COVID-19 UPDATES

Please continue to exercise caution and follow guidelines. For updated health and safety protocols, visit https://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday, March 8 – A Department of Animal Science Seminar will be held on WebEx. Andy Che, MSc student, will be giving an extension presentation on “Development of a tool for rapid analysis of glucosinolates in canola meal”.  Tetiana Sessingnong, MSc student, will be giving a poster presentation on “Expeller/cold pressed canola as a valuable feed ingredient for poultry”.  To learn more, contact chengbo.yang@umanitoba.ca.

Thursday, March 10 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Champa Wijekoon, University of Alberta, on the topic “Plant bioactive molecules and the role of endophytes”. To watch, request the MS Teams link by emailing susan.ness@umanitoba.ca.

Tuesday, March 15 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Carly Ziter, Simon Fraser University  – topic TBA. Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kyle Bobiwash at kyle.bobiwash@umanitoba.ca.

Tuesday, March 15 – A Department of Animal Science Seminar will be held on WebEx. Carla Plett, MSc student, will be giving a scientific presentation on “Characterization of first cut alfalfa grass silage management practices on Canadian dairy farms and their impact on quality”.  Ankita Saikia, MSc student, will be giving a poster presentation on “TBD”.  To learn more, contact chengbo.yang@umanitoba.ca.

March 16-18 – Register today for the Sustainability of Canadian Agriculture 2022 virtual conference, hosted by the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment, University of Manitoba, HOLOS and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.  This conference will bring together researchers, students, producers, government, commodity organizations and industry representatives with a range of perspectives to collectively share ideas and experiences about how to improve agricultural sustainability in Canada. Register for this free conference and see the program at https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/sustainability-canadian-agriculture-2022.

Thursday, March 17 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Amy Mangin, PhD student, Plant Science, on the topic “Canopy management: The balance between lodging risk and nitrogen use in Canadian spring wheat production”. To watch, request the MS Teams link by emailing susan.ness@umanitoba.ca.

Tuesday, March 22 – A Department of Animal Science Seminar will be held on WebEx. Yujia Wu, MSc student, will be giving a scientific presentation on “The role of the pig gut microbiome and diet type in determining the efficiency of feed utilization”.  Bryan Encabo, MSc student, will be giving a scientific presentation on “Land cover classification of agricultural Crown lands in Manitoba using remotely sensed inventories”.  To learn more, contact chengbo.yang@umanitoba.ca.

Tuesday, March 29 – The Department of Animal Science will be hosting a Special Seminar in honour of Dr. T. K. Cheung, a former student of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences who has made significant contributions to the Department of Animal Science. The guest speaker this year is Dr. Bill Weiss, Emeritus Professor, Department of Animal Science, Ohio State University, who will be giving a talk on “Incorporating variation into diet formulation for dairy cows”. For details on how to participate, stay tuned to https://eventscalendar.umanitoba.ca/site/fafs/event/tk-cheung-lecture-in-animal-science-variability-in-nutrient-composition-and-implications-for-ration-formulation/.

June 7-9 – Save the date! The 2nd annual Manitoba Sustainable Protein Research Symposium and AIMday Circular Economy will be held in partnership with the Manitoba Industry-Academia Partnership (virtual). The event will feature plenary speakers, presentations on current research in Manitoba, and opportunities for networking.  Cristina Rosell, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, and Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, are among the featured presenters. To register for the event, click here: https://pheedloop.com/MBProteinSymposium/site/home/. For more information about the event, please contact: mbprotein@umanitoba.ca.

STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS

Jesse Mutcheson, Plant Science, was recently named one of five 2022 Canadian Plant Breeding Innovation Scholars (formerly Seed of the Year Scholarship).  This $1500 award, made possible by a group of sponsors, is organized by the Canadian Seed Trade Association and Germination Magazine. See Jesse’s video here https://germination.ca/5-young-plant-science-innovators-honoured-as-2022-cpbi-scholars/.

The Canadian Lipids and Proteins conference 2022 (https://www.aocs.org/attend-meetings/canadian-lipids-and-proteins-conference) was held virtually on February 3-4. The Student e-pitch competition was held as a part of the conference to showcase the graduate student research related to lipids and proteins. Out of the eight shortlisted graduate students for the e-pitch competition based on the abstract evaluation, four students were selected from Dr. Nandika Bandara’s Food Proteins and Bioproducts lab (Anuruddhika Hewage, Nilakshi Abeysinghe, Thilini Dissanayake, Janani Ranathunga) to compete in the finals. First place went to Thilini for “Oleic acid-modified nanocrystalline cellulose for improving tensile properties of canola protein-based packaging films” and 2nd to Janani for “Optimization of conditions for preparation of water in oil in water (w/o/w) emulsion to encapsulate Salmo salar protein hydrolysates”. 

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an international research communication competition where graduate students have three minutes and one static slide to explain their research to a panel of judges and an audience.  We’re excited to report that three Faculty students qualified to compete in the UM 3MT heats this week – Chitra Sivakumar, Biosystems Engineering, Sonia Wilson, Plant Science, and Jeff Paul, Biosystems Engineering.  A big congratulations goes to Chitra, who was selected to move on to the 3MT Finals on April 7.

Cristina Rosell, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was elected as Editor in Chief of the Journal Cereal Science in January 2022.

The Faculty was pleased to host the 4-H Canada Science Fair, held virtually March 3-7.  The Science Fair is open to 4-H members across Canada in grades 7-12. Members of the UM 4-H Future Leaders Club helped out by mentoring the competitors and helping them practice their presentations. Judges for the competition include University of Manitoba graduate students, academics and members of industry. The three finalists from the competition will proceed to the Canada Wide Science Fair in May.

Kyle Bobiwash, Entomology, and Anita Brûlé-Babel, Plant Science, have been serving on the Expert Panel on Plant Health Risks which was assembled by the Council of Canadian Academies to examine current and emerging risks to plant health, gaps and strengths in Canada’s capacity to manage them, and leading risk management practices. The Panel’s latest report “Cultivating Diversity” was released in January 2022. https://cca-reports.ca/reports/plant-health-risks/.

Rob Currie, Entomology, presented virtually to the Calgary Beekeepers on February 8 on issues associated with feeding different nutritional quality of syrup to bees and on February 11th to the Alberta Beekeepers Association in Edmonton on the same topic.

Fuji Jian, Biosystems Engineering, and Nandika Bandara, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, were announced as recipients of funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF). Read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/um-research-teams-awarded-funding-for-cutting-edge-equipment/

Dylan McKay, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, received funding from Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for research into reducing dietary acid in people with chronic kidney disease. Read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/um-health-researchers-secure-nearly-8-million-in-federal-funding/.

The FAFS Dean’s Office and NRC-IRAP recently finalized a Contribution to Organization agreement providing short-term scientific or technical assistance to Canadian, for-profit, small-to-medium size enterprises (SMEs). NRC-IRAP provides up to $5,000 in funding to SMEs for technical assistance performed within the FAFS. The program is managed through the Dean’s office. For more information contact Dr. Nazim Cicek at agresearch@umanitoba.ca.  

Jim House, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences and lead for the Manitoba Protein Research Strategy, released the MPRS report “Defining Manitoba’s Research Ecosystem” which identifies research project priorities and recommendations. Read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/manitoba-protein-research-strategy-a-blueprint-for-provinces-protein-industry/.

Second year Diploma in Agriculture students once again worked to develop policy resolutions as part of the DAGR 0920 Current Issues in Agriculture and Food class taught by Reg Dyck, School of Agriculture. The selected resolution, which calls on KAP to lobby the Manitoba government and rural municipalities to increase the number of sites collecting pesticide containers and obsolete chemicals and for KAP to work with Cleanfarms, agri-retailers, Manitoba Agriculture and municipalities to increase awareness of the current pesticide container recycling program, was presented and passed at the Keystone Agricultural Producers annual meeting on January 25.  Watch the presentation online at 1:07:15 mark at https://youtu.be/oUfSv9N21C4. (Articles on this in the In the News below).

Did you miss the Kraft Lecture featuring Ryan Cardwell on “Capturing policy: Rent seeking and unintended consequences in food & agricultural policy”? You can catch it online at https://youtu.be/SLx3XKhUIps.

IN THE NEWS

Alum Chris Manchur (DipAgric/15, BScAgric/20) was highlighted in the article “Grad student talks crop at former high school” in the Western Producer (March 3) – https://www.producer.com/farmliving/grad-student-talks-crop-at-former-high-school/

Kim Ominski, Animal Science, was featured in the article “Scientists aim for beef balance” in the Western Producer (March 3) – https://www.producer.com/livestock/scientists-aim-for-beef-balance/.

The late Baldur Stefansson, professor emeritus in Plant Science, was featured in the article “The Father of Canola” in Better Farming Prairie (March 2022) – https://www.betterfarming.com/flippingbook/better-farming-prairie/2022/march/#78.

Don Flaten and Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, are quoted in the article “A new way to reduce nutrient loss and increase fertilizer efficiency” in The CAAR Communicator (February 2022) – https://caar.org/the-communicator/august-2019/68-the-caar-communicator/february-2022/1554-a-new-way-to-reduce-nutrient-loss-and-increase-fertilizer-efficiency.

Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, and graduate student Virginia Janzen, were featured in the article “Too wet, too dry, just right” in Top Crop Manager (February 28) – https://www.topcropmanager.com/too-wet-too-dry-just-right/

Martin Entz, Plant Science, was interviewed on Quirks and Quarks on CBC Radio (February 25) in the featured “Feeding the future – Part 1” – https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/quirks-quarks-feeding-the-future-1.6364707

Kim Ominski, Animal Science, along with Tim McAllister and Herman Peters, were featured in the Manitoba Co-operator (February 22) in the article “Feedlot finding success feeding food waste” – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/livestock/feedlot-finding-success-feeding-food-waste/

Kim, Tim and Herman also participated in a video interview on Real Agriculture (February 17) in “Closing the loop on food waste: Livestock as the ultimate upcyclers” – https://www.realagriculture.com/2022/02/closing-the-loop-on-food-waste-livestock-as-the-ultimate-upcyclers/  (free subscription required)

Alum Jackie Dudgeon (DipAgric/12) was featured in the article “Before you come back to the farm” in Country Guide (February 22) – https://www.country-guide.ca/guide-business/before-you-come-back-to-the-farm/

Jim House, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was quoted in Top Crop Manager (February 21) in the article “Spotlight on sustainable protein” – https://www.topcropmanager.com/spotlight-on-sustainable-protein/

Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, had her soybean research program featured in the article ” More to learn about soybean rotations ” in Top Crop Manager (February 16) – https://www.topcropmanager.com/more-to-learn-about-soybean-rotations/

Joanne Thiessen Martens, Soil Science, was interviewed in the article “Study shows struvite good phosphorus source for crops” on the American Society of Agronomy news blog (February 14) – https://www.agronomy.org/news/science-news/study-shows-struvite-good-phosphorus-source-crops

A number of Faculty researchers had projects featured in The Pulse Beat – Science Edition (February 2022) –

• Kristen MacMillan – https://www.manitobapulse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/1_Soybean-Seeding-Depth-Evaluation.pdf;  https://www.manitobapulse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2_Refining-Soybean-Seeding-Window-Recommendations.pdf;  https://www.manitobapulse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/3_Preceding-Crop-and-Residue-Management-Effects-on-Dry-Beans.pdf
• Charles Grant – https://www.manitobapulse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/4_Investigating-Protein-Discounts-of-Manitoba-Soybeans.pdf
• Jim House – https://www.manitobapulse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/5_Soybean-Protein-and-the-Impact-of-Genotype-and-Environment-on-Quality.pdf
• Alejandro Costamagna – https://www.manitobapulse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/7_Supression-of-Soybean-Aphids-by-Natural-Enemies.pdf
• Neil Holliday – https://www.manitobapulse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/11_Lygus-Bugs-in-Dry-Beans-and-Soybeans.pdf
• Sue Arntfield – https://www.manitobapulse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/13_Arntfield_Ice-Cream-Cheese-from-Soybeans%E2%80%93Soybean-Corn-Tortillas.pdf
• Peter Zaradhka (adjunct) – https://www.manitobapulse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/14_ZAH1.pdf

Reg Dyck, School of Agriculture, and the second year Diploma in Agriculture students were featured in two Manitoba Co-operator articles regarding their policy resolution at the KAP AGM –  https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/lessons-learned-at-kap-meeting/  and https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/ag-diploma-students-meet-with-cleanfarms/

Martin Scanlon, Dean, was quoted in the Country Guide article “Home field advantage” (February 16) – https://www.country-guide.ca/guide-business/home-field-advantage/

Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, and Emma McGeough, Animal Science, were quoted in the article “Intercropping study takes a look at corn” in Western Producer (February 17) – https://www.producer.com/livestock/intercropping-study-takes-a-look-at-corn/

Michel Aliani, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was interviewed on CTV Morning Live (January 27) on recent functional food and clinical work with split yellow pea – https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2369990.

