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AG e-news October 22, 2018

News and events from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences

October 22, 2018 — 

News and events from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday, October 23 – A Department of Entomology Seminar will be presented by Gina Karam, Department of Entomology on “Stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans L.) (Diptera: Muscidae) phenology, parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and population dynamics on southern Manitoba dairy farms”. Refreshments at 10:00 am, seminar begins at 10:10 am sharp in 220 Animal Science/Entomology Building. All are welcome.

Tuesday, October 23 –  A Human Nutritional Sciences Program Seminar will take place at 3:00 pm in Room 240 University College Building, with Geoff Hicks, Director of Regenerative Medicine Program and Professor of Biochemistry & Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, presenting “Vitamin A deficiency can explain the developmental origins of Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder”.

Wednesday, October 24 – As part of the CCARM Food for Thought lecture series, Claudia Narvaez, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences will be giving a seminar in the Cohen Auditorium (St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, 351 Tache Avenue, Winnipeg) at 1:00 pm entitled “Foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in agriculture, what are we doing about it?”.

Wednesday, October 24 – Join us for the 10th Annual Kraft Lecture, which will feature Daniel Sumner, Frank H. Buck, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Davis, and the Director of the University of California, Agricultural Issues Center. This year’s topic is “North American Agriculture in an Era of Trade Policy Turmoil: Reaffirming the Value of Open Markets”. Lecture will take place at 3:00 pm in Richardson International Auditorium, 172 Agriculture Building. There will be refreshments beginning at 2:30 pm.  Title TBA.

October 26 and 30, November 13 – The Department of Statistics is offering the following workshops: “Survey Data Analysis Using SPSS” Day 1: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, October 26, 311 Machray Hall and Day 2: 1:00 am – 4:00 pm, October 30, 108 Machray Hall. Registration deadline: October 24. To register for this workshop, please email consulting [at] stats [dot] umanitoba [dot] ca.   $30 course fee. Space is limited to 25 seats.  They are also offering “Data Visualization using R: Statistical Graphs and Animation” 9:30 am – 1:00 pm, November 13, 311 Machray Hall.  $25 course fee for each day. Space is limited to 25 seats.  Registration deadline: November 9. To register for this workshop, please email consulting [at] stats [dot] umanitoba [dot] ca.

Thursday, October 25 – Graduate students, don`t forget the AgVision session on Organizing Your Research with Mendeley with facilitator Vahid Sadrmanesh on Thursday at 1 pm in Room 130 Agriculture Building. There will be pizza in the Atrium at 12:30 pm.  RSVP via https://goo.gl/forms/pBTlFZLyPyYYuJm03.

Thursday, October 25 – The 2018 Undergraduate Student Research Poster Competition will take place from 1:00 – 4:30 pm in the Manitoba Rooms 210 – 224, University Centre. A showcase of undergraduate student’s expertise and passion for research, the Undergraduate Research Poster Competition is an annual event that takes place in the fall at the University of Manitoba. Prizes of $500, $300 and $200 will be awarded to the top three posters in each of the following five categories: Applied Sciences, Natural Sciences, Health Sciences, Social Sciences/Humanities and Creative Works. The event gives undergraduate students the opportunity to present research they’ve conducted with their advisors over the past year.

Saturday, October 27 – Dress up in your Halloween costume and join us at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre for the Pumpkin Party and tours of the Centre. Bring your own pumpkin or purchase one of ours to carve and leave the mess to us! Pre-registration required at ffdc [at] umanitoba [dot] ca. Activities between 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, $5.00 + GST per person over 5 years old, $3.50 + GST per child 3-4 years old. For directions, visit www.ffdc.ca.

Saturday, October 27 Manitoba Rural Women’s Day is scheduled for October 27 Morris, MB. Registration fee of $25. This includes snacks, lunch, door prizes, multiple speakers and display tables. Learn more at http://www.mbwi.ca/manitoba-rural-womens-day-2018/.

October 29-November 1 – As part of the hiring process for the Research Scientist in Insect Ecology position (AAFC), there are a series of candidate seminars, all of which will be held at 9 am each day in Senate Chamber, E3-262 (Engineering). October 29 – Fuji Jian will present “Insect Detection and Density Estimation in Stored Grain Bins: Is It a Needle in a Haystack or an Elephant in a Room?”. October 30 – Sarah Jandricic will present “Small Insects and Low Threshold: IPM Programs for Pests of High Value Crops”. October 31 – Vincent Hervet will present “Integrated management of three major crop pests on the Canadian Prairies”. November 1 – Habibullah Bahar will present “Ecology and Integrated Management of Insect Pest”

Tuesday, October 30 – A Department of Animal Science Seminar will be held in 219 Animal Science Building at 10:00 am. Paul Tamayao, M.Sc. student, will be giving a poster presentation on “Effects of biochar supplementation to beef cattle total mixed ration diet on methane emission and rumen fermentation in batch culture”. Zhigang Tan, M.Sc. student, will be giving a scientific presentation on “Novel strategies for control of Salmonella infection in livestock production systems”. All are welcome to attend.

