An artist’s rendering of the Prairie Crops and Soils Research Facility at the University of Manitoba. Photo: University of Manitoba

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

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

An artist’s rendering of the interior of the new HBRC.

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

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

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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

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


Visualization of DNA sequencing.

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

Sergio Rocha, executive director of a cannabis cultivation research project, works in a greenhouse at Brazil’s Federal University of Vicosa on Aug. 18, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Washington Alves)

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

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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


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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

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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