Human Nutritional Sciences undergraduate student Reyna Stefanson was profiled for her participation in the Undergraduate Research Award in 2021. Reyna was supervised last summer by Maneka Malalgoda, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences – https://news.umanitoba.ca/personal-diagnosis-inspires-ura-recipients-summer-research/.

PUBLICATIONS

Wu Y, Gao X., Cao D, Li L, Li X, Zeng F. (2021). Nitrous oxide emissions from an alpine grassland as affected by nitrogen addition. Atmosphere 12:976 DOI:10.3390/atmos12080976

Kuang W., Gao X., Tenuta M., Zeng F. 2021. A global meta-analysis of nitrous oxide emission from drip-irrigated cropping system. Global Change Biology 27:3244-3256. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15636

Li Y., Gao X., Tenuta M., Gui D., Li X., Zeng F. 2021. Linking soil profile N2O concentration with surface flux in a cotton field under drip irrigation. Environmental Pollution 285: 117458

Thiessen Martens, Joanne. (2022). Restoring social and ecological relationships in the agroecosystems of Canada’s prairie region. Outlook on Agriculture. 10.1177/00307270221077356.

Shivani T, Juneja S, Ghosal A, Bandara N, Khan R, Wallen S, Ramakrishna S, Kaushik A. Antibacterial and antiviral high-performance nano-systems to mitigate new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns. Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering (2021): 100363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobme.2021.100363

Dissanayake T, Abbey L, Sun X, Bandara N. Recent Advances in Lipid-protein Conjugate-based Delivery Systems in Nutraceutical, Drug and Gene Delivery. 1-15. Food Hydrocolloids for Health. (2022): 100054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fhfh.2022.100054

Santos, M.J.L.; Merrill, K.A.; Gerdts, J.D.; Ben-Shoshan, M.; Protudjer, J.L.P. Food Allergy Education and Management in Schools: A Scoping Review on Current Practices and Gaps. Nutrients 2022, 14, 732. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14040732 

OTHER NEWS

The Endowment Fund Committee of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences is once again seeking proposals from students, alumni, and academic and support staff of the Faculty for special projects requiring funding. The competition consists of two streams. Stream 1: $175,000 is available to fund a variety of projects, from teaching equipment/projects to student competitions and field trips. The fund has also been allocated for visiting scientists and lecturers, conferences and workshops, and library acquisitions. Stream 2: $250,000 is available for expenditure from the Fund for infrastructure upgrades and renewal projects in the Faculty. Priority will be given to projects that are consistent with the academic goals of the Faculty and impact the larger body of students (including but not limited to lab/teaching space upgrades).  Anyone considering applying should first consult with their Department Head to discuss unit priorities. Proposals must follow the general rules of the Endowment Fund competition and projects must be achievable by March 31, 2023. A detailed budget and quotes are required.  Deadline for Stream 1 and 2:  Monday, March 7, 2022 at 12 Noon.  Complete details, criteria and application form are available online at: https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/community-and-partners/faculty-endowment-fund.

The University of Manitoba 2021 T4/T4A and T2200S are now available on Employee Self Service (ESS) portal. Use the secure ESS login by following these simple steps: Log in to VIP https://vip.umanitoba.ca and click My Pay  ->  Year-end information -> T4 or T2200S -> Print or download. Inquiries about the T4/T4A can be forwarded to Payroll@umanitoba.ca or visit https://umanitoba.sharepoint.com/sites/um-intranet-payroll/SitePages/payroll-contacts.aspx for the staff contact list.  More information about the T2200S can be found at https://news.umanitoba.ca/t2200s-form-available-for-employees-working-from-home-in-2021/.

Fiscal year end of March 31, 2021 is nearly here. Visit Year End on the UM Intranet (https://umanitoba.sharepoint.com/sites/um-intranet-year-end)  to review the Year End Guidelines & Schedule for 2021-22 which includes frequently asked questions, key deadline dates, checklists and your Financial Services contacts to help you through the process.

COVID-19 UPDATES

Please continue to exercise caution and follow guidelines. For updated health and safety protocols, visit https://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday, February 1 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Leithen M’Gonigle, Simon Fraser University on the topic “The birds and the bees: how changing climate and land-use impact diverse communities”. Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kyle Bobiwash at kyle.bobiwash@umanitoba.ca.

Tuesday, February 1 – A Department of Animal Science Seminar will be held on WebEx. Tao Wang, MSc student, will be giving an extension presentation on “Application of sodium metabisulfite in swine nutrition”.  Ashlyn Scott, MSc student, will be giving an extension presentation on “Understanding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on animal agriculture”.  Arantxa Asun, MSc student, will be giving an extension presentation on “Applications of organic minerals in ruminants”.  To learn more, contact chengbo.yang@umanitoba.ca.

Tuesday, February 1 – The Food and Human Nutritional Sciences Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Heather Blewett, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine, on the topic “Studying the post-prandial glycaemic response to barley in healthy adults”.  To watch, request the MS Teams link by emailing emily.gregorchuk@umanitoba.ca.

Tuesday, February 1 – The Faculty Conversation Series is back and will feature Kim Ominski, Animal Science, Tim McAllister, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Herman Peters, Birkland Farms on “Closing the loop: Recycling food waste in integrated crop-livestock production systems”. Event starts at 3:30 pm. Livestream link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H4N98CWG4U.

Thursday, February 3 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Guillaume Bilodeau, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, on the topic “High throughput sequencing technologies used in plant pathology regulatory research: From marker development to metagenomics”. To watch, request the MS Teams link by emailing susan.ness@umanitoba.ca.

Tuesday, February 8 – A Department of Animal Science Seminar will be held on WebEx. Oluwakemi Omotosho, MSc student, will be giving scientific presentation on “Development, characterization and validation of a recombinant cELISA for the rapid detection of H5 Avian Influenza antibodies in poultry animals”.  Aaron Knodel, MSc student, will be giving a poster presentation – topic TBD.  To learn more, contact chengbo.yang@umanitoba.ca.

Wednesday, February 9 – Join us for the for the 12th Annual Kraft Lecture, which will feature Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, on the topic “Capturing Policy: Rent Seeking and Unintended Consequences in Food & Agricultural Policy” at 3:00 pm via Zoom webinar. Pre-register at https://umanitoba.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bV71Ed2NTOmYxsEiDG989A. The Daryl F. Kraft Lecture is arranged by the Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, with the support of the Solomon Sinclair Farm Management Institute, and in cooperation with the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and the Manitoba Institute of Agrologists. Everyone is welcome.

Thursday, February 10 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Cholani Weebadde, Michigan State University, on the topic “Global breeding beyond borders”. To watch, request the MS Teams link by emailing susan.ness@umanitoba.ca.

Thursday, February 24 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Bourlaye Fofana, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/PEI, on the topic “Post-harvest and horticulture”. To watch, request the MS Teams link by emailing susan.ness@umanitoba.ca.

March 16-18 – Save the date for the Sustainability of Canadian Agriculture 2022 virtual conference, hosted by the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment, University of Manitoba, HOLOS and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.  Bookmark https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/sustainability-canadian-agriculture-2022 to learn more.

STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS

Rotimi Aluko, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, has been appointed a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Bioactive Peptides. Rotimi’s research program will elucidate how the chain arrangement of amino acids affect potency of peptides against proteins that play critical roles in maintaining normal body functions. The outcome of the research will provide new peptide tools for improved human nutrition. Read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/three-new-canada-research-chairs/.

Garrett Sawatzky,  School of Agriculture, was presented with the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Teaching Award of Merit and Chelsey Walchuk, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, and Uduak Edet, Biosystems Engineering, were selected to receive the Graduate Student Teaching Award of Merit.  NACTA awards. These awards are given annually to individuals who excel in teaching an agricultural discipline.

The Glenlea Research Station swine and dairy teams have been once again recognized by industry for their achievements in production and animal care. The dairy team was presented with the highest milk value herd award by Dairy Farmers of Manitoba at their AGM in December. The swine unit was also recently presented with the Topigs Norsvin 28+ Club Award. Read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/?p=158641&preview=true&preview_id=158641

Taylen Trinh, Masters student in Agricultural Economics, won first prize in the Student Policy Brief Competition (hosted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) which was part of the 12th Annual Canadian Agri-Food Policy Conference held January 18-19 by the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society. Taylen will receive a cash prize and four month contract with AAFC.  Several faculty members spoke at the conference including Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, on the topic “Food Policies and Markets Two Years into the Covid-19 Pandemic” and Kyle Bobiwash, Entomology, on the topic “Indigenous Issues in Food Systems”.

As reported earlier, Michael Eskin, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was selected to receive the Order of Manitoba for his world-recognized research into canola oil and his excellence in food science writing. The formal investiture ceremony took place October 28 and can be viewed here at the 1:00:45 mark –  –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4FHy3Tktcg.

The governments of Canada and Manitoba are providing $1.5 million for Manitoba Egg Farmers to establish the Egg Layer Research and Public Engagement Facility at the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea Research Station – read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/glenlea-research-station-receives-support-for-egg-research/

The Faculty is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Cristina Rosell as Head of the Department of Food And Human Nutritional Sciences effective January 16, 2022. Cristina comes to the UM from her former position as Full Research Professor in the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA), a component of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research. As Vice Director and then Director of IATA, Cristina led one of the top five institutes dedicated to food research and innovation in Spain. She was also Associate Professor of the University of Valencia and during her career she has been invited professor in North Carolina State University, La Trobe University (Australia), and University of California Davis. She received her MSc and PhD in Pharmacy from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Her area of expertise focuses on enhancing the marketability and healthfulness of cereals and grains commodities and processed products. Using fundamental and applied research approaches Cristsina seeks to develop new value-added products to meet consumer and producer demands for quality, healthy, nutritious and sensory acceptable baked products.  She can be reached at cristina.rosell@umanitoba.ca. 

The Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences (FHNS) also welcomes Dr. Dylan MacKay to the role of Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Chronic Diseases, with a cross appointment in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine – Section Endocrinology effective January 1, 2022. Dylan received his BSc and MSc degrees in Biochemistry from the Memorial University of Newfoundland and his PhD in Human Nutritional Sciences from the University of Manitoba. He was previous based at the George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation, as the Clinical Trials Research Manager, and was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. His research focuses on clinical trials in nutrition, especially in the area of diabetes and chronic kidney disease. He can be reached at Dylan.MacKay@umanitoba.ca.

The Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences also welcomes Kristin Hildahl-Shawn as an Instructor 1 effective January 1, 2022. Kristin received her BSc in Human Nutritional Sciences and a MEd in Adult and Post-Secondary Education from the University of Manitoba. She is also a Registered Dietitian and has worked for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, coordinating a nutrition training program for home care staff, and has run her own nutrition consulting practice in the past. She worked as a sessional instructor for many years, teaching both in person and online courses at UM, has developed three online nutrition courses for the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, and has taught online courses for the past 13 years. Kristin will be teaching nutrition for health courses. She can be reached at Kristin.Hildahl-Shawn@umanitoba.ca.

The Department of Animal Science welcomes new faculty member Dr. Hooman Derakhshani as Assistant Professor in Applied Animal Microbiology effective January 1, 2022. Hooman received a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Tehran in Iran, a MSc in Animal Science from the University of Queensland in Australia, and PhD in microbiome-host interaction from the University of Manitoba. Hooman was most recently a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University where he had been working on the culturomics of the human microbiome, and has also been a guest lecturer and lab coordinator in the Department of Animal Science at UM. He is looking to establish a research program in the area of applied animal microbiology with a focus of microbiome base therapeutics.  He can be reached at hooman.derakhshani@umanitoba.ca.