Tuesday, October 30 –  A Human Nutritional Sciences Program Seminar will take place at 3:00 pm in Room 207 Human Ecology Building, with Kathy Vagianos presenting “The role of diet in inflammatory bowel disease”.

Wednesday, October 31 – The second seminar in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences 2018-2019 Seminar Series is being held jointly with Food Systems Research Group Seminar and Knowledge Sharing Series and will be held at 3:30 pm in the Carolyn Sifton Lecture Theatre, 130 Agriculture Building. Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, will present “The Evolution of Canada’s International Food Assistance Policies”.  Refreshments will be served at 3:00 pm in the Atrium. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Thursday, November 1 – An Advanced Plant Science Seminar will be held in the Carolyn Sifton Lecture Theatre, 130 Agriculture Building at 3:30 pm.  Leila Kamino, Ph.D. student, Plant Science will present “Influence of Plants on Soil Bacteria and Functions: DNase Activity as a Model Function”.  All are welcome to attend. Coffee at 3:00 pm in the Atrium.

Friday, November 2 – Save the date! The 23rd Annual Fields on Wheels Conference is themed “Cross-border Trade and Post-CTA Transport Policy Changes”. This one-day conference will take place at the Four Points South Hotel, Winnipeg. More details including complete speaker list, and online registration at  http://ctrf.ca/?page_id=4668, Registration $345 plus GST.

Saturday, November 3 –  The Manitoba Association of Agricultural Societies extends an invitation to all farmers/producers, 4-H members, agriculture organizations and others interested in improving your conversations with various audiences on agriculture to The Real Dirt on Farming training event, facilitated by Myrna Grahn. The event takes place in Portage La Prairie, with lunch at 11:30 and the workshop to follow.  Cost of $10 includes lunch, workshop materials and workshop. Support of this training event is through Manitoba Ag Days.  Registration deadline is Friday, October 26 – to sign up and register for the Real Dirt on Farming workshop please go to www.openfarmday.ca and click on Events.

Tuesday, November 6 – A Department of Animal Science Seminar will be held in 219 Animal Science Building at 10:00 am. Gustavo Mejicanos, Ph.D. student, will be giving a scientific presentation on “Optimizing the use of B. napus black canola meal in swine diets for life-time performance”. All are welcome to attend.

Tuesday, November 6 – A Department of Entomology Seminar will be presented by Derek Micholson on “Quantification of the sensitivity and communication responses in high and low-grooming honey bees (Apis mellifera) against the parasite Varroa destructor”. Refreshments at 10:00 am, seminar begins at 10:10 am sharp in 220 Animal Science/Entomology Building. All are welcome.

Tuesday, November 6 –  A Human Nutritional Sciences Program Seminar will take place at 3:00 pm in Room 207 Human Ecology Building, with Md. Jiaur Rahman on “Valorization of brewer’s spent grain and Canadian beer through the identification of antioxidant characteristics”.

Thursday, November 8 – An Advanced Plant Science Seminar will be held in the Carolyn Sifton Lecture Theatre, 130 Agriculture Building at 3:30 pm.  Dr. Michael Dixon, Professor/Director, Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph will present “The Latest Space Exploration Life Support Technology Finds Applications in Medical Cannabis Production”.  This is a special seminar hosted by the Plant Science Graduate Student Association with sponsorship from the Faculty Endowment Fund. All are welcome to attend. Coffee at 3:00 pm in the Atrium.

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.

November 26-28 – AgEx is in Winnipeg! The Agricultural Excellence 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., who will present “The Power of Peer Groups”.  Learn more at https://fmc-gac.com/programs-services/agricultural-excellence-conference/.

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/.

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, visit www.pcesc.ca.

 

STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS

At the University of Manitoba Fall Convocation last week, a number of students from the Faculty crossed the platform to receive their parchments, including eight Ph.D, 26 M.Sc. and 14 Bachelor degrees.  In addition, partners of two of our Faculty members graduated – Jillian Seniuk Cicek (PhD Biosystems Engineering IIS) and Chitra Paliwal (MBA). Congratulations all!

Marla Riekman, Diploma instructor, was presented with the 1st Year Teacher of the Year award. This award was announced at Spring Convocation but presented to her in front of the students that nominated her – https://twitter.com/UM_agfoodsci/status/1052966032401465344.

