Reading Time: 2 minutes Scientists in Britain have found they can partially protect chickens from bird flu infections by editing their genes, signaling a new potential strategy to reduce the spread of the deadly virus. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, known as bird flu, has spread to new corners of the globe since 2022, wiping out millions of poultry birds […] Read more
Gene editing offers chickens some protection against bird flu, study shows
About half the birds will still get breakthrough infections at higher exposure rates
Young Alberta researcher aims to feed the world through protein-boosted crops
The world needs a lot more protein and gene editing could be the solution, says Logan Skori
Reading Time: 3 minutes A young Alberta plant scientist is using gene editing to develop high-protein crops with an eye on feeding underdeveloped countries and meeting food industry demand for plant-based protein. Logan Skori grew up on an 1,800-acre mixed farming operation near Kinsella. His favourite childhood memory, which inspired his academic career, is riding in a combine with […] Read more
Where are the Canadian genome-editing startups?
Looser regulations give the U.S. an edge in GE product development, but Canadians are working on gene editing, too
Reading Time: 4 minutes Genome editing has made some major strides in the past year. Minnesota-based Calyxt struck a deal with a processor to make oil from its GE soybeans, in which the genes responsible for trans fats have been ‘turned off.’ And SU Canola (a sulfonyurea herbicide-resistant variety) was given its Canadian commercial release a year ago by […] Read more
The next frontier of plant breeding
Advocates say game-changing genome editing is completely different from genetic engineering — but will the public agree?
Reading Time: 6 minutes Farmers need to get in front of the messaging about genome editing technology — or risk seeing it suffer the same fate as GMOs in the court of public opinion. That’s the warning from the chair of Alberta Wheat’s research committee, who is one of many who fears genome editing is going to get lumped […] Read more
The rules are still being written for genome editing
Reading Time: < 1 minute Researchers are excited about genomic editing’s potential to develop new crop varieties without the controversial genetically modified label. However, the regulation of genome edited crop varieties is still up for debate. In March, the U.S. agriculture secretary said his officials won’t regulate plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques. “With this […] Read more
Farming is not a one-size-fits-all business
There is room for organic, conventional, and GM technology because each of them offers different benefits
Reading Time: 3 minutes I continue to witness arguments over different methods of farming. But considering the variety of farms around the world, and that most of them are very small compared to the Canadian average, combative conversation is really rather unwarranted and, in many cases, an uneducated dialogue. When one disparages farms that are organic or ones that […] Read more
Coexistence plan for GM alfalfa won’t eliminate risk
Expert says stopping the spread of the glyphosate-tolerant trait is virtually impossible, but levels can be kept ‘very, very low’
Reading Time: 3 minutes The recently released “coexistence plan” for genetically modified alfalfa in Western Canada doesn’t offer any guarantees that conventional and organic crops won’t be contaminated, says an expert on gene transfer. “It really depends on what you’re trying to achieve,” said Rene Van Acker, a professor of plant science at the University of Guelph. “If it’s […] Read more
These aren’t your grandmother’s GMOs
FarmTech: Scientists used to use a scattergun approach to genetically modify plants, but modern methods are extremely precise, says professor
Reading Time: 3 minutes Of all the tools that plant breeders have at their disposal, a compelling story is perhaps the most important — and the most challenging to find. “That’s one of the things in the modern breeders’ tool kit that needs improvement — our message out to the public and how it’s going to come across,” said […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