The Department of Soil Science welcomes new faculty member Dr. Afua Mante as Assistant Professor in Soil Physical Processes effective January 16. Afua received her BSc in Agricultural Engineering and MSc in Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, an MSc in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Manitoba. She served as a sessional instructor and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, before joining the department as a faculty member. She will be teaching soil physics courses, and will develop a research program that focuses on the interaction of soil physical properties and processes with plants, field management practices, and the environment. She can be reached at afua.mante@umanitoba.ca.

The Glenlea Research Station is pleased to announce the appointment of Archimedes Isit as the Agricultural Attendant 4 within the Swine Unit as of December 4, 2021. Archimedes completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in the Philippines before moving to Canada and accumulating 14 years of animal care experience within the Manitoba swine industry. Archimedes will supervise all activities within the GRS swine facility. He can be reached at Archimedes.Isit@umanitoba.ca or 431-334-9204.

Peter Frohlich joined the National Center for Livestock and the Environment (NCLE) Team as the Research Development Coordinator in October 2021 after a three-year appointment at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals. Peter has over twenty years of experience working in Canadian agriculture with activities focused on value-add ingredient manufacturing, food product development and processing, nutrition, and communications.  As the newest team member with the NCLE, Peter is excited to work closely with the research community and the value chain to further the long term economic and environmental sustainability of integrated livestock and crop production systems and to advance Canada’s agriculture industry. He can be reached at peter.frohlich@umanitoba.ca.

The Department of Plant Science welcomed Susan Ness as Assistant to the Department Head on November 10, 2021. Susan came from the Department of Immunology where she held an administrative position since 2002.  Susan has an MA in Major Political Sciences from UM, and has worked at the university since 1989.  Besides providing support to the leadership team, Susan will also assist with other administrative and secretarial  duties.  She can be reached at susan.ness@umanitoba.ca.

The Department of Plant Science also welcomes Emily Wolverton as Office Assistant to join the administrative staff in the general office as of January 24. Emily received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) degree from UM in 2019.  She comes to us with most recent experience as an office administrator at a privately owned business.  She will provide a variety of clerical and administrative support functions for the Department and can be reached at emily.wolverton@umanitoba.ca.

The Department of Animal Science is pleased to announce that Wajiha Shahzad will be joining the office staff starting on February 1 on a temporary basis. Wajiha completed her Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the I.H. Asper School of Business in 2018. Since graduating, she has had the opportunity to fill administrative roles in both the supply and property management/investment sectors. She can be contacted after February 1 at animal.science@umanitoba.ca.

Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, and  graduate student Callum Morrison have shared the results from the 2020 Prairie Cover Crop Survey which capture a snapshot of the use and grower observations of this new practice. The report suggests that cover crops are becoming established in the Prairies and can be grown in a wide range of locations and environments across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.   Read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/survey-finds-on-farm-cover-crop-innovation-occurring-across-the-canadian-prairies/

Rotimi Aluko, Trust Beta, and Pamela Drawbridge, PhD candidate, from Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, were the invited guest speakers at a virtual international seminar in October organized by the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences. Rotimi presented “Blood pressure-reducing effect of wheat bread formulated with leaf polyphenol extract”, Trust presented “Phytochemicals in Cereals as important components for grain-based Functional Foods: Phenolics as Exemplary Compounds” and Pamela presented “Bioaccessible Phenolic Compounds in Canadian Hulless Barley Varieties”.

Rotimi was an invited speaker at the 10th International Symposium of Food Innovation and Development (Innova 2021) organized by Latitud – Fundación LATU, Montevideo, Uruguay held virtually in October – he presented “Functional and bioactive properties of hemp seed proteins and peptides”.  He was also an invited presenter at the virtual international seminar organized by the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences in Decmeber on the topic “Antihypertensive effect of cod and salmon protein hydrolysates after oral administration to spontaneously hypertensive rats”.

Joyce Slater, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, presented a webinar for the Canadian Nutrition Society on January 6 titled “Food Literacy: A Competency Progression Framework for Children and Youth”.  Joyce also presented to Food Matters Manitoba at their Speaker Series on the research project “COVID-19: First wave impacts on the charitable food sector in Manitoba” in September.

Michael Eskin, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, signed a contract with CRC Press/Taylor and Francis group for a book titled “Canolol and Derivatives: Chemistry, Extraction Properties and Health Applications.” He will be co-editing and coauthoring several chapters with Dr. Betrand Matthaus, an eminent German Lipid  Chemist. The book was originally planned to include the late Dr. Usha Thiyam Hollander but will be dedicated to her. The contributors include her former supervisor as well as colleagues and students from around the globe. This is the second book Michael has edited with Dr. Matthaus.

Michael has been invited as the keynote speaker at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Section of the American Oil Chemists’ Society in February 2022.

Kateryn Rochon, Entomology, was invited to give the “Highlights in Veterinary Entomology” presentation at the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America held in Denver, CO, October 31-November 3, 2021. The “Highlights” presentations attract a large audience of peers every year and are focused on important recent developments in the field. She was also invited to speak at the annual meeting of the Société d’entomologie du Québec held November 25-26 online. Her presentation “ « Une seule santé », parce que nous faisons partie d’un tout” was part of the special symposium on medical and forensic entomology.

The undergraduate FHNS student group, NECO (Nutrition Education and Community Outreach), has started a podcast with the goal to “promote food and nutrition literacy”. Hosts Mariah Arches and Harnoor Kaur interview other students and faculty members on various food and nutrition literacy topics. The podcasts are available on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/389lIvBtDBw27dWmWmaTWz.

The new year marks people coming and going on leaves.  Now on research study leave are Julieta Frank, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics (January 1-July 1, 2022) and Claudia Narvaez, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences (January 15-July 15, 2022).  Returning from leave is David Lobb, Soil Science.

We also bid farewell to several faculty and staff members who retired – Paul Bullock, Soil Science, Anita Brûlé-Babel, Plant Science, and Bev Godard, Plant Science.

IN THE NEWS

Alum Derek Bunkowsky shares his career journey from Diploma in Agriculture to the Canadian Grain Commission in the Manitoba Co-operator (Jan 17) article “Canada’s chief grain inspector knows the grain industry” – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/farm-it-manitoba/canadas-chief-grain-inspector-knows-the-grain-industry/

A volunteer canola study led by Rob Gulden, Plant Science, was highlighted in the Top Crop Manager (Jan 5) article “Agronomy update: Volunteer canola competition in soybean is intense ” – https://www.topcropmanager.com/agronomy-update-volunteer-canola-competition-in-soybean-is-intense/

Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, was quoted in the article “Canada’s food future ” in the Canadian Bar Association National magazine (January 3) – https://www.nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articles/law/in-depth/2022/canada-s-food-future

Nasem Badreldin, Soil Science, was quoted in the article “The Nile Delta’s Disappearing Farmland” on the NASA Earth Observatory news blog (December 14)  – https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/149183/the-nile-deltas-disappearing-farmland

Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, highlighted work being done by PhD student Nazanin Ghavami in the article “Dealing with Soybean Cyst Nematode in Manitoba” in  Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers publication Pulse Beat (Fall/Winter 2021) – https://www.manitobapulse.ca/2021/11/dealing-with-soybean-cyst-nematode-in-manitoba/

Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, and Virginia Janzen, MSc student, shared their work in the Pulse Beat (Fall/Winter 2021) article “Fall rye termination timing in Manitoba soybean production” – https://www.manitobapulse.ca/2021/11/fall-rye-termination-timing-in-manitoba-soybean-production/

Alumni Kristine and Graham Tapley are featured in the article “The faces of sustainable food” in Conservator Magazine (Fall 2021) – https://www.ducks.ca/stories/conservator/the-faces-of-sustainable-food/

The Fields on Wheels Conference held in December was featured in the Winnipeg Free Press (December 15) – https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/near-shoring-on-agenda-at-conference-575921832.html and on Golden West community portal news sites (December 13) – https://www.portageonline.com/ag/agriculture-news-mb/fields-on-wheels-conference-discusses-congestion-and-logistical-challenges

Easton Sellers, School of Agriculture, and the new Diploma agricultural technology course were featured in the article “Farmers watch crops develop in real time” in Manitoba Co-operator (December 14) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/farmers-watch-crops-develop-in-real-time/

Dylan MacKay, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, and Sijo Joseph, FHNS adjunct professor, were featured in the story “Feeling your oats?” in the Winnipeg Free Press (December 12) – https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/arts/feeling-your-oats-575907422.html

Graduate student Callum Morrison and Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, were interviewed in the article “Cover crop survey reveals risks and benefits” in Manitoba Co-operator (November 30) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/farm-it-manitoba/cover-crop-survey-reveals-risks-and-benefits/.

The Agriculture Mentorship Program for Women in Agricultural Studies coordinated by Annemieke Farenhorst and Siobhan Maas was featured in The Manitoban (November 30) article “Women in agriculture connect students and researchers” – https://www.themanitoban.com/posts/women-in-agriculture-connect-students-and-researchers

Alum David Yarycky was interviewed in the Manitoba Co-operator (November 26) article “A peek inside a brand new grain elevator” – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/farm-it-manitoba/a-peek-inside-a-brand-new-grain-elevator/

Jitendra Paliwal, Associate Dean (Academic and Graduate Programs), was quoted in “Professional farming” in Country Guide (November 3) – https://www.country-guide.ca/guide-business/professional-farming/

Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, was quoted in the article “Urease inhibitors can make nitrogen more efficient” in the Manitoba Co-operator (October 19) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/urease-inhibitors-can-make-nitrogen-more-efficient/

Martin Scanlon, Dean, was quoted in the article “New crops and soils research plan at U of M gets canola funding” in the Western Producer (October 4) – https://www.producer.com/news/new-crops-and-soils-research-plan-at-u-of-m-gets-canola-funding/

Xiaopeng Gao, Soil Science, was quoted in the article “Soil testing even more crucial after drought year” in the Manitoba Co-operator (September 23) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/soil-testing-even-more-crucial-after-drought-year/

Sonia Wilson, Plant Science MSc student with Rob Duncan and Claudio Stasolla, was quoted in the artcle “How to improve yield with genetics” in Canola Digest (September 2021) – https://canoladigest.ca/september-2021/how-to-improve-yield-with-genetics/

PUBLICATIONS

The following publication was Editors Choice in the Canadian Journal of Animal Science:   Kim Ominski, Kebebe Gunte, Karin Wittenberg, Getahun Legesse, Genet Mengistu, and Tim McAllister. The role of livestock in sustainable food production systems in Canada. Canadian Journal of Animal Science. 101(4): 591-601. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2021-0005

Rochon, K., J.A. Hogsette, P.E. Kaufman, P.U. Olafson, S.L. Swiger, and D.B. Taylor. 2021. Stable fly (Diptera: Muscidae) – biology, management, and research needs. Journal of Integrated Pest Management 12(1):38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmab029

Thiessen Martens, J. R., Entz, M. H., Schneider, K. D., Zvomuya, F., & Wilson, H. F. (2021). Response of organic grain and forage crops to struvite application in an alkaline soil. Agronomy Journal. 1– 16. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20943

Concepcion, A, Kumaragamage, D, Akinremi, W, Dharmakeerthi, S, Goltz, D, and Indraratne, S. Phosphorus release from intact soil monoliths of manure-amended fields under simulated snowmelt flooding. J. Environ. Qual. 2021; 50: 252– 263. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20179

Smith, G. P., Gardner, J., Gibbs, J., Griswold, T., Hauser, M., Yanega, D., and Ponisio, L. C.. 2021. Sex-associated differences in the network roles of pollinators. Ecosphere 12( 12):e03863. 10.1002/ecs2.3863

Allen-Perkins, A., and 186 others including, J. Gibbs, and K. Bobiwash, (2022), CropPol: a dynamic, open and global database on crop pollination. Ecology. Accepted Author Manuscript e3614. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3614

Paul Gregoire, Jonathan D. Rosset, and Robert H. Gulden. Volunteer Brassica napus (L.) interference with soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]: management thresholds, plant growth, and seed return. Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 101(4): 556-567. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjps-2020-0258

As part of a Special Issue of Sustainable Future Protein Foods (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/foods/special_issues/sustainable_protein) 
Nasibeh Y. Sinaki, Mustafa Tugrul Masatcioglu, Jitendra Paliwal and Filiz Koksel. Development of Cellular High-Protein Foods: Third-Generation Yellow Pea and Red Lentil Puffed Snacks. Foods 2022, 11(1), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11010038

Dasriya V, Samtiya M, Dhewa T, Puniya M, Kumar S, Ranveer S, Chaudhary V, Vij S, Behare P, Singh N, Aluko RE, Puniya AK. 2022. Etiology and management of Alzheimer’s disease: potential role of gut microbiota modulation with probiotics supplementation. J. Food Biochem. 46, 14043.