Rick Holley, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences (retired), was recently named Distinguished Professor Emeritus in honour of his many contributions in the field of food safety – http://news.umanitoba.ca/retired-food-scientist-named-distinguished-professor-emeritus/.

NSERC recently announced more than $13 million in funding to the University of Manitoba, which includes additional supplements for early-career researchers. At the news conference, Filiz Koksel, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was the featured researcher and profiled her work on innovative protein-rich food products. http://news.umanitoba.ca/nserc-announces-13-million-in-funding-for-u-of-m/  (See additional coverage in In the News below)

Michele Rogalsky, School of Agriculture, has been appointed a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA). CASA is led by a seven-person Board of Directors elected from its membership representing various sectors of the agricultural community. Board members are elected for three year terms.

Dilantha Fernando, Plant Science, was a keynote speaker at the 2nd International MycoKey Conference held in Wuhan, China September 15-18. MycoKey conference brought 200 scientists from more than 20 countries to discuss advances made through research on mitigating mycotoxins in food and feed. Dilantha’s talk was titled, “Fusarium mycotoxins in our staple foods: is the pathogen one step ahead of us? new hopes for decreasing DON accumulation in cereals through omics approaches”.  The other authors to the work were his PhD student James Tucker, his research associate Zhongwei Zou and his collaborator Ana Badea (AAFC/Brandon).

The Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals is pleased to welcome Peter Frohlich as ManULab Coordinator.  Peter has a B.A., Post-Baccalaureate Diploma, Faculty of Music and a B.Sc. in Food Science, all from the University of Manitoba.  He has over 20 years of combined lab experience with nine years, most recently at the Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI), Granny’s Poultry and including three years previously working at the RCFFN beginning as Research Assistant and his final position as Interim Operations Manager.   He can be reached at 204-272-1545 or manulab [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.

As part of a visit to the University of Huddersfield in Great Britain, Martin Scanlon, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, made a  presentation to the School of Applied Sciences “Determining Quality and Controlling the Manufacture of Wheat Flour Dough Products with Low Intensity Ultrasound”.

Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, presented a seminar on Canadian food assistance policy at the Canadian Foodgrains Bank on October 5.

Ryan also gave a talk on the economics of trade policy to a meeting of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors on October 4.

David Lobb, Soil Science, represented Canada at the 9th Session of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) in Rome October 10-12 where he was elected Vice-Chair. The ITPS is composed of 27 top soil experts representing all the regions of the world. The main function of the ITPS is to provide scientific and technical advice and guidance on global soil issues.

David also gave an invited presentation in Ottawa on September 24 to the staff of the Research and Analysis Directorate of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Policy Branch, as part of the Deputy Minister Speaker Series. His title “ Make Soil Great Again”.

Nicholson Jeke, Soil Science Ph.D. student with Francis Zvomuya as supervisor, successfully defended his PhD thesis titled “Wetland and Terrestrial Phytoremediation of an End-of-Life Municipal Lagoon Using Cattail (Typha latifolia)”.

Mick Runzika, a Soil Science Ph.D. student with Mario Tenuta, returned this week from a six-month exchange visit at the Chinese Academy of Science’s Xinjiang Institute of Geography and Ecology, where he participated in research on greenhouse gas emissions.

Md Monirujjaman, Human Nutritional Sciences Ph.D. student of Harold Aukema, is going to attend and present a poster in American Society for Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week meeting October 23-28, San Diego, CA. He has been selected as ASN Kidney STARS for this meeting.

The Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals successfully hosted the 2th Congress of the International Society of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics, September 30-October 3 at the St. Boniface Albrechtsen Research Centre. The conference featured 33 local, national and international speakers on a variety of topics from nutrigenomics to epigenetics. Over 100 participants attended from Canada, Brazil, Mexico, USA, Qatar, Israel, Hong Kong, Australia, and South Korea and there were 40 webinar participants, from USA, Poland, Canada, Australia, Turkey and the Netherlands. An add-on to the conference was a ISNN Short Course: Precision Nutrition in Practice held on Saturday Sept 29 and was well attended by  over 30 participants.  The ISNN complete list of abstracts is available here – https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/493520.

 

IN THE NEWS

The School of Agriculture’s Michele Rogalsky, Reg Dyck, Gordon MacDonald and student Easton Sellers were interviewed by Cory Knutt for the Manitoba Farm Journal about the recent student tours to southern Manitoba – listen to the October 18 broadcast at the 17:30 mark https://www.pembinavalleyonline.com/radio/mb-farm-journal.

The Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals was highlighted in the Winnipeg Free Press (October 17) for its role in the development of a hemp-based coffee creamer – https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/u-of-m-developed-hemp-creamer-coming-to-market-497881981.html

Martin Entz, Plant Science, was profiled by Gary Martens on the South Eastman Transition Initiative blog (October 17) – https://www.mysteinbach.ca/blogs/9170/profile-of-dr-martin-entz/

Jaime Clark, Human Nutritional Sciences PhD student, was featured in an article on PembinaValleyOnline (October 16) about the Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine – https://pembinavalleyonline.com/ag-news/healing-and-health-through-food

Kristen MacMillan, Plant Science, Don Flaten and Amy Mangin, Soil Science, were highlighted in the article “How much N? A soil test isn’t the only answer” in the Country Guide (October 16) – https://www.country-guide.ca/2018/10/16/how-much-n-a-soil-test-isnt-the-only-answer/

Filiz Koksel, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was featured during the recent NSERC announcement of research funding to the U of M – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/university-of-manitoba-research-funding-1.4862097;   https://globalnews.ca/news/4542782/big-bucks-for-a-better-cheese-puff-u-of-m-receives-13-million-for-research/;   http://www.themanitoban.com/2018/10/liberals-announce-13-million-in-funding-for-u-of-m/35490/

Rob Gulden, Plant Science, was interviewed in the article “Is palmer amaranth waiting in the wings?” in the Manitoba Co-operator (October 2) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/palmer-amaranth-edging-closer-to-manitoba/

Jason Gibbs, Entomology, was quoted in the article “Pollinator study looks for producer buy-in” in the Manitoba Co-operator (October 1) https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/pollinator-study-looks-for-producer-buy-in/

Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, was interviewed by several media (October 1) about the new trade agreement with the US and Mexico – https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/it-s-like-a-death-by-a-thousand-cuts-manitoba-dairy-farmers-react-to-new-trade-agreement-1.4116856;   https://globalnews.ca/news/4504492/maritime-dairy-farmers-usmca/  and on CBC radio, Up to Speed.

 

PUBLICATIONS

Globally, cereal grains are a staple part of the diet providing primarily carbohydrates and other phytochemical components. Detailed coverage of the composition and functionality of the bulk carbohydrate components, specifically starch, beta-glucans, and arabinoxylans, and the trace phytochemical components, i.e. phenolic compounds such as phenolic acids, anthocyanins, deoxyanthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins in cereal grains and grain products is provided. This book provides researchers, clinicians and students with a comprehensive compendium on aspects of whole grain components and brings the literature up to date.
Trust Beta and Mary Ellen Camire (2018) (Eds.) Grain-Based Functional Foods: Carbohydrates and Phytochemical Components. Cambridge UK: Royal Society of Chemistry. 15 Chapters. 362 pages. Published 10 September 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/9781788012799

Cardwell, R., Lawley, C., & Xiang, D. (2018). Milked and Feathered: The Regressive Welfare Effects of Canada’s Supply Management Regime: Reply. Canadian Public Policy, 44(3), 278-288. (https://utpjournals.press/doi/10.3138/cpp.2018-025).

Wolever TMS, Jones PJH, Jenkins AL, Mollard RC, Wang H, Johnston A, Johnson J, Chu Y. 2018. Glycaemic and insulinaemic impact of oats soaked overnight in milk vs. cream of rice with and without sugar, nuts, and seeds: a randomized, controlled trial. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2018 Oct 8. doi: 10.1038/s41430-018-0329-1. [Epub ahead of print]

Gao, WS Shaw, M Tenuta, and D Gibson. 2018. Yield and Nitrogen Use of Irrigated Processing Potato in Response to Placement, Timing and Source of Nitrogen Fertilizer in Manitoba. American Journal of Potato Research 95: 513-525.

Kuang W., Gao X., Gui D., Tenuta M., Flaten D.N., Yin M., and Zeng F. 2018. Effects of fertilizer and irrigation management on nitrous oxide emission from cotton fields in an extremely arid region of northwestern China. Field Crops Research 229: 17-26.

Kuang W., Gao X., Tenuta M., Ma Z., Gui D., and Zeng F. 2018. Soil property and cotton productivity changes with nutrient input intensity in the Taklimakan desert of China. Arid Land Research and Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/15324982.2018.1469176.

Ma Z., Gao X., Tenuta M., Kuang W., Gui D., and Zeng F. 2018. Urea fertigation sources affect nitrous oxide emission from a drip-fertigated cotton field in northwestern China. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 265: 22-30.

 

GENERAL NEWS

Beekeeping for the Hobbyist is a non-credit course offered by the Department of Entomology in collaboration with Manitoba Agriculture. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN. 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

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. 

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