Reading Time: 2 minutes McCain Foods has entered into a partnership with the Farming Smarter Association, using one of its commercial plots to do a trial growing four varieties, using six treatments. Hopes are best management practices can be adopted that have better efficiencies, water fertility and pest and disease tolerances than the commonly grown Russet Burbank potato.
McCain Foods looks for new processing potatoes
Company works with the Farming Smarter Association as it searches for options other than the century-old Russet Burbank variety
Farming Smarter receives financial boost from Alberta government for potato research
Farming Smarter one of 12 research associations getting part of one-time $3.2 million capital grant
Farming Smarter near Lethbridge got a boost to its research equipment, thanks to the Alberta government’s increase in funding for research associations.
Government funding boosts beef cattle genetics research at University of Saskatchewan
A University of Saskatchewan project seeking to unlock the genetic potential of Canadian beef cattle has received a funding boost from the federal and provincial governments.
Canadian Wheat Research Coalition funds AAFC variety development
The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition has pledged nearly $20 million in funding for wheat variety development over the next three years.
Two Chinese researchers accused of smuggling ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into U.S.
Fusarium poses threat
U.S. federal prosecutors have accused two Chinese nationals of smuggling a dangerous biological pathogen that had the potential to be used as an agricultural terrorism weapon into the United States for research.
Human diabetes drug can keep hens laying eggs
Metformin improves broiler breeder chickens’ metabolic health as they age say Penn State researchers
Human diabetes drug metformin, which is also used to treat hormonal disorder PCOS in women, can improve the metabolic health of broiler breeder chickens and allow them to lay fertile eggs later in life.
Pigs turn the thermostat down
Study shows when pigs control barn temperatures, they prefer it on the cooler side
Reading Time: 3 minutes A study from the Prairie Swine Centre showed that pigs prefer to keep temperatures lower in the barn when they have control of the thermostat, which helps producers keep their pigs happier and save on their utilities bill.
Cropland threatened by toxic metals: study
Up to 17 per cent of agricultural land at risk
Up to 17 per cent of cropland around the globe is contaminated by toxic metals, threatening agriculture and human health in the affected areas, according to new research published in the journal Science.
Pulse flour research looks bright
University of Manitoba researcher uses light source synchrotron to dissect best pulse flours for various food uses
Reading Time: 3 minutes Pulses have a niche in the plant protein space, but the industry hopes new markets and new end uses will help those crops expand their footprint.
Eco-friendly bioplastics could help solve single-use plastic problem
Guelph researcher looking to create bioplastics from canola meal and pulse flour
Reading Time: 3 minutes Eco-friendly bioplastics made from crop waste like canola meal and pulse flour could help solve the world’s petroleum-based single-use plastics problem, says researchers from the University of Guelph.