Yu B, Wu W, Wang B, Zhang N, Bak KH, Soladoye OP, Aluko RE, Zhang Y, Fu Y. 2022. Maillard-reacted peptides from glucosamine-induced glycation exhibit a pronounced salt taste-enhancing effect. Food Chem. 374, 131776.

Sun A, Wu W, Soladoye OP, Aluko RE, Bak KH, Fu Y, Zhang Y. 2022. Maillard reaction of food-derived peptides as a potential route to generate meat flavor compounds: A review. Food Res. Int. 151, 110823.

Tagrida M, Prodpran T, Zhang B, Aluko RE, Benjakul S. 2021. Liposomes loaded with betel leaf (Piper betle L.) ethanolic extract prepared by thin film hydration and ethanol injection methods: Characteristics and antioxidant activities. J. Food Biochem. 45, 14012.

Asen ND, Badamasi AT, Gborigo JT, Aluko RE, Girgih AT. 2021. Comparative evaluation of the antioxidant properties of whole peanut flour, defatted peanut protein meal and peanut protein concentrate. Frontiers Sust. Food Syst. 5, 765364.

Samtiya M, Acharya S, Pandey KK, Aluko RE, Udenigwe CC, Dhewa T. 2021. Production, purification, and potential health applications of edible seeds’ bioactive peptides: A concise review. Foods, 10, 2696.

Shuluwa E-M, Famuwagun AA, Ahure D, Ukeyima M, Aluko RE, Gbenyi DI, Girgih AT. 2021. Amino acid profiles and in vitro antioxidant properties of cereal-legume flour blends. J. Food Bioact. 14, 94-101.

Oluwagunwa OA, Alashi AM, Aluko RE. 2021. Inhibition of the in vitro activities of α-amylase and pancreatic lipase by aqueous extracts of Amaranthus viridis, Solanum macrocarpon and Telfairia occidentalis leaves. Frontiers Nutr. In press.

Alashi AM, Wu H, Aluko RE. 2021. Indigestible cowpea proteins reduced plasma cholesterol after long-term oral administration to Sprague-Dawley rats. Food Prod. Process. Nutr. 3, 16.

Sae-leaw T, Aluko RE, Chantakun K, Benjakul S. 2021. Physicochemical, antioxidant and sensory properties of ready-to-drink chrysanthemum tea fortified with hydrolyzed collagen from Salmon scale Ossein. J. Aquat. Food Prod. Technol. In press.

Osemwota EC, Alashi AM, Aluko RE. 2021. Comparative study of the structural and functional properties of membrane-isolated and isoelectric pH precipitated green lentil seed protein isolates. Membranes 11, 694.

Nwachukwu ID, Sarteshnizi RA, Udenigwe CC, Aluko RE. 2021. A concise review of current in vitro chemical and cell-based antioxidant assay methods. Molecules 26, 4865.

Chotphruethipong L, Binlateh T, Hutamekalin P, Sukketsiri W, Aluko RE, Benjakul S. 2021. Hydrolyzed collagen from defatted sea bass skin and its conjugate with epigallocatechin gallate: In vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and anti-obesity activities. Food Biosci. 43, 101303.

Chotphruethipong L, Binlateh T, Hutamekalin P, Aluko RE, Tepaamorndech S, Zhang B, Benjakul S. 2021. Impact of hydrolyzed collagen from defatted sea bass skin on proliferation and differentiation of preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. Foods, 10, 1476.

Famuwagun AA, Alashi AM, Gbadamosi SO, Taiwo KA, Oyedele DJ, Adebooye OC, Aluko RE. 2021. Effect of protease type and peptide size on the in vitro antioxidant, antihypertensive and anti-diabetic activities of eggplant leaf protein hydrolysates. Foods, 10, 1112.

Lu Y, Wang J, Soladoye OP, Aluko RE, Fu Y, Zhang Y. 2021. Preparation, receptors, bioactivity and bioavailability of γ-glutamyl peptides: A comprehensive review. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 113, 301–314.

Chotphruethipong L, Binlateh T, Hutamekalin P, Aluko RE, Benjakul S. 2021. In vitro antioxidant and wound-healing activities of hydrolyzed collagen from defatted Asian sea bass skin as influenced by different enzyme type and hydrolysis process. RSC Advances 11, 18144-18151.

Idowu AO, Famuwagun AA, Fagbemi TN, Aluko RE. 2021. Antioxidant and enzyme-inhibitory properties of sesame seed protein fractions and their isolate and hydrolyzate. Int. J. Food Prop. 24, 780–795.

Pilli, B, Slater, J. Food experiences and dietary patterns of international students at a Canadian university. 2021. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. 82:100-106 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3148/cjdpr-2021-006

Fife, D, Fordyce-Voorham, S, Worsley, A, Slater, J. 2021. Food literacy education in Manitoba, Canada and Victoria, Australia: A comparative pilot study. International Journal of Home Economics. 13(2):16-28

OTHER NEWS

Call for nominations! The Certificate of Merit is presented by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and the School of Agriculture in recognition of leadership with agricultural organizations and outstanding service to the community at large. Deadline to nominate is February 28, 2022. More information about the nomination process including a list of previous recipients can be found at https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/certificate-merit

The Department of Biosystems Engineering has posted the position of Instructor I or II and invite applications from Indigenous scholars. Deadline to apply is February 15 – see the posting here https://viprecprod.ad.umanitoba.ca/DEFAULT.ASPX?REQ_ID=19338.

The Department of Biosystems Engineering has posted the position of Assistant Professor in Sustainability Engineering. Deadline to apply is March 1 – see the posting here https://viprecprod.ad.umanitoba.ca/DEFAULT.ASPX?REQ_ID=19383.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 Indigenous Awards of Excellence. The awards recognize individuals who are going above and beyond to make the University of Manitoba an inclusive and supportive learning environment. Criteria and details on how to nominate an Indigenous UM student, faculty or staff member can be found here: https://umanitoba.ca/indigenous/indigenous-awards-excellence. Nominations are due Friday, February 4, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah.Olson@umanitoba.ca, Indigenous Engagement and Communications, Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous).

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority-Manitoba Partnership Dietetic Education Program has received approval to extend their Internship program for one additional year (2022-23) to accommodate the delay in launching the FHNS Masters of Applied Human Nutrition program (now anticipated to start in Fall 2023).

Release of textile fibers into the world’s waterways is a serious environmental issue.  In the fall of 2021, the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) launched a new test method to measure the release of fibre fragments during home laundering.  To create an opportunity for learning, the Institute of Textile Science (https://www.textilesciences.com/) is offering a free webinar entitled “The History of AATCC TM212, Test Method for Fiber Release During Laundry” on Wednesday, February 9 from 1 to 1:30 p.m (EST). Register at https://kruss.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mGzaWpM3RFODdYEN2n-Lmg

COVID-19 UPDATES

Please continue to exercise caution and follow guidelines. For updated health and safety protocols, visit https://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus/latest-updates-and-safety#latest-covid-19-updates.  To learn more about the safe return to campus, read https://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus/safe-return-to-campus.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Did you miss the UM Café Scientifique on September 22 on “The Reality of Eating Gluten-Free”? This episode was moderated by Natalie Riediger, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, and included panellists Don Duerksen, Internal Medicine, Max Rady College of Medicine, Maneka Malalgoda, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, and Betsy Hiebert, Owner, Cocoabeans Gluten-free Bakery & Kitchen. Catch up at https://youtu.be/rCgxngseGOg.

October 4-8 – The Crop Diagnostic School team is offering daily panel discussions on how to prepare for the 2022 growing season after this very dry summer. The “Soil and Water Management Week: Dealing with Dry Conditions” webinar series runs daily 8:30 am – 9:30 am. Register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3298567187170998795.

Thursday, October 7 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series is at 3:30 pm with Distinguished Professor Bernard Glick, University of Waterloo, who will present “Soil bacteria and plant growth”. MS Teams link available by contacting bev.godard@umanitoba.ca.

Friday, October 8 – The Rady Faculty of Health Sciences Family Centre features Snehil Dua, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, who will present “Can we really eat according to the Canada Food Guide?” at 12:00 pm. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcscO-grTgrHtFNtVbChLy3amvmwuIpUccJ.

Tuesday, October 12 – The Animal Science Seminar Series at 10:00 am features a poster presentation by Emmanuel Adeshakin, MSc student, on the topic “Effects of dietary phytase with or without multi-carbohydrase supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and bone traits in nursery pigs”. Presentations are online via WebEx – email Chengbo.yang@umanitoba.ca for details.

Tuesday, October 12 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Jayme Lewthwaite, Department of Biology, Simon Fraser University. Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kyle Bobiwash at kyle.bobiwash@umanitoba.ca.

Thursday, October 14 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series is at 3:30 pm with Distinguished Professor Vara Prasad, Kansas State University, who will present “Climate Change Impact on Food Grains Crops”. MS Teams link available by contacting bev.godard@umanitoba.ca.

Monday, October 18 – UM Fall Convocation runs October 18-21. Help us celebrate the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences fall graduates on Monday, October 18 at 3:00 pm. To watch the ceremony, connect with the virtual platform at https://umanitoba.ca/registrar/graduation-convocation/convocation-dates-times.

Tuesday, October 19 – The Animal Science Seminar Series at 10:00 am features a poster presentation by Ankita Saikia, MSc student, on the topic “Growth performance, carcass composition and pork quality in swine genetic lines”. Presentations are online via WebEx – email Chengbo.yang@umanitoba.ca for details.

Tuesday, October 19 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Bekka Brodie, Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies, Ohio University . Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kyle Bobiwash at kyle.bobiwash@umanitoba.ca.

Thursday, October 21 – As part of the Indigenous Scholars Speaker Series, Kyle Bobiwash, Entomology, will present “Building Equitable Science Systems” at 12 noon. Learn more and register for the Zoom meeting at https://umanitoba.ca/indigenous/indigenous-scholars-speaker-series.

Tuesday, October 26 – A joint presentation at 10:00 am of the Animal Science Seminar Series and the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment will feature Dr. Teresa A. Davis, Professor of Pediatrics at the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine on the topic “Nutritional Importance of Animal Protein in the Diet”. Connection details TBA.

November-December – Check out the webinar series by the University of Manitoba and Manitoba Organic Alliance entitled “Managing Nature’s resources in Organic Production under Water-limited Conditions”. Webinars are 1.5 hours, start at 12 noon on Tuesday. CCA credits available. One webinar $10 or all five for $40. See details and registration at https://manitobaorganicalliance.com/events/

December 15-16 – Save the dates for the Manitoba Agronomists Conference. More details coming soon.

STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS

Michael Eskin, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, has received numerous well-deserved accolades this year. He will be inducted into the Order of Manitoba in late October and was named a Fellow in the Royal Society of Canada. Read more about both honours.

Kyle Bobiwash, Entomology and Indigenous Scholar, was recognized in May with one of the UM Indigenous Awards of Excellence – the Faculty Trailblazer Award which is given for breaking down barriers, demonstrating leadership and visionary thinking that has resulted in advancing Indigenous engagement at UM while walking with integrity and humility.  Kyle has been leading the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences efforts to introduce Indigenous content into our curriculum, and developed a new course on Indigenous issues in food systems.  Watch a video of nominator Rob Currie and Kyle.

During the recent UM Homecoming week, the Department of Biosystems Engineering celebrated its 50th anniversary as a program at the University of Manitoba in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences as well as the Price Faculty of Engineering. As part of this event, the Department launched its Alumni of Influence awards and recognized five influential alumni: Jerry Cousin, Martin Petrak, Alagusundaram Karuppiah, Danny Mann and Marcia Friesen.

