Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s estimated that 90 per cent of global wheat varieties are at risk of contracting a devastating stem rust disease, Ug99. Discovered in Uganda in 1999, it has already affected crops from Africa to Western Asia – and it’s spreading. While the disease hasn’t reached North America yet, a team of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada […] Read more
New hope in the search for Ug99 stem rust resistance
Ag Canada scientist wins writing award
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) research scientist Ernest Small has been named winner of the Lane Anderson Award for Canadian Science Writing in the adult category for his book Top 100 Food Plants: the World’s Most Important Culinary Crops. The $10,000 award was given out at a ceremony in Toronto on September 21st. Top […] Read more
Cervid Industry Receives Federal Funding
Reading Time: < 1 minute Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has announced an investment of over $1 million to the Canadian Cervid Alliance to help the cervid industry capture new market opportunities and respond to the growing consumer demand for full traceability in livestock and poultry. The Canadian Integrated Food Safety Initiative (CIF SI) is funding two projects that will help […] Read more
Ancient plant oils seen fighting food pathogens
Oils derived from cinnamon and cloves do more than taste and smell good — they can also fight food-borne diseases, such as E. coli and salmonella, researchers are discovering. This natural ability of some ancient natural oils — from geraniums, cloves, wild oregano, cinnamon and thyme, for example — offers promise in finding alternatives to […] Read more
Potato centre rolls out new spuds
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Potato Research Centre (PRC) in Fredericton is offering 15 new promising potatoes to industry for further testing, AAFC announced Thursday. “Today’s release of these new and promising potatoes is a perfect way to mark the United Nations’ International Year of the Potato,” federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said in a government […] Read more
New Canadian pear named “Harovin Sundown”
The votes are in and the winner is Harovin Sundown, the new name for the newest pear developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) scientists in the Niagara region and southwestern Ontario. Niagara area MP Dean Allison officially announced the new name Wednesday at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Conference. The government, he said, is […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
