AG e-news November 9, 2018
News and events from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
News and events from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, November 9 – There will be a screening of From Seed to Seed, a film about regenerative agriculture, climate change and community health, featuring Dr. Martin Entz, Dr. Ian Mauro, Dr. Vandana Shiva, and Manitoba ecological and conventional farmers. From Seed to Seed has been has been selected by 20 film festivals to date and has won two jury awards. It will be introduced by director Katharina Stieffenhofer at 7:00 pm at Cinematheque, 100 Arthur Street. Following the film, there will be a Q&A with participants Terry Mierau, Monique Scholte, Jonah and Raven Langelotz. There will also be screenings on Saturday, November 10 at 3 pm (followed by Q & A with director Katharina Stieffenhofer) and 7 pm; Sunday, November 11 at 5 pm. Tickets at https://www.winnipegfilmgroup.com/product/from-seed-to-seed/
November 12-16 – The University of Manitoba is closed on Monday, November 12, for Remembrance Day. For degree students, November 13 to 16 is the Fall Break and there are no classes/examinations held during this period. Diploma students have no classes on Tuesday, November 13, but resume classes Wednesday. Academic and administrative offices will remain open.
November 14 and 15 – Manitoba Agriculture has organized two Risk Management Seminars in Brandon and Winnipeg to help agricultural organizations identify risks and talk about how to address those risks. Topics include boards, documents, procedures, financial statements, risk reduction funding, insurance, and legal considerations. Brandon event is Wednesday, November 14 at the Manitoba Agriculture Office, 1129 Queens Avenue. Winnipeg event is Thursday, November 15 at Red River Exhibition, 3977 Portage Avenue. Both days run 9 am to 4 pm (please choose one location). Registration fee of $50 per person which includes lunch. Email leadership [at] gov [dot] mb [dot] ca or call 204-266-1410 by Friday November 9.
Wednesday, November 14 – “Intercropping Workshop: Getting the most out of every acre” is full-day workshop is an opportunity to hear from producers and researchers on the practice of intercropping. Intercropping is a farmer-led practice gaining credibility as a way to improve yields and decrease pest and disease pressure. Learn about successful practices, approaches, equipment modifications and the financial implications for your farm business from farmers and researchers. Brandon, MB – Keystone Centre, MNP Theatre. $30/person or $50 for 2 people from the same farm. Lunch and snacks included. Contact Katherine Stanley to register: Katherine [dot] stanley [at] umanitoba [dot] ca or 204-898-4122.
Thursday, November 15 – University of Manitoba staff and students are invited to join Veterinary Diagnostic Services for a lunch-n-learn from 11:50 am to 1 pm. Mathew Wiens will present on the Government’s climate and green plan initiative. To attend, come to 545 University Crescent (U of M Campus)and report to the receptionist.
Tuesday, November 20 – A Department of Animal Science Seminar will be held in 219 Animal Science Building at 10:00 am. Dipana Maharjan, M.Sc. student, will be giving an scientific presentation on “Corn supplementation of beef cows and it’s impact on growth performance and carcass outcome of their progeny”. All are welcome to attend.
Tuesday, November 20 – A Department of Entomology Seminar will be presented by Rosanna Punko, Department of Entomology on “Nosema epidemiology and control in honey bees under Canadian prairie conditions”. Refreshments at 10:00 am, seminar begins at 10:10 am sharp in 220 Animal Science/Entomology Building. All are welcome.
Tuesday, November 20 – A Human Nutritional Sciences Program Seminar will take place at 3:00 pm in Room 240 University College Building, with Ramandeep Kaur, M.Sc. in Human Nutritional Sciences, presenting “The Manitoba personalised lifestyle research (TMPLR):- association of plant sterols with cardiovascular disease”.
Wednesday, November 21 – The third seminar in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences 2018-2019 Seminar Series will be held at 3:30 pm in the Carolyn Sifton Lecture Theatre, 130 Agriculture Building. Michele Rogalsky, Director, School of Agriculture, Cora Dupuis, Experiential Learning Specialist, School of Agriculture and Kristen MacMillan, Agronomist in Residence, Department of Plant Science, will present “Enhancing Experiential Learning Through Partnerships”. Refreshments will be served at 3:00 pm in the Atrium. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Thursday, November 22 – An Advanced Plant Science Seminar will be held in the Carolyn Sifton Lecture Theatre, 130 Agriculture Building at 3:30 pm. Dr. Thomas Miedaner, State Plant Breeding Institute, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany, will present “Genomics of Aggressiveness and Resistance in the Fusarium-Cereal Pathosystem”. All are welcome to attend. Coffee at 3:00 pm in the Atrium.