The Faculty also hosted the Certificate of Merit Award celebration on May 27, which recognizes alumni for their outstanding professional contributions and public service. The virtual event honoured 2020 recipients JoAnne Buth and Marcel Hacault and 2021 recipients Robert Maytwayashing and Elaine Froese.

We were pleased that two graduate students represented the Faculty at the 3MT finals on April 21 – Sristi Mundhada, Master student in Biosystems Engineering and Vimala Bharathi S K, Ph.D. student in Biosystems Engineering. Both tackled the challenges of grain storage in their presentations. Sristi was named the third place winner!

The 2021 Faculty Support Staff Awards were presented to Brittany Bedard, technician in the Department of Animal Science, for her outstanding contributions and service to the Faculty, staff and students, and to Chantal Bassett, Crystal Jorgenson, Christine Rawluk and Heather Wiebe, Dean’s Office research and communications team, for their exceptional administrative leadership and support to the research and outreach missions of the Faculty.  All nominees and nominators were acknowledged at a special virtual celebration on July 15. Congratulations to each of you – your support helps make the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences an outstanding workplace!

Kateryn Rochon, Entomology, was presented with the 2021 FAFS Excellence in Teaching Award. This award was established to recognize exceptional contributions to the teaching mandate of the Faculty.  The recipient receives a certificate along with a grant that can be used in support of either teaching or research activities. Kateryn was named the 2021 recipient for her dedication to curriculum improvement, enthusiastic approach to teaching and genuine interest in her students.

Four retired professors were named professors emeriti this year. Brian Amiro, Soil Science, Don Flaten, Soil Science, Stefan Cenkowski, Biosystems Engineering, and Bogdan Slominski, Animal Science, were recognized for their distinguished service to the UM through their teaching, research, and scholarship.

The University of Manitoba Spring Convocation 2021 ceremony took place virtually on June 17 and included diploma, degree and graduate program graduands. In total, 54 Diploma, 149 Bachelor of Science, 37 M.Sc. and seven Ph.D. students from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences received their parchments. Mackenzie Booker received the Governor General’s Bronze Medal, an award given to the graduate with the highest academic standing in the two-year Diploma Program in Agriculture. David (Mack) Moser was the recipient of the President’s Medal, given annually to a student who combines scholarship with outstanding qualities of leadership. Human Nutritional Sciences graduate Avery Penner was honoured with the University Gold Medal in Agricultural and Food Sciences given for the highest grade point average. Human Nutritional Sciences graduate Kate Letexier received the Lieutenant Governor’s Gold Medal, given on the basis of scholarship, personal excellence and leadership. Program medals, given for highest standing in a degree program, were awarded to Ashlynn Scott (Agriculture), Luke Bossuyt (Agribusiness), ZhongYang Wan (Food Science) and Beth Ivison (Human Nutritional Sciences). (No Agroecology medal was given in 2021).  Garrett Sawatzky, School of Agriculture, was named Teacher of the Year in recognition of teaching excellence and contribution to the students’ program of study by the graduating class of Diploma students. Earlier this spring, degree students had named Dr. Emma McGeough, Department of Animal Science, as Professor of the Year, an honour voted on by the graduating class.

At the Canadian Society for Bioengineering/La Société Canadienne de Génie Agroalimentaire et de Bioingénierie (CSBE/SCGAB) annual general meeting May 11-14, Nazim Cicek, Biosystems Engineering, was presented the Fellow Award for outstanding and extraordinary qualifications and experience in the field of agricultural, food, and/or biological engineering. He also received the Glenn Downing Award for outstanding work in industry, teaching, research, or extension in the area of bioenergy systems. Fuji Jian and Digvir Jayas, Biosystems Engineering, both received the John Ogilvie Research Award for outstanding contributions to research, in any field of research relevant to CSBE/SCGAB, by an individual or team of researchers.  The Graduate Thesis Award (M.Sc.) was presented to Jerrold Rentz for his thesis “The effects of the Portage Diversion on adjacent agricultural land” and to Mitchell Green for “Measurement of latency during real-time video transmission for remote supervision of agricultural machines”. The Graduate Thesis Award (Ph.D.) was presented to Uduak Edet for “Design of an interface for remotely supervised autonomous agricultural sprayers” and to Helen Hsu for “Multifunctional flexible conductive materials for supercapacitors and biosensors”.

David Lobb, Soil Science, received the Conservation Research Award at the 76th Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) International Annual Conference held July 26-28. The award recognizes SWCS members or teams of members whose research has led to exceptional improvements in soil conservation, water conservation, and/or related natural resources research. This award is given for research excellence first and foremost.

Chengbo Yang, Animal Science, and his graduate students Chongwu Yang, Xiaoya Zhao, and Changing Yu (co-supervised with Song Liu) virtually attended the 2021 American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) and the Canadian Society of Animal Science (CSAS) Joint Annual Meeting and trade show held on July 14-17, 2021. Chongwu, Xiaoya, and Changning made several poster and oral presentations.  Chongwu, Xiaoya, and Changning were awarded the 2021 CSAS Graduate Student Travel Fellowship ($250) sponsored by the Canadian Science Publishing and Agricultural Institute of Canada. Chongwu and Changning won first place ($250) and third place ($100) of CSAS Poster Awards, respectively.

Chengbo Yang, Animal Science, and his graduate students Chongwu Yang and Qianru Hui virtually attended the 2021 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting held on July 19-22, 2021. Chongwu and Qianru made oral presentations and Qianru was awarded the Student Research Paper Certificate of Excellence that is presented in recognition of students who have presented high-quality research papers at the annual meeting, and the Hy-Line International Genetic & Genomics Award ($1,000) that is an award to a maximum of two graduate students whose abstract presentation was given in the area of quantitative genetics, molecular genetics, or genomic genetics. Qianru’s paper was entitled, “L-Tryptophan and phosphate sensing by the chicken extracellular calcium-sensing receptor via potential docking sites to initiate downstream G protein-coupled signaling cascades.”

The Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals (RCFFN) was approved in July for a licence under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) authorizing the RCFFN to mill and air-classify grains and oilseeds for human consumption across Canada. SFCR registration will strengthen relationships between UM researchers and industry, and enhance the RCFFN’s mission to advance food quality and human nutrition.

The Faculty received $2,499,565 in Digital Agriculture funding from Western Economic Diversification to advance agricultural research and training capacity for students in collaboration with industry partners. This will be supported through the development and adoption of Digital Smart Farm technology, while maximizing knowledge transfer from academia to industry. This project also has funding from partners with interests in crop and soil management, sustainability and precision agriculture in Western Canada.

Several researchers received funding through the Research Manitoba Grants and Awards program. Quintin Litke, Biosystems Engineering, received a Natural Sciences and Engineering Studentship ($12,000) for “Development of Smart and Biodegradable, Multilayered Food Packaging”. Dr. Xiaopeng Gao, Soil Science, received a New Investigator Award ($50,000) for “Exploring mechanisms controlling spring-thaw nitrous oxide emissions from croplands in Manitoba”.

The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition, alongside the Western Grains Research Foundation and the Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission, have committed funding to a core breeding agreement with the University of Manitoba. Valued at over $3.5 million over five years, this agreement will ensure the continuation of the successful Fusarium head blight nursery program, along with the winter wheat breeding program. This flagship program has been led by Anita Brûlé-Babel, Plant Science, who is passing the baton to Curt McCartney.

The Faculty received support of $500,000 each from both Manitoba Crop Alliance and Manitoba Canola Growers Association in support of the new Prairie Crops and Soil Research Facility. Read more about their generous contributions.

The Department of Soil Science welcomes new faculty member Dr. Nasem Badreldin as Assistant Professor effective September 1, 2020. Nasem holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Agricultural Sciences from Suez Canal University in Egypt, a Masters in Physical Land Resources from Ghent University in Belgium, and a DSc in Geography from Ghent University. He was a Modeling Analyst for the Government of Saskatchewan, and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, before joining the department as an academic member. He will be teaching soil science courses, and will develop a research program on the spatiotemporal cumulative impacts of different agricultural management practices and climate change on canola crop production in western Canada.

Dr. Harsha Blumer joined the Dean’s Office in late July for a six-month term to assist academics with research grant facilitation, including the review of internal and Tri-Council grants. She can be contacted at Harsha.Blumer@umanitoba.ca.  Dr. Chantal Bassett is working on a reduced appointment and will continue to be available for work on broader Faculty research initiatives.

The Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre has welcomed Kate Cummings as Discovery Centre Coordinator. Kate graduated from McGill with a degree in agriculture and environmental science and is completing a degree in human nutritional sciences at UM. She previously worked as  the beef production specialist for Manitoba Beef Producers. Contact Kate at 204-883-2524 or kate.cummings@umanitoba.ca.

The Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals welcomes Jasmine Arnold as an Office Assistant. She will be responsible for all front desk inquiries, and can be reached at at jasmine.arnold@umanitoba.ca or rcffn@umanitoba.ca. Her office phone number is 204-474-9989.

 The Department of Animal Science is pleased to announce that Marcy Lokwani has joined the department as an Office Assistant. Marcy has been working temporarily with the Animal Science office team since December, 2020 and they are thrilled to have her now on a permanent basis. She can be reached at marcy.lokwani@umanitoba.ca or 204-474-6125

Administrative changes:  With Annemieke Farenhorst moving to the role of Associate Vice-President (Research) on July 1, the Dean’s Office welcomed Nazim Cicek, Biosystems Engineering into the role of Associate Dean (Research).  Danny Mann was reappointed to the role of Head of the Department of Biosystems Engineering July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2026, with Jason Morrison as Associate Head (Undergraduate) and Ying Chen as Associate Head (Graduate Program). Mohammed Moghadasian is serving as Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences Acting Head July 1 to December 31, 2021.

Three academics were recommended by the Board of Governors for promotion:  Ryan Cardwell, Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, Professor; Chad Lawley, Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, Professor; Christina Lengyel, Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Professor.  The Board also approved the appointment of Jordan Bannerman as Instructor II in the Department of Entomology.

Michael Eskin, FHNS, has produced another music video! With the help of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, he has created a video celebrating the discovery of insulin in Canada a century ago that was shown at their virtual annual conference.  He was interviewed by Marcy Makusa on CBC (May 8). Professor Oleg Medvedev, Chair of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine at Limonosov Moscow State University, who has used Michael’s raps with Russian translation at his Nutrition Centre before, used the insulin video in his lecture on hormonal drugs to his medical students. As well, Michael was notified that the Japan Diabetes Society plans to use the song  at the Insulin 100 Scientific Symposium in November.

Terry Galloway, professor emeritus in Entomology, provided a workshop on gall insects at Fort Whyte on September 8.

Jim House, Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, co-chaired the “Food for Health Workshop” on April 22, 2021.  The workshop entitled “Guidance on Highly Processed Foods – Assessing Impacts from Bench to Bedside”, was co-sponsored by the Canadian Nutrition Society and the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) and featured prominent speakers from Canada and the United States exploring dietary guidance related to processed foods.  Jim was recently elected as a member of the Board of Trustees for IAFNS – a new non-profit organization that brings together scientists from academia, government and industry to explore pre-competitive research needs to advance food safety and nutrition (www.iafns.org).  Jim also gave a talk on April 15 on a webinar hosted by Protein Industries Canada and the Food & Bio Cluster Denmark on the topic of “Sustainable Protein Research in Manitoba: Putting the Focus on Quality”.  The webinar also featured talks from Avena Foods, Circular Food Technology, and the Danish Technological Institute.

A quick summary of who is on leave at the moment: Gary Johnson (leave ends June 30/22); Kateryn Rochon (returns June 30/22); David Lobb (returns Dec 21/21) and Jim House (returns June 30/22).

