre (HBRC) should be operational by 2025 and house North America’s most significant number of honeybee research colonies. Why it matters: The HBRC has operated since 1894, […] Read more

Research alliance to get $343 million over five years
The province is investing $343 million into the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance over the next five years. The Alliance is a collaboration between Ontario, the University of Guelph, and the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO), supporting and driving agri-food research and innovation. “Using our expertise, the University leverages this government investment to protect plant […] Read more

China must raise self-reliance in ag tech, Xi says
Seed industry seen as weak link in food chain
Beijing | Reuters — President Xi Jinping wants China to accelerate efforts to achieve self-reliance in agricultural technology, identifying seed development and core equipment among areas to focus on, state media reported. The central leadership had said in 2020 that the country’s seed industry was a weak link in the food chain and needed to […] Read more

Province funding Ontario-led agri-food projects
The Ontario government announced Oct. 3 its investing $7.25 million in 50 Ontario-led agri-food research and innovation projects. The investments are being made through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration between the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the University of Guelph that works to advance the next generation of […] Read more

Machine learning uncovers ‘genes of importance’ in agriculture
Science Notes: Technology can also predict additional traits in plants, disease outcomes in animals
Machine learning can pinpoint “genes of importance” that help crops to grow with less fertilizer, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. It can also predict additional traits in plants and disease outcomes in animals, illustrating its applications beyond agriculture. Using genomic data to predict outcomes in agriculture and medicine is both a promise and […] Read more

Cannabis firms catch whiff of opportunity in Brazil
Canadian producers among those now supplying Brazilian market
Sao Paulo | Reuters — International cannabis companies are showing interest in Brazil, both its large consumer market for medicinal products and a proposal that could legalize planting of the crop. Major producers such as Colombia’s Clever Leaves and Canada’s Canopy Growth are developing and selling medicinal cannabis products to a Brazilian consumer segment estimated […] Read more

Male piglets less resilient to stress
When sows have significant illnesses during key stages of pregnancy, their immune response may negatively affect developing piglets, making them less productive on the farm. New research from the University of Illinois shows that when those piglets, especially males, experience a second stressor in early life, they are at higher risk of neurodevelopmental and other […] Read more

BAT looks beyond tobacco to Canadian marijuana
Lucky Strike cigarette maker buys into Moncton's Organigram
Reuters — British American Tobacco (BAT) said Thursday it will buy a nearly 20 per cent stake in New Brunswick-based cannabis producer Organigram for about 126 million pounds (C$221.3 million) as it seeks to expand beyond its main tobacco business. Organigram, headquartered at Moncton, grows cannabis and makes cannabis-derived products in the Canadian market, where […] Read more

Bibeau promises help to farmers on rising carbon tax
Funds expected to help farmers cut emissions
A steadily rising carbon tax has a lot of Western Canada’s grain farmers wondering how they’ll compete in world markets against competitors not subjected to a similar tax. “I think the world market is also looking towards a greener economy and always more sustainable agriculture,” federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said when the question was […] Read more