November 26-28 – The Agricultural Excellence (AgEx) Conference will be held at the Fort Garry Hotel and brings diverse industry experts and stakeholders together from across disciplines, regions and production sectors to share and explore beneficial farm management practices and insights with leading farm business thinkers. Among the keynote speakers is Terry Betker, Backswath Management Inc. and School of Agriculture instructor, who will present “The Power of Peer Groups”. Learn more at https://fmc-gac.com/programs-services/agricultural-excellence-conference/.
Tuesday, November 27 – A Department of Animal Science Seminar will be held in 219 Animal Science Building at 10:00 am. Janghan Choi, M.Sc. student, will be giving an extension presentation on “Feeding strategies for sows around farrowing”. All are welcome to attend.
November 27-28 – Presented by the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association, the Regenerative Agriculture Conference themed “Adapting to Today’s Food and Farming World” will be held at the Victoria Inn in Brandon, highlighting opportunities to boost farm profits using farm systems and ground level-thinking that enhances available natural resources such as healthy soil and intact grasslands. The conference will feature speakers from across North America, including Martin Entz, Plant Science, who will discuss and demonstrate how livestock and grain farmers can apply the principles of regenerative agriculture. Learn more and register at https://mfga.net/conference/.
Saturday, December 1 – Come out to the Farm and Food Discovery Centre for Breakfast with Santa on the Farm. Enjoy a pancake and sausage breakfast on the farm, take a picture with Santa and join in on some outdoor winter activities. Pre-registration required, activities between 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Cost: $5.00 plus GST per person ages 5+, $3.50 plus GST per child 3-4 years old. For more information, please contact our Discovery Centre Coordinator at (204) 883-2524 orffdc [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.
Wednesday, December 12 – The Prairie Livestock Expo at the Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre in Winnipeg features a number of Faculty speakers. See full details of the event at www.prairielivestockexpo.ca.
Wednesday, December 12 and Thursday, December 13 – The 2018 Manitoba Agronomists Conference themed “Adaptive Crop Management: Dealing with Agronomic Production & Market Risks” will be held in Room 172 Agriculture Building and via webcast. Registration is now open. The cost is $225. Register by November 30 to take advantage of the early bird rate of $185. Register early for Winnipeg as space is limited. Graduate students are invited to attend as well as submit posters. Poster requirements and deadlines as well as registration information are on the MAC website at www.manitobaagronomistsconference.ca. Any inquiries can be directed to the MAC Coordinator, Rachel Sydor at mbagconf [at] umanitoba [dot] ca or 204-474-8473.
February 19-21, 2019 – Mark your calendars for the 12th Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference. Connect with scientists, landowners, consultants, educators, nature enthusiasts, land managers, and others to share information and new approaches to conservation, agriculture and the protection of prairie landscapes and native species. Location will be the Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre, Winnipeg, MB and the theme is “Working Landscapes”. For more info, visi www.pcesc.ca.
STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS
Michael Eskin, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, has released a new nutrition rap video. Check out “The Fat-Soluable Vitamin Rap” at https://youtu.be/Rf-r9pcvYrA. The music is by Michael’s son Ezra Eskin. You’ll be humming it after you listen to it!
The Faculty hosted the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry on November 1 at the Farm and Food Discovery Centre. Six members of the committee were joined by members of the Faculty for a round table discussion on competitiveness of the value-added food sector in Canada and tour of the Centre. The Senate committee then toured the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals on November 2 to discuss RCFFN’s focus on innovation.
Dilantha Fernando, Plant Science was invited as the President of the Canadian Phytopathological Society to the Plant Protection Society of Alberta (PPSA) and CPS-Saskatchewan joint conference in Lloydminister, Alberta. Dilantha brought greetings from the CPS board and gave a research presentation titled “CRISPR/CAS9 of an avirulence gene allows understanding of the Brassica napus-Leptosphaeria maculans interaction”. The authors to the work is Rasanie Padmathilike (PhD student Fernando lab), Zhongwei Zou (Research Associate Fernando lab), and collaborators Richard Belanger, Huma Sonah (Laval University) and Shuo Jia and P. Hu from Medical Faculty University of Manitoba.
Chad Lawley, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, attended the Economics and Environmental Policy Research Network Research Symposium hosted by the Smart Prosperity Institute in Ottawa October 29 and 30. He presented in a panel “Economic incentives for protected areas and biodiversity conservation on private lands.”
Peter Jones, Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, spoke at the 2018 US Canola Research Annual Conference – presenting on November 5 on the topic “30-3 Health Benefits of Mufa-Rich Canola Oil”.
Peter also presented at the BASF Seminars, Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Jakarta, October 3-12, on the topic “Are we ready for personalized nutrition? Assessing the evidence”.
