AG e-news August 25, 2017
News and events from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
News and events from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 30 – An Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics Seminar will feature Dr. James Rude, Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology, University of Alberta, on the topic “Price Volatility along the Canadian Cattle Supply Chain”. Seminar will take place at 10:00 am in 252 Agriculture Building. All are welcome.
September 5-6 – Welcome new students as they discover the Fort Garry campus, their classroom locations and each other during Fall Orientation. Classes begin for degree students on Thursday, September 7. For Diploma students, Orientation will be Wednesday, September 13 with classes starting on September 14.
September 11-17 – University of Manitoba Homecoming 2017 activities include the grand opening of the new addition of Tache Arts complex, campus tours, Bisons football game and the Homecoming Brown and Gold Brunch. A complete listing of Homecoming 2017 events can be found at www.umanitoba.ca/homecoming.
September 17 – Get your family and friends together and head out for an Open Farm Day experience at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre on Sunday, September 17. Come see where your food comes from! Our research farm offers a look through windows at pigs and piglets in a working hog barn. Jump on the farm tractor and trolley to tour the dairy barn and see live layer hens in an enriched cage. You can grind wheat into flour, crush canola seeds into oil and make ice cream. We will feature baby chicks and a bee observation hive. Manitoba Pork will offer a free pork-on-a-bun lunch at 12:00 noon until supply is gone. Cold drinks will be available for purchase. For more information, call 204-883-2524 or email ffdc [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.
September 21 – Be Part of the Agri-Food Conversation! This new speaker series presented by the Farm and Food Discovery Centre will kick off on Thursday, September 21 at 3 pm at Barley Brothers Craft Beer Restaurant. The format will be a guest speaker on a timely topic aimed at students, academics and industry members, followed by some networking and discussion. Stay tuned for details on the first speaker!
September 25-28 – The Agricultural Bioscience International Conference is coming to Winnipeg! Themed “Solutions Start Here”, ABIC 2017 is the premier global meeting which promotes innovation in bioscience to ensure sustainable food, feed, fibre and fuel security as the climate changes. Delegates from around the world will gather to promote the application of agricultural biotechnology. Program and keynotes can be explored at the conference website. Register today at http://www.abic.ca/abic2017.html.
September 26 – There will be a Department of Soil Science Ph.D. Thesis Defense, presented by Surajum Munira on “Competitive Sorption Interactions of Organic and Inorganic Chemicals in Soils” at 1:00 p.m., Room 346 Ellis Building.
STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS
Last week, the governments of Canada and Manitoba announced they will invest more than $1.4 million to expand scientific research capacity at the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea Research Station dairy barn. Read more at http://news.umanitoba.ca/dairy-research-facility-slated-for-upgrade/.
The U of M’s Vice-President (Research and International) and Distinguished Professor Digvir S. Jayas, PEng, ASABE Fellow, is the 2017 recipient of the Sukup Global Food Security Award for his exceptional research and teaching career that has led to enhanced grain preservation throughout the world. The Sukup Global Food Security Award is given annually to an individual, group, or organization with an outstanding record of activities related to the enhancement of food security. Read more at http://news.umanitoba.ca/sukup-award-announcement/.
Miyoung Suh, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, has been named Scientist of the Year by the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST). The award was presented at the 7th Annual Canada-Korea Conference held August 6-9, 2017 in Montreal. Read more at http://news.umanitoba.ca/nutritional-scientist-recognized/.
Rob Duncan, Plant Science, attended the National Association of Plant Breeders Annual Meeting at the University of California, Davis where he was awarded the Early Career Scientist Award from the Association. Read the whole story at http://news.umanitoba.ca/plant-breeder-wins-prestigious-international-award/.