IN THE NEWS

Jordan Bannerman, Entomology, was interviewed by CBC Up to Speed (October 1) in the story “Invasion of the lady beetles: How Manitobans can keep the insects from leaving unladylike messes” – read and listen https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/ladybugs-manitoba-bugs-jordan-bannerman-1.6197725

Jason Gibbs, Yvonne Lawley, Michael Killewald, Farnaz Kordbacheh, Alejandro Costamagna and Rob Gulden penned the article “Flowering habitat strips” in Better Farming Prairies (October 2021) – https://news.umanitoba.ca/better-farming-prairies-flowering-habitat-strips/

Derek Brewin, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, was quoted in the article “Avoiding the grain contract blues” in Manitoba Co-operator (September 30) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/avoiding-the-grain-contract-blues/

Alumnus and zero tillage pioneer Leonard Rance (AgDip/48) was featured in the story “Steward of the land” by daughter and journalist Laura Rance in the Winnipeg Free Press (September 18) – https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/steward-of-the-land-575341962.html

Alumnus Ryan Boyd (BScAgri/05) was interviewed by BBC (September 16) in the story “Canadian prairie ranchers struggle with drought conditions” – https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-58573877

Alumnus Kristine Tapley (BScAgEcol/12, MSc/16) was featured in Chatelaine (September 16) in the article “Meet 5 Of The Female Farmers Growing Our Food” – https://www.chatelaine.com/living/female-farmers/

Doug Cattani, Plant Science, was quoted in the article “Breeding perennial wheatgrass” in Top Crop Manager (September 10) – https://www.topcropmanager.com/breeding-perennial-wheatgrass/

Rob Currie, Entomology, was interviewed on CTV News (September 8) in the story “The reason for the higher number of wasps in Manitoba this year” – https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/the-reason-for-the-higher-number-of-wasps-in-manitoba-this-year-1.5577233

Joanne Thiessen Martens and Jess Nicksy, Soil Science, had their research work highlighted in the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform newsletter (September 2021) – see Joanne’s conference presentation “Struvite effective fertiliser for alfalfa, Manitoba, Canada” and Jess’ review paper “Recycled P for Canada’s Organic farming” at https://www.phosphorusplatform.eu/scope-in-print/enews/2110-espp-enews-no-58-september-2021

Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, was quoted in the story “These techniques are helping Prairie farmers grow crops despite drought” on CBC (August 24) – https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/new-farming-techniques-increased-drought-1.6146266

Jitendra Paliwal, Biosystems Engineering, was interviewed in the article “Options for monitoring grain bins” in Country Guide (August 17) – https://www.country-guide.ca/crops/options-for-monitoring-grain-bins/

Rotimi Aluko and Michael Janzen, Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, were quoted in the story “Pilot mill gets food-grade green light” in the Manitoba Co-operator (August 16) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/farm-it-manitoba/pilot-mill-gets-food-grade-green-light/

Michele Rogalsky, School of Agriculture, was quoted in the article “Facing facts” in Country Guide (August 4) – https://www.country-guide.ca/guide-business/facing-facts/

Pat MacKay, Entomology senior scholar, and Bob Lamb, adjunct professor in Entomology, were quoted in “What’s bugging your garden?” in the Winnipeg Free Press (July 17) – behind paywall at https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/whats-bugging-your-garden-574847812.html  (PRO TIP – are you a UM staff/student? Access the Winnipeg Free Press archive using ProQuest and your UMNetID at https://www-proquest-com.uml.idm.oclc.org/publication/44543)

Colin Penner, School of Agriculture, was quoted in the story “Buying out grain contracts? Some considerations to keep in mind” on RealAgriculture (July 21) – read and listen to interview at https://www.realagriculture.com/2021/07/buying-out-your-grain-contracts-some-considerations-to-keep-in-mind/

Miyoung Suh, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was featured in the story “Feds to spend $4.95M on vertical farming project, research in northern Manitoba” on Global News (July 6) – https://globalnews.ca/news/8003854/federal-funding-vertical-farming-project-research-northern-manitoba/

Martin Scanlon, Dean, was quoted in the article “The unsteady future of food manufacturing in Canada” in the Financial Post (May 10) – https://financialpost.com/news/economy/the-unsteady-future-of-food-manufacturing-in-canada

Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, was quoted in the article “Early-pandemic calls to localize supply chains unfounded” in the Manitoba Co-operator (May 8) –  https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/early-pandemic-calls-to-localize-supply-chains-unfounded/

Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, was quoted in the article “Potato Early Dying a silent yield killer” in the Manitoba Co-operator (April 28) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/potato-early-dying-a-silent-yield-killer/

Don Flaten, Soil Science, was interviewed by RealAgriculture (April 27) in “The Agronomists, Ep 24: Deb Campbell and Don Flaten on 4R nutrient strategy” – watch at https://www.realagriculture.com/2021/04/the-agronomists-ep-24-deb-campbell-and-don-flaten-on-4r-nutrient-strategy/.

Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, was interviewed by Farmscape (April 23) for the stories “National Survey Expected to Help Pork Producers Reduce Environmental Footprint” – https://farmscape.ca/f2ShowScript.aspx?i=27532&q=National+Survey+Expected+to+Help+Pork+Producers+Reduce+Environmental+Footprint and “Pork Producers Urged to Join Canadian Pig Production Practices Survey for Improved Economic and Environmental Viability” https://farmscape.ca/f2ShowScript.aspx?i=27526&q=Pork+Producers+Urged+to+Join+Canadian+Pig+Production+Practices+Survey+for+Improved+Economic+and+Environmental+Viability

Kateryn Rochon, Entomology, was featured on Global News (April 28) in the story ” Tick tips with Manitoba entomologist ” – watch it at https://globalnews.ca/video/7816456/tick-tips-with-manitoba-entomologist

Jason Gibbs, Entomology, was interviewed by WDIV TV Detroit (April 22) in the story “The COVID pandemic helped boost Michigan’s honey bee population” – read and watch the story at https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/04/22/the-covid-pandemic-helped-boost-michigans-honey-bee-population/

Kateryn Rochon, Entomology, was quoted in “When Human and Animal Collide” in UM Today the Magazine (Spring 2021) – https://news.umanitoba.ca/when-human-and-animal-collide/

Natalie Riediger, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, wrote the op-ed ” Gluten-free diet is expensive, socially challenging for those with celiac disease and wheat allergy” for Conversation Canada (April 13) – https://theconversation.com/gluten-free-diet-is-expensive-socially-challenging-for-those-with-celiac-disease-and-wheat-allergy-155861

Natalie was also feature in UM ResearchLIFE (Summer 2021) in the article “The not so sweet truth about food politics” – https://news.umanitoba.ca/researchlife-the-not-so-sweet-truth-about-food-politics/

PUBLICATIONS

A recently published article co-authored by Annemieke Farenhorst, Soil Science, was chosen as one of the Editor’s Choice papers for 2021 by Canadian Science Publishing (CSP). Editor’s Choice papers highlight articles that are of particularly high caliber and importance and, as such, to maximize awareness and application of the article, it will be made available by CSP to all readers free of charge. The reference to the article is: Dengate, J., Farenhorst, A., Peter, T., & Franz-Odendaal, T. (2021). “Shining Armour”: what Margaret-Ann Armour taught us about equity, diversity, and inclusion and mentorship in the natural sciences. Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 99, 692-697.   Read more as well at https://news.umanitoba.ca/recent-um-research-findings-suggest-gender-bias-remains-in-nse-professions-across-canada/

Chen, Y.*, Yu, C.*, Liu S.*, Azevedo, P.*, Liu, S., O, K., Gong, J., Hou, Y., YANG, C. (2021). Evaluating the effectiveness of Lactobacillus zeae against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4 infection in an in vitro porcine intestinal epithelial cell model. ACS Food Science & Technology, 1(2): 215-228.

Hui, Q.*, Zhao, X.*, Lu, P.*, Liu, S.*, Nyachoti, M., O, K., YANG, C. (2021) Molecular distribution and localization of extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) and vitamin D receptor (VDR) at three different laying stages in laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Poultry Science, 10 (5): 00:101060.

Yu, C*., Lu, P*., Liu, S*., Li, Q*., Xu, E., Gong, J., Liu, S., YANG, C. (2021). Efficiency of deoxynivalenol detoxification by microencapsulated sodium metabisulfite assessed via an in vitro bioassay based on intestinal porcine epithelial cells. ACS Omega，6, 12, 8382-8393.

Ouyang, Z., Ren, P., Zheng D.E., Huang L., Wei, T., YANG, C., Kong, X., Yin, Y., He, S., He, Q. (2021). Hydrothermal synthesis of a new porous zinc oxide and its antimicrobial evaluation in weanling piglets. Livestock Science, 248, 104499.

Mwaniki, A.W., Buis Q. R., Trott, D., Huber, L.A., YANG, C., and Kiarie, E.G. (2021). Comparative efficacy of commercially available deoxynivalenol (DON) detoxifying feed additives on growth performance, total tract digestibility of components and physiological responses in nursery pigs fed diets formulated with naturally contaminated corn. Translational Animal Science, 5 (2): txab050.

Yang, C.*, Rehman, M.Q., Yin, X.H., Carrilloc, C.D., Wang, Q., YANG, C., Gong, J., Diarra M.S. (2021). Antimicrobial resistance phenotype and genotype of generic Escherichia coli from encapsulated cinnamaldehyde and citral fed-broiler chicken. Journal of Food Protection, 84(8): 1385-1399.

Yang, C.*, Diarra, M.S., Choi, J.*, Rodas-Gonzalez, A., Lepp, D., Liu, S. *, Lu P. *, Mogire M.*, Gong, J., Wang, Q., YANG, C. (2021). Effects of encapsulated cinnamaldehyde on growth performance, intestinal digestive and absorptive functions, meat quality and gut microbiota in broiler chickens. Translational Animal Science, 5(3): txab099.

Thiessen Martens, J., Schneider, K., Zvomuya, F., and Entz, M.: Efficacy of struvite as a phosphorus source for alfalfa in organic cropping systems, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-8078, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-8078.

Nicksy, J. and Entz, M., 2021. Recycled Nutrients as a Phosphorus Source for Canadian Organic Agriculture: A Perspective. Canadian Journal of Soil Science. http://doi.org/10.1139/CJSS-2021-0014.

Nicksy, J., Amiro, B. and Entz, M., 2021. Recycled nutrients supply phosphorus and improve ryegrass yields on phosphorus-depleted soil. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, pp.1-5.

J Mitchell Fetch, Katherine Stanley, Martin Entz, Stephen L Fox, Dean Spaner, Anne Kirk, Iris Vaisman, PD Brown, Nancy Ames, James Chong, Thomas Fetch, Steve Haber, Curt McCartney, James G Menzies, Andrej Tekauz, Fred Townley-Smith, Kirby T Nilsen, Kimberly Hamilton, Denis Green. 2021. AAC Oravena Oat: (Canada’s first organically bred oat cultivar). Can J Plant Sci. http://doi.org/10.1139/CJPS-2021-0036.

Beta T. (2021) (Ed.) Improving the nutritional and nutraceutical properties of wheat and other cereals. Cambridge UK: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing. 360 pages.  https://shop.bdspublishing.com/store/bds/detail/workgroup/3-190-105791

Oliveira, A.M., Malunga, L., Beta, T., Ribani, R., and Perussello, C. (2020) Phenolic acids from fruits of Physalis angulate L. in two stages of maturation. South African Journal of Botany 131: 448-453 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2020.02.029

Ávila, S., Kugo, M., Silveira Hornung, P., Apea-Bah, F.B., Songok, E. M., and Beta, T. (2020) Carica papaya seed enhances phytochemicals and functional properties in cornmeal porridges. Food Chemistry 323: (in press)  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.126808

Zhang, L., Fan, G., Khan, M. A., Yan, Z., and Beta, T. Ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic extraction and identification of anthocyanin components from mulberry wine residues. Food Chemistry 323: (in press) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.126714

Turola Barbi, R. C., Silveira Hornung, P., Ávila, S., da Silva Bambirra Alves, F. E., Beta, T. and Hoffmann Ribani, R. (2020) Ripe and unripe inajá (Maximilia maripa) fruit: a new high source of added value bioactive compounds. Food Chemistry 331: (in press) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127333

Nasibeh Y. Sinaki, Mehmet Tulbek and Filiz Koksel (2021). Oxidizing agent-assisted extrusion cooking of yellow peas and the techno-functionality of the resulting extrudate flours. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation. http://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.15797

Eskin, N.A.M. 2021. The Latest Research and Development of Minerals in Human Nutrition. Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, Elsevier/Academic Press. Vol. 96.pp. 424.    