Michael Janzen, Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, hosted YES! Winnipeg and the Familiarization Tour for Global Affairs Canada with 10 new investment officers, and two trade commissioners on November 5. The investment officers help to bring more foreign direct investment into Canadian communities. YES! Winnipeg is excited to host this group as it is a rare opportunity to have the federal officers here at once touring Winnipeg and seeing all we have to offer in our key sectors. Richardson Centre for Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals is considered a key player in the ag sector and of course the Protein Industries supercluster.
Nazim Cicek, Biosystems Engineering, presented at the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association 2018 Annual General Meeting & Dinner on October 25.
IN THE NEWS
Qiang Zhang, Biosystems Engineering, was interviewed on Farmscape (October 30) in the story “Rubberised Concrete Floor Coverings Offer Potential to Improve Sow Foot Health” – read the transcript or listen to the interview at http://farmscape.ca/f2ShowScript.aspx?i=26760&q=Rubberised+Concrete+Floor+Coverings+Offer+Potential+to+Improve+Sow+Foot+Health.
Rob Gulden, Plant Science, was featured in the article “Crop establishment important for weed management” in the Manitoba Co-operator (OCtober 30) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/crops/crop-establishment-important-for-weed-management/
Kim Ominski, Animal Science, was interviewed in the article “Finding a recipe for success on winter livestock rations” in the Manitoba Co-operator (October 29) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/livestock/finding-a-recipe-for-success-on-winter-rations/
Two alumni, Tracy Wood (DipAgric/95) and Taralea Simpson (BSA/92), were featured in the story “Agvocating through experience” in the Manitoba Co-operator (October 24) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/country-crossroads/farm-stay-business-offers-a-get-away-experience-and-close-view-of-a-working-farm/.
PUBLICATIONS
Asselin, S.R., A.L. Brûlé-Babel and D.J. Cattani. 2018. A landscape genomics approach for the development of Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani Schrad.) as a perennial grain oilseed. Crop Science 58:2241-2260. https://doi:10.2135/cropsci2017.10.0611.
Entz, M.H., Kirk, A.P., Carkner, M., Vaisman, I. and Fox, S.L., 2018. Evaluation of Lines from a Farmer Participatory Organic Wheat Breeding Program. Crop Science, 58(6), pp.2433-2443.
GENERAL NEWS
Attention Graduate Students – The 2018 Manitoba Agronomists Conference is in need of volunteers. This year’s conference is themed Adaptive Crop Management: Dealing with Agronomic Production & Market Risks and runs Wednesday, December 12 and Thursday December 13. In return for volunteering, you will receive a free lunch and be able to attend a speaker session of your choice (standing room only please). To learn more about the volunteer roles and to fill out a volunteer form, visit http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/agronomists_conf/volunteers.html.
Beekeeping for the Hobbyist is a non-credit course offered by the Department of Entomology in collaboration with Manitoba Agriculture. The course runs nine Wednesday evenings – January 30 to March 27, 2019 – and includes an apiary demonstration in mid-April or early May. The course fee is $205. An optional textbook is available for purchase at an additional cost. Learn more and sign up at http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/dept/entomology/programs/Beekeeping.html.
Are you interested in caring for trees and shrubs on your property? Or are you considering becoming a professional arborist? The Manitoba Arborists course covers tree biology, plant classification and identification, soil science and tree worker safety. Participants learn about proper tree pruning techniques as well as the issues that affect urban tree health, including environmental stresses and forest pests and diseases. This course would be suitable for those interested in tree care as a hobby or as a small business. Upon completion of this program you are eligible to practice as an arborist in Manitoba. To register for either the in-class or online course, please visit www.ManitobaArborists.ca. The next course starts Monday, January 7, 2019. Registration is currently open until December 17, 2018.
The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences has partnered with the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) to offer tutoring in writing for graduate students in the Faculty. The writing tutors are Desmond Essien and Hannah Oduro-Obeng and they will offer four hours of tutoring each week through the fall and winter terms. Tutoring sessions run in the Dafoe Library with the following Fall Schedule: Hannah: 6:00-8:00pm on Tuesdays; Desmond: 11:30am – 1:30pm on Thursdays. Graduate Students: Appointments must be booked through the ALC’s online booking system. The procedure to book appointments is outlined at http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/graduatestudies/writingtutorsupport.html
Undergraduate Research Awards offer a rewarding experience for students to be mentored full-time with a professor of their choice for 16 weeks (May to August) and to gain valuable experience in their field of interest, in addition to a $7,000 monetary award. Application deadline is January 25 and complete info is available at http://umanitoba.ca/research/experience_research/ where students can see a lists of researchers. Chantal Bassett will be compiling a list of interested faculty members for submission to the URA website. It is not an inclusive listing – you are still eligible if not included. Please send Chantal (chantal [dot] bassett [at] umanitoba [dot] ca) a brief description of your research program and/or a potential URA project by November 3rd if you want to be added to this list.