Winnipeg played host to the 2017 Canadian Society for Bioengineering/La Société Canadienne de Génie Agroalimentaire et de Bioingénierie annual (CSBE/SCGAB) conference in early August. The conference was also host of the national gathering of the CIGR Section VI Bioprocesses (Postharvest Technology and Process Engineering). At the awards banquet, a number of our Biosystems Engineering faculty and students were recognized for their achievements. Ranjan Sri Ranjan and Ying Chen were named CSBE Fellows, given to members of outstanding and extraordinary qualifications and experience in the field of agricultural, food or biological engineering. Qiang Zhang was presented with the Maple Leaf Award, the highest award made by the Society in recognition of leadership. Jitendra Paliwal was presented with the John Clark Award, given to a member who has produced oustanding work in industry, teaching, research or extension in one or more of the fields of electric power and processing, energy or food engineering. Don Petkau was presented with the CSBE/SCGAB Prix Glenn Downing Award for outstanding work in industry, teaching, research or extension in the area of power and machinery. Student awards included: the UMATT team – ASABE 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design Competition; Alain Lagasse and Sarah Slagerman – CSBE/SCGAB Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship; Mirette Barsoum Athanasios, Jesnico Gonzales, Nicole Lanchuske and Taylor Livingston – Undergraduate Design Project Award; Craig Heppner – Undergraduate Thesis Award; Rong Yue – Graduate Thesis Award. Congratulations to conference organizers (including chair and CSBE/SCGAB President Danny Mann and program chair Nazim Cicek) on an excellent event!
The Glenlea Research Station and the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre played hosts on Friday, August 11 to the Novitas Argentina Farmer North America Tour. See photos from the event at http://news.umanitoba.ca/argentinian-group-visits-glenlea-research-station/.
Gemmar Maramot began a new position as Agricultural Attendant 3 on July 10 in the Glenlea Poultry Unit located on our Fort Garry Campus. Gemmar has accumulated a great deal of experience in the Faculty, starting in 2010 as an Agricultural Attendant with the Glenlea Swine Unit at the Glenlea Research Station and then as a Biological Technician for the T.K. Cheung Center for Animal Science research. In his new role Gemmar will continue to provide the skills and experience necessary to support the research activities inside the Poultry unit which include a layer and broiler facility.
The Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences welcomes Dr. Snehil Dua to the Instructor I position in the beginning August 16. Snehil received her Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba and has been instructing in Faculty programs for the past several years.
Robert Currie started a 12 month administrative leave on July 1, and Alejandro Costamagna will be the Acting Head for the Department of Entomology until June 30, 2017.
Peter Jones, Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, presented “Food to Health Continuum and Changing Trends in How the Public Views Food and Food Processing” at the FCSBE/SCGAB annual general meeting held in Winnipeg August 7.
Chengbo Yang, Animal Science, was invited to give a talk entitled “Nutritional regulation of skeletal muscle development and breast muscle myopathies in broiler chickens ” at the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China on July 28.
Getahun Legesse, Animal Science, presented at the 2017 ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting & Trade Show in Baltimore, MD, held from July 8-12. His topic was “Water Use Intensity of Canadian Beef Production in 1981 As Compared to 2011”.
Rotimi Aluko, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was an invited guest July 20-24 to the Functional Grains Centre (FGC), Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia where he delivered a seminar on “Functional and Bioactive Properties of Food Proteins and Peptides”. He also held research collaboration talks with Prof. Chris Blanchard, the FGC Director as well as other FGC Faculty members and Research Scientists. FGC is planning a research program on hemp seed value-addition and seeks collaboration with Rotimi on therapeutic potentials of the seed proteins and enzyme-hydrolyzed peptides.
At the Summit on Canadian Soil Health this week in Guelph, Don Flaten, Soil Science, moderated a panel on “A Science Perspective on Soil Health Discoveries and Technical Gaps” and David Lobb delivered an invited presentation on “Soil Degradation – The Cost to Agriculture and the Economy”.
IN THE NEWS
Nazim Cicek, Biosystems Engineering, wrote an opinion piece entitled “A chance to capitalize on disruptive change” for the Winnipeg Free Press (August 22) – http://news.umanitoba.ca/op-ed-only-one-city-has-a-combination-of-factors-that-makes-it-a-perfect-candidate-for-battery-electric-buses-winnipeg/
Katherine Stanley, Plant Science, was interviewed in a video by Allan Dawson with the Manitoba Co-operator (August 21) – watch it here https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/crops/video-hi-tech-cultivator-cuts-weeds-down-to-size/
Doug Cattani, Plant Science, was interviewed in The New Farm series in the Toronto Star/Metro News in the article “Kernza is a unique grain crop to really root for” – https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/urban-farming/2017/08/08/kernza-is-a-unique-grain-crop-to-really-root-for-the-new-farm.html. He was quoted in Water Canada (July/August) – http://watercanada.net/2017/kernza-the-next-winner-for-water-and-agriculture/. Doug was also interviewed on CBC Information Radio about his work on the crop.
