The interprovincial cost-sharing agreement supporting the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) will now allow for twice as many students from British Columbia. The B.C. government and the U of S on Monday announced the province will now put up almost $10.7 million to double the number of provincially subsidized students to […] Read more
B.C. doubling seat count at Saskatchewan vet college
Saskatoon veterinary school to take 40 B.C. students
These kind of variants we want
Reading Time: < 1 minute A new research project, partly funded by Alberta Wheat and its provincial cousins, aims to use naturally occurring genetic variations to boost both uptake and use of applied phosphorus and nitrogen. “Typical crop plants only take up around 50 per cent of the phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizer applied by farmers,” said researcher Leon Kochian of […] Read more
Olds College, USask working together on ag-tech research
Reading Time: < 1 minute Olds College is partnering up with the University of Saskatchewan on agricultural technology research. The two schools recently signed a five-year memorandum of understanding “to collaborate in joint activities related to automation and increased incorporation of digital data in agriculture.” That will include a working relationship between Olds College’s Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production […] Read more
Bugs get their due in new facility
Reading Time: < 1 minute The University of Saskatchewan is building a new facility specifically designed to conduct research on arthropod plant pests (such as aphids) and beneficial insects. The Insect Research Facility, a first in Western Canada, will be led by entomologist Sean Prager who was recruited four years ago “in response to increased need for entomological research, training […] Read more
QUIET REVOLUTION: Genomics takes wheat breeding into new era
Having a set of complete genomes unlocks the door to wheat’s vast and vastly useful genetic richness
Reading Time: 5 minutes It may not have seemed like a big deal when researchers announced they had sequenced the genomes of a bunch of wheat varieties. But it was big news for wheat midge — as well as other pests and diseases such as stripe rust and fusarium head blight. That’s because it should greatly speed up the […] Read more
Saskatchewan to incentivize rural vet techs
Remote learning, loan forgiveness on offer
Saskatchewan plans to clear a few new paths for veterinary technologists and veterinarians in training to take up work in underserved rural areas. The province on Tuesday announced the two-year registered veterinary technologist program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic will offer a distance delivery option, starting this fall, for vet techs to train in rural and remote […] Read more
In the fast-evolving field of vaccines, Prairie lab is at the cutting edge
VIDO is known for its work in animal health, but it’s developing a COVID-19 vaccine and a production facility
Reading Time: 3 minutes At a time when the entire world has never been more focused on vaccine development, one of Canada’s leading researchers in the field had some positive words on the subject for delegates to the 2021 Banff Pork Seminar. In his presentation, Volker Gerdts pointed to the mRNA technology used to develop the first two COVID-19 […] Read more
‘Genomic atlas’ a boon for wheat breeders
Reading Time: < 1 minute An international team of nearly 100 researchers led by the University of Saskatchewan has sequenced the genomes for 15 wheat varieties. “By having many complete gene assemblies available, we can now help solve the huge puzzle that is the massive wheat pan-genome and usher in a new era for wheat discovery and breeding,” said project […] Read more
Research funding provides new barley varieties
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Barley Research Coalition is investing $2.7 million over five years in the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre to develop barley varieties with improved agronomics, disease resistance and end-use quality. The research coalition is a collaboration between Alberta Barley and its Prairie sister organizations. The last round of funding by the coalition led […] Read more
Happy accident: Researchers discover promising new seed treatment
How it works is still a mystery, but new compound boosts germination, root development, and resistance
Reading Time: 5 minutes Good things generally don’t happen by accident in science — they’re the result of countless hours of trial and error, replication and peer review. However, University of Saskatchewan researchers may be looking at the closest thing to a scientific miracle: A natural seed treatment that increases germination in just about any crop you can name, […] Read more
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