Khameneh, B., Eskin, N.A.M., Iranshahy, M., and Bazza, B.S.F. 2021. Phytochemicals: A promising weapon in the arsenal against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibiotics .(in press). This article is part of the Special Issue guest edited by Michael Eskin on Botanicals and Antibiotic Resistance and is available online https://www.mdpi.com/journal/antibiotics/special_issues/Botanicals

Olamide, F., Nandasiri, R., Alashi, A., Eskin N.A.M. and  Thiyam-Hollander, U. 2021, Air frying pre-treatment and the recovery of lipophilic sinapates from the oil fraction of mustard samples. J. Food Science. (in press)

Kloss, O., Fyck, K., Giesbrecht, H., Eni, R., Eskin, N.A.M., Chudley, A.E. and Suh, M. 2021. A scoping literature review of the nutrition status among Canadian first nations women during pregnancy: What does the evidence reveal? Family Medicine and Medical Science. Vol. 7. No. 206.1-8.

Eskin , N, A.M., Yang, N.I. and Liuping, F. 2021. The application of cellulose nanocrystals in Pickering emulsion as the particle stabilizer. Science of Technology of Cereals, Oils and Foods.(China) 29(3), 1-7.

Nandasiri, R., Imram, A., Eskin, N.A.M. and Thiyam-Hollander, U.2021. Attenuation of  sinapine-derived flavor-active compounds using a factorial-based pressurized high-temperature processing. Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (in press).

Nandasiri, R., Imram, A., Thiyam-Hollander, U. and Eskin, N.A.M. 2021. Rapidoxy®100: A solvent-free pre-treatment for production of canolol. Frontiers in Nutrition. Vol. 8.687851.

Nandasiri R. , Eskin, N.A.M., Komatsu, E., Perreault, H. and Thiyam-Holländer U. 2021.Valorization of canola by-products: Concomitance of flavor-active bitter phenolics using pressurized heat treatments. LWT Food Science and Technology. 110397.

Rahman, M.J., Malunga, L., Eskin, A.A.M., Eck.P., Thandapilly, S.J. and Thiyam-Hollander, U. 2021, Valorization of heat-treated brewer’s spent grain through the identification of bioactive phenolics by UPLC-PDA and evaluation of their antioxidant activities. Frontiers in Nutrition. 634519

Lawley, Chad. 2021. “Hog Barns and Neighboring House Prices: Anticipation and Post-establishment Impacts,” American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 103(3): 1099-1121.

Samtiya M, Aluko RE, Puniya AK, Dhewa T. 2021. Enhancing micronutrients bioavailability through fermentation of plant-based foods: A concise review. Fermentation, 7, 63.

Wang B, Zhang Q, Zhang N, Bak KH, Soladoye OP, Aluko RE, Fu Y, Zhang Y. 2021. Insights into formation, detection and removal of the beany flavor in soybean protein. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 112, 336–347.

Kumar D, Mishra A, Tarafdar A, Kumar Y, Verma K, Aluko R, Trajkovska B, Badgujar PC. 2021. In vitro bioaccessibility and characterisation of spent hen meat hydrolysate powder prepared by spray and freeze-drying techniques. Process Biochem. 105, 128–136.

Samtiya M, Aluko RE, Dhewa T, Moreno-Rojas JM. 2021. Potential health benefits of plant food-derived bioactive components: An overview. Foods, 10, 839.

Marinangeli CPF, Fabek H, Ahmed M, Sanchez-Hernandez D, Foisy S, House JD. The effect of increasing intakes of plant protein on the protein quality of Canadian diets. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2021 Feb 16. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2020-1027.

Jing, M., Zhao, S., Rogiewicz, A., Slominski, B.A., House, J.D.  Effects of phytase supplementation on growth performance, plasma biochemistry, bone mineralisation and phosphorus utilisation in pre-lay pullets fed various levels of phosphorus.  Animal Production Science, 2021, 61(6), pp. 568–576.

Rajendiran E, Lamarche B, She Y, Ramprasath V, Eck P, Brassard D, Gigleux I, Levy E, Tremblay A, Couture P, House JD, Jones PJH, Desmarchelier C. A combination of single nucleotide polymorphisms is associated with the interindividual variability in the blood lipid response to dietary fatty acid consumption in a randomized clinical trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Apr 19:nqab064. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab064. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33871574.

Abdullah MMH, Vazquez-Vidal I, Baer DJ, House JD, Jones PJH, Desmarchelier C. Common Genetic Variations Involved in the Inter-Individual Variability of Circulating Cholesterol Concentrations in Response to Diets: A Narrative Review of Recent Evidence. Nutrients. 2021 Feb 22;13(2):695. doi: 10.3390/nu13020695.

Akkad R, Kharraz E, Han J, House JD, Curtis JM. The effect of short-term storage temperature on the key headspace volatile compounds observed in Canadian faba bean flour. Food Sci Technol Int. 2021 Mar 2:1082013221998843. doi: 10.1177/1082013221998843.

Md Mahmudul Hasan, Vipasha Sood, Chyngyz Erkinbaev, Jitendra Paliwal, Surendranath Suman, Argenis Rodas-Gonzalez. 2021. Principal component analysis of lipid and protein oxidation products and their impact on color stability in bison longissimus lumborum and psoas major muscles. Meat Science 178 (2021) 108523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2021.108523

Please continue to exercise caution and follow guidelines. For updated health and safety protocols, visit https://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus/latest-updates-and-safety#latest-covid-19-updates.

The Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre is open to the public for pre-booked visits at 25% capacity. Full details on COVID-19 safety protocol and procedures at https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/discovery_centre/COVID19-information.html.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, April 14  – The Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences is holding an open presentation by Dr. Chamila Nimalaratne, candidate for Instructor I (Term) position on the topic “Evolution of Food Quality Evaluation – Past, present and future” at 2:30 pm. Teams link is https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NmY2NDg5ZmMtNTFhZi00MWY2LTkzNDAtOTA0YmFmZWQyYWEx%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%224f80dd0b-338c-4e4c-8a14-90446962f7b8%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22c68035e5-b20b-4430-91be-db34970ebee7%22%7d.

Wednesday, April 14 – The next episode in the Faculty Conversation Series will feature Dr. Ryan Cardwell, Professor, Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, Dr. Jill Hobbs, Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan,  and Dr. Alan Ker, Director and Professor, Institute for the Advanced Study of Food and Agricultural Policy, Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Guelph, on “How did Canadian food and agricultural markets hold up during the pandemic? Looking back after one year”. Event starts at 3:30 pm. Livestream link – https://youtu.be/MEftUMYK6w8.

Wednesday, April 21 – Join us as we cheer on Biosystems Engineering grad students Vimala Bharathi S K and Sristi Mundhada on April 21 at 7:00 pm as they compete in the finals of the University of Manitoba 3MT competition. The event will be broadcast live at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXkGUFB6w8A.  Learn more about their research at https://news.umanitoba.ca/reducing-food-losses-the-goal-of-3mt-finalists/

May 3-4 – The University of Manitoba Centre on Aging is holding its 38th annual Spring Research Symposium, this year online and free to the public. May 3 & 4, 9 am – 4 pm. Topics include Mental Health in Later Life, Social Isolation and Loneliness: Can lessons learned during the pandemic help in the future, Opportunities and Challenges for Home Care, and Health Policy lessons from the Pandemic. Attend all or part of the symposium; most parts don’t require registration. Full details are at https://umanitoba.ca/centre-on-aging/research/spring-symposium.

Friday, May 7 – UM Extended Education presents four free webinars exploring the state of lifelong learning at Canadian universities and the future of continuing education including the introduction of micro-credentials to support the upskilling and reskilling of professionals. Join experts from across Canada as they explain how university continuing education continues to support businesses and professionals as they prepare for the future. Registration is required and seats are limited.  The May 7 webinar is at 12:00 pm  and is titled “State of university continuing education across Canada”.  See further details and registration at https://umextended.ca/university-continuing-education-webinars/

Friday, May 14 – UM Extended Education free webinar is at 12:00 pm and is titled “After the COVID pandemic:  The role of universities and colleges in building a stronger Canadian economy”.  See further details and registration at https://umextended.ca/university-continuing-education-webinars/

May 19-21 – The Faculty of Science is hosting Nexus 2021: Digital Agriculture, Public Health, Transportation and Logistics, a three-day data science conference. Tickets are $75, or $25 for students. Learn more and register at https://sci.umanitoba.ca/data-science-nexus/2021-nexus/.

Friday, June 11 – UM Extended Education free webinar is at 12:00 pm and is titled “Deciphering the meaning of micro-credentials”.  See further details and registration at https://umextended.ca/university-continuing-education-webinars/

Friday, June 18 – UM Extended Education free webinar is at 12:00 pm and is titled “Recognition of alternative digital credentials”.  See further details and registration at https://umextended.ca/university-continuing-education-webinars/

June 22-24 – Save the date! The Manitoba Protein Research Strategy will be holding a virtual sustainable protein research symposium and AIMday in partnership with the Manitoba Industry-Academia Partnership. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. Details coming soon. For more information please contact Erin Goldberg (Research Associate) at MBprotein@umanitoba.ca.

STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS

The Diploma in Agriculture Teacher of the Year awards are selected each year by the students in recognition of individuals for their teaching excellence and contribution to the students’ program of study. For 2021, the first year students have honoured Marla Riekman, Soil Science, and the graduating class of students have chosen Garrett Sawatzky, School of Agriculture.

The Department of Plant Science welcomes Justice Zhanda as the supervisor of the Ian N. Morrison Research Farm and Carman and Region Facility. Justice is joining the department from WADO Inc. in Southwest Manitoba where he was employed as a research technician for the past three years and was responsible for all aspects of applied research of a wide range of crops grown on the Prairies including cover crops and corn under no-till systems. Before joining WADO, Justice briefly worked as a biological technician for nine months between September 2017 and March 2018 under the supervision of Yvonne Lawley and Paul Bullock at the University of Manitoba.  Justice graduated in 2017 from the UM with a Master of Science degree that focused on assessing various thermal indices for modeling grain corn phenological development on the Prairies. 

Eleven students competed in the graduate student video competition at the Sustainability of Canadian Agriculture Conference held in early March. Recipients of the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment award were Chris Manchur, Biological Sciences, UM; David MacTaggart, Plant Sciences, UofS; and Patrick Le Heiget, Plant Science, UM. The recipient of the People’s Choice award was Chris Manchur.  You can watch all of the videos https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/sustainability-canadian-agriculture-2021/graduate-student-video-competition#march-1-130-200 as well as take in the workshops and speaker sessions https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/sustainability-canadian-agriculture-2021#monday-march-1.

Tressa Alexiuk, MSc in Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was awarded the Holmfridur Kristjansson Graduate Award in Nutrition.

Ehsan Zarrinabadi, Soil Science PhD student with David Lobb, received third prize for his poster presentation at the annual Soils and Crops conference held in Saskatoon March 16-17.

Joyce Slater, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences,was a keynote speaker at the World Home Economics Day event hosted by the Manitoba Associate of Home Economists on March 20. She presented “The Winnipeg Food Atlas”.

Doug Cattani, Plant Science, made a presentation to Advancing Organics, the Saskatchewan Organics Conference on “Intermediate wheatgrass: A perennial grain for western Canada” on March 25.

The Department of Biosystems Engineering has announced the new Sustainability-in-Action Facililty located on the west edge of the Fort Garry Campus. This space will be available to the University of Manitoba community for experiential learning and demonstration opportunities that relate to sustainability. Some examples include renewable energy, sustainable food production for remote communities, sustainable building practices, and utilization of waste biomass. Read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/new-facility-gets-hands-on-with-sustainability-technologies/.

Rob Currie, Entomology, along with Sarah Semmler from the Living Prairie Museum, presented a seminar on the topic “Pollinators and what we can do to conserve them” to about 70 individuals at  Master Gardeners Association of Manitoba session on April 23. Rob also presented at an Integrated Pest Management of varroa “virtual” workshop put on by Derek Micholson, Knowledge Research Transfer Program and Provincial Apiarist Rheal Lafrenier on April 25 to about 90 producers.

Kateryn Rochon, Entomology, presented on ticks to the Fort Whyte Discovery Center on the April 6.

Rotimi Aluko, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, presented “Potential role of food protein-derived proteins and peptides as hypocholesterolemic and antihypertensive agents: evidence from animal studies” to a national and international audience during the virtual seminar organized by the Manitoba Section of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology on March 25.