Rob Gulden, Plant Science, was interviewed in a video by Allan Dawson with the Manitoba Co-operator (August 14) – watch it here https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/crops/video-fighting-herbicide-resistance-with-seeding-rates/.
Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, was quoted in the article “To till or not to till? For soybeans that’s the question” in the Manitoba Co-operator (August 10) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/crops/should-you-till-your-soil-before-planting-soybeans/
Dylan McKay, Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, wrote an op-ed entitled “Hey, Hippocrates: Food isn’t medicine. It’s just food” for STAT, a medical news blog. Read it at https://www.statnews.com/2017/08/07/food-medicine-hippocrates/.
Peter Jones, Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, was interviewed for the article “What makes some Manitobans healthier than others?” by Steinbach Online (August 3) – https://steinbachonline.com/local/what-makes-some-manitobans-healthier-than-others. Peter was also interviewed by Portage Online (August 1) in the article “Manitoba Personalized Lifestyle & Research Comes to Portage” – https://www.portageonline.com/local/manitoba-personalized-lifestyle-research-comes-to-portage.
Kateryn Rochon, Entomology, was interviewed by CJOB in the story “Local entomologist wants to set the record straight on wasps” – http://news.umanitoba.ca/globalcjob-local-entomologist-wants-to-set-the-record-straight-on-wasps/.
Jonathan Rosset, Plant Science M.Sc. student, and Rob Gulden, Plant Science, were quoted in the article “Soybean row spacing critical in extending weed free period” in the Western Producer (July 27) – http://www.producer.com/2017/07/soybean-row-spacing-critical-in-extending-weed-free-period/
Jordan Bannerman, Entomology, was quoted in the article “Assessing whether or not to spray soybean aphids?” in the Manitoba Co-operator (July 27) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/crops/smartphone-app-offers-guidance-on-spraying-soybean-aphids/
Jitendra Paliwal, Biosystems Engineering, was interviewed for the article “Detecting spoilage before it starts” in Country Guide (July/August 2017) – https://www.country-guide.ca/2017/08/01/cancer-tech-detects-spoilage-in-grain-bins-before-it-starts/51520/
Jitendra was also interviewed by Geoff Geddes for North Star Genetics in the article “Sheltering Your Soybeans: Store Them, Don’t Ignore Them” – http://www.northstargenetics.com/ca/2017/08/15/sheltering-your-soybeans-store-them-dont-ignore-them/.
Chella Vellaichamy, Biosystems Engineering post-doc, was quoted in the article “Maintaining canola quality in grain bags” in Grainews (July 21) – https://www.grainews.ca/2017/07/21/maintaining-canola-quality-in-grain-bags/
Meghan Entz, research assistant in Sociology co-supervised by Joyce Slater in Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was interviewed by the Manitoban (July 13) in the story “Study examines extent of food insecurity among U of M students” – http://www.themanitoban.com/2017/07/study-examines-extent-food-insecurity-among-u-m-students/31678/
Alumnus Kim McConnell (BSA/78) was named to the Order of Canada. In addition to his very successful career as an agricultural marketer, Kim has been a strong industry and youth supporter. Read a profile on the founder and CEO of ag communications firm AdFarm here – http://www.grainswest.com/2017/07/the-catalyst/.
PUBLICATIONS
Ron Britton’s (Biosystems Engineering) book On Design – a philosophy of design and engineering , has just been published by Friesen Press. The book is based on a collection of columns Ron has written for the Keystone Professional during the 15 years from 2001 to 2015. It is “about being an engineer, not doing engineering”. It is available in hard cover, soft cover and/or electronic format from Friesen Press at http://www.friesenpress.com/bookstore.