Two Food and Human Nutritional Sciences students recently attended the International Cereals and Bread Congress (ICBC) 2021 – 16th ICC Cereal and Bread Congress held online March 29-31, and presented posters. Pamela Drawbridge, PhD candidate presented “Canadian Hulless Barley Varieties Are a Source of Bioaccessible Phenolic Compounds” co-authored with Franklin Apea-Bah, Polyanna Silveira Hornung, and Trust Beta. Hannah Oduro-Obeng, PhD candidate presented “Impact of cooking duration on carotenoid isomer content in pasta prepared from three durum wheat cultivars” co-authored with Bin Xiao Fu and Trust Beta.

Justine Cornelsen, Plant Science, successfully defended her master’s thesis on March 30, titled “Validating the strategic deployment of Blackleg major resistance gene groups in commercial canola fields on the Canadian prairies”. Her work looked to assess the concept of blackleg major resistance gene labelled cultivar deployment through monitoring of the avirulence profile of Leptosphaeria maculans population and disease levels in commercial canola fields. Findings from this work will provide canola farmers with the latest information to select cultivars to manage blackleg on their farms, while providing the canola industry with the latest L. maculans avirulence frequencies across the prairies. Justine was supervised by Dilantha Fernando in Plant Science.

IN THE NEWS

Justine Cornelsen, Plant Science MSc student, was quoted in the article “Study breaks down blackleg resistance in canola” in the Western Producer (April 8) – https://www.producer.com/crops/study-breaks-down-blackleg-resistance-in-canola/

Phil Veldhuis, School of Agriculture, was quoted in the article “Many options, obstacles for value added” in the Manitoba Co-operator (March 30) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/farm-it-manitoba/many-options-obstacles-for-value-added/

Easton Sellers, School of Agriculture, was interviewed in the article “Technology blooms in ag education” in a special Winnipeg Free Press insert Manitoba Growth 2021 (March 27) – http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/1355689-2021

Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, was interviewed by Real Agriculture (March 25) on the topic “The practicality of permanence in the soil carbon market”- article and video link at https://www.realagriculture.com/2021/03/the-practicality-of-permanence-in-the-soil-carbon-market/

Martin Entz, Plant Science, was quoted in the article “A cover crop ‘failure,’ but the story doesn’t end there” in Country Guide (March 24) – https://www.country-guide.ca/crops/a-cover-crop-failure-but-the-story-doesnt-end-there/

Chithra Karunakaran, Biosystems Engineering alumna and a special seminar presenter at the UM last month, was featured in the article “Canadian Light Source aids agriculture projects” in Manitoba Co-operator (March 23) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/canadian-light-source-aids-agriculture-projects/

Marcos Cordeiro, Animal Science, was featured in the article “Making agricultural ecosystems more sustainable” in UM Today (March 22) – https://news.umanitoba.ca/making-agricultural-ecosystems-more-sustainable/

Annemieke Farenhorst, Soil Science and Associate Dean (Research), was quoted in the article “Finding ways to better protect a vital resource on World Water Day” in UM Today (March 22) – https://news.umanitoba.ca/finding-ways-to-better-protect-a-vital-resource-on-world-water-day/

Martin Scanlon, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences and Dean, was interviewed in the CBC Marketplace (March 19) article titled “What testing 17 butter brands told us about the science behind ‘buttergate'” – https://www.cbc.ca/news/marketplace/butter-tests-marketplace-1.5954569

Yvonne Lawley and Navneet Brar, Plant Science, were quoted in the article “Hold the nitrogen when planting soybeans” in the Western Producer (March 18) – https://www.producer.com/news/hold-the-nitrogen-when-planting-soybeans/

David Lobb, Soil Science, was quoted in the article “Soil health a moving target” in the Manitoba Co-operator (March 16) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/farm-it-manitoba/soil-health-a-moving-target/

Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, was quoted in the article “There’s a teeming world of diversity and complexity in your field’s soil” in the Manitoba Co-operator (March 16) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/farm-it-manitoba/theres-a-teeming-world-of-diversity-and-complexity-in-your-fields-soil/

Kristen MacMillan, Plant Science, was quoted in the article ” Agronomy update: Environment has biggest impact on soybean production” in Top Crop Manager (March 8) – https://www.topcropmanager.com/agronomy-update-environment-has-biggest-impact-on-soybean-production/

Chaminda Weeraddana, post-doctoral fellow in Entomology, was featured in the article “Exploring pest and clubroot interactions” in Top Crop Manager (March 2) – https://www.topcropmanager.com/exploring-pest-and-clubroot-interactions/

PUBLICATIONS

TJ Lysyk, SJ Dergousoff, K Rochon, NB Chilton, AM Smith. 2021. Distribution of Dermacentor andersoni (Acari: Ixodidae) in Grassland Regions of Alberta, Canada. Journal of Medical Entomology, tjab019, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab019

Sonklin C, Alashi AM, Laohakunjit N, Aluko RE. 2021. Functional characterization of mung bean meal protein-derived antioxidant peptides. Molecules, 26, 1515.

Famuwagun AA, Taiwo KA, Gbadamosi SO, Oyedele DJ, Adebooye OC, Aluko RE. 2021. Antioxidant and enzymes inhibitory properties of Amaranth leaf protein hydrolysates and ultrafiltration peptide fractions. J. Food Biochem. 45, e13396.

Olagunju AI, Omoba OS, Enujiugha VN, Alashi AM, Aluko RE. 2021. Thermoase-hydrolysed pigeon pea protein and membrane fractions possess in vitro bioactive properties relating to antioxidative, antihypertensive and antidiabetic properties. J. Food Biochem. 45, e13429.

Akinyede AI, Fagbemi TN, Osundahunsi OF, Aluko RE. 2021. Amino acid composition and antioxidant properties of the enzymatic hydrolysate of calabash nutmeg (Monodora myristica) and its membrane ultrafiltration peptide fractions. J. Food Biochem. 45, e13437.

Sultana R, Alashi AM, Islam K, Saifullah M, Haque CE, Aluko RE. 2021. Chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant properties of water-soluble extracts obtained from Bangladesh vegetables. J. Food Biochem. 45, e13357.

GENERAL NEWS

Support Staff Recognition!  Show your appreciation of a support staff member or team by nominating them for the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Support Staff Awards. Deadline is May 15 – details and nomination form is at http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/staff/supportstaffawards.html.

There is also a call for nominations for FAFS Excellence in Teaching Award which was established to recognize exceptional contributions to the teaching mandate of the Faculty. Deadline is May 15 – details and nomination form is at https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/staff/excellenceinteachingaward.html.

Plant Science MSc student Sonia Wilson did a takeover of the @umstudent Instagram account – check out her posts at https://www.instagram.com/p/CMPimcsgEI7/, https://www.instagram.com/p/CMPqSa_gpL5/, https://www.instagram.com/p/CMQdLkSgjno/, https://www.instagram.com/p/CMQ3zyfA1PY/

FHNS adjunct professor and associate professor in the department of Pediatrics and Child Health Dr. Jennifer Protudjer and her team are loking for participants for two studies:  

FARIS: Food Allergy, Racial-ethnic Identity and Food inSecurity – Help researchers and patient advocates understand how you manage food allergy. As part of a short, anonymous survey, you will be asked about food allergy, including types of allergy and management, buying allergy-friendly foods and racial-ethnic identity. This study is led by Dr. Jennifer Protudjer at the University of Manitoba and is open to all families with a child under 18 years with a food allergy. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/faris_study

Pediatric food allergy in schools: Learning with children and school staff to share knowledge – The Protudjer Lab at the University of Manitoba is recruiting Manitoban children (ages 5-15 years) with and without food allergies, to participate in a virtual engagement session to discuss food allergies in schools. The information learned from these sessions will help inform the content of a food allergy education program geared towards students and teachers.  Please contact the study coordinator at Jennifer.Protudjer@umanitoba.ca or visit the study website for more information http://jenniferprotudjer.ca/current-projects.html

COVID-19 UPDATES

Please continue to exercise caution and follow guidelines. For updated health and safety protocols, visit https://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus/latest-updates-and-safety#latest-covid-19-updates.

The Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre is open to the public for pre-booked visits at 25% capacity. Full details on COVID-19 safety protocol and procedures at https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/discovery_centre/COVID19-information.html.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday, March 16 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Mr. Massimo Martini, Department of Entomology, on the topic “Pollination community composition and network structure in roadside verges and powerline easement corridors of Manitoba”. Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.

Tuesday, March 16 – The Manitoba Government has declared March 16 as Agriculture Awareness Day, and is offering several webinars. 9:00am – Advances in Agriculture and Protein Innovation. The current advances in agriculture and protein innovation are very exciting. Join us for presentations on these innovations and their applications. Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1970557246982039819.  11:45am – Let’s Talk Tacos! Manitoba Agriculture and food Knowledge Exchange (MAKE) Taco recipe demo hosted by Farm and Food Discovery Centre. Join Getty Stewart and the Farm and Food Discovery Centre for a demonstration of this delicious and easy to prepare recipe featuring textured plant protein and Manitoba bison from Borderland Agriculture as you learn more about the exciting research taking place at the University of Manitoba. Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4792931027715649803.

Tuesday, March 16 – Are you interested in learning more about trending technologies and innovation in the protein industry? Hatch (Singapore, Norway and Hawaii), Wageningen University and Research (Netherlands) and the University of Manitoba have partnered with Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development to deliver a webinar and panel discussion on Emerging Protein Technologies at 10:00 am CST. Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1675989286172065293.

Tuesday, March 16 – The Be AgSafe and Rail Smart Webinar will be offered at 11:00 am by Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.  As part of this year’s Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, they are bringing together rail and safety experts to discuss safe and smart behaviours around rural railways. This event is sponsored by CN. Sign up at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8116141731551/WN_P_x8s4WpSYSipiIUbXlVKQ.

Tuesday, March 16 – The Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences is holding a seminar on “Extensions and Applications of Extended Redundancy Analysis for Research in Psychology and Related Field” with presenter Dr. Sunmee Kim, Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba at 3:00 pm –  https://umlearn2.webex.com/umlearn2/j.php?MTID=m2f23afe95b85f8f3db5646c5dd5dd1bf

Wednesday, March 17 – The next episode in the Faculty Conversation Series will feature Jitendra Paliwal, Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba, Colin Gilmore, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Price Faculty of Engineering,  and Kurt Hildebrand, AGCO Corporation, on “A made-in-Manitoba solution to monitoring stored grain”. Event starts at 3:30 pm. Livestream link – https://youtu.be/xkbo5OtD_SA.

Thursday, March 18 – Grainews presents Hot Topics in Commodities – Corn in partnership with Manitoba Crop Alliance, an online presentation that will feature Don Flaten, Soil Science on the topic “Managing Fertility to Maximize Hybrid Corn Potential” at 11:00 am. Register for free at https://www.grainews.ca/hot-topics/corn/

Thursday, March 18 –  Join the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Manitoba Office, the National Farmers Union, the Manitoba Eco-Network, Manitoba’s Climate Action Team, and the Winnipeg Food Council for a discussion on the future of food and farming in Manitoba 7:00 pm-8:30 pm. In the webinar entitled “Growing a Resilient Future: Food and Farming in Manitoba“, you will hear five diverse perspectives on what we need to do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make our food and farming systems more resilient. Speakers bios and registration link at https://mbeconetwork.org/projects/food-and-farming/

Thursday, March 18 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from DuoDuo Wang, PhD candidate, Department of Plant Science, on the topic “Evaluation of fusarium head blight in rye and fungicide efficacy in fusarium head blight mitigation” To watch, register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/791980836195966733.

Wednesday, March 24 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Don Flaten, Department of Soil Science, on the topic “45 years of soil fertility lessons: Some learned and some forgotten” at 12:30 pm. To watch, visit https://zoom.us/j/97499634513?pwd=dEFEMWdUU2ZGdmZFVlhQZEZPeGp6dz09.

Tuesday, March 30 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Jean-Noël Candau, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, on the topic “Population dynamics and mass dispersal of the eastern spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana“.  This is s a DEGSA Invited Speaker, Endowment Fund Speaker Series. Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.

Tuesday, March 30 – The Department of Animal Science will be hosting a Special Seminar in