Slater, J. 2017. Food literacy: A critical tool in a complex foodscape. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences. 109(2):14-20.
Argenis Rodas-González, Nelson Huerta-Leidenz and Nancy Jerez-Timaure. 2017. Benchmarking Venezuelan Quality Grades for Grass-Fed Cattle Carcasses. Meat and Muscle Biology 1:71-80. doi:10.22175/mmb2017.04.0022.
B. Jayaraman, A. Regassa, J. K. Htoo, C. M. Nyachoti. 2017 Effects of dietary standardized ileal digestible tryptophan:lysine ratio on performance, plasma urea nitrogen, ileal histomorphology and immune responses in weaned pigs challenged with Escherichia coli K88. Livestock Science 203 (2017) 114-119
Balachandar Jayaraman, Charles M. Nyachoti. 2017. Husbandry practices and gut health outcomes in weaned piglets: A review. Animal Nutrition Journal.
Taylor, A.M., B.D. Amiro, M. Tenuta, and M. Gervais. 2017. Direct whole-farm greenhouse gas flux measurements for a beef cattle operation. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 239: 65-79.
Karimi, R., W. Akinremi, and D. Flaten. 2017. Cropping System and Type of Pig Manure Affect Nitrate-Nitrogen Leaching in a Sandy Loam Soil. J. Environ. Qual. 46:785-792. doi:10.2134/jeq2017.04.0158
Hajihassani A, Tenuta M, Gulden R. 2017. Influence of Temperature on Development and Reproduction of Ditylenchus weischeri and D. dipsaci on Yellow Pea. Plant Disease 101: 297-305.
Farenhorst A, Li R, Jahan M,Tun HM, Mi R, Amarakoon IA, Kumar A, and Khafipour E. 2017. Bacteria in drinking water sources of a First Nation reserve in Canada. Sci. Total Environ. 575: 813–819.
GENERAL NEWS
The Department of Animal Science is seeking applicants to be nominated for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair, with a focus on Integrative Analyses for Sustainable Food Systems – http://umanitoba.ca/cgi-bin/human_resources/jobs/view.pl?posting_id=91498
This is a reminder that all U of M employees must take the Accessible Customer Service Training by November 1, 2017 to be in compliance with provincial government legislation. The online training module is approximately 35 minutes long and can be done at your own pace. Alternatively, you may sign up for in-person training through LOD. Read more at http://news.umanitoba.ca/accessible-customer-service-training-early-bird-prizes/.
Meeter and Greeter Volunteers Needed – U of M staff, faculty and retirees are invited to become Meeters and Greeters on September 5 and 6 to help us welcome new students, provide directions, and answer questions. When you choose to become a volunteer, you are taking on a very important role in promoting a welcoming atmosphere to new students. Meeters and Greeters will volunteer from 8:00 am – 8:45 am or 8:30 am – 9:15 am on September 5 and 6. To register as a Meeter and Greeter Volunteer with Orientation 2017, fill out the easy online application at https://communitylink.umanitoba.ca/submitter/form/start/10766. Space is limited so please register early. (Make sure to get permission from your supervisor if required, as this is during work hours and is voluntary). Registration will close on Friday, August 25 at 4:30 pm
The Amazing Agriculture Adventure (AAA) will be held at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre and the Richardson International Kelburn Farm from September 19 to 21. Over 1,000 students are registered for this annual event, organized by Agriculture in the Classroom – Manitoba (AITC-M), and volunteers are needed as class hosts and station managers. If you can donate your time and energy to this educational hands-on experience for Grade 4 and 5 students, visit the AITC-M website before September 1 at http://aitc.mb.ca/get-involved/volunteers/registration/winnipeg-aaa-volunteers-needed/.
Experienced sprayer operators needed for study – The Agricultural Ergonomics team in the Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba is conducting a research to gain an understanding of the visual information that would be useful to the remote supervisor of an autonomous (driverless) agricultural sprayer. The study will take 1.5 hours and will include a $20 honorarium. Interested participants can contact the principal investigator via email: edetu [at] myumanitoba [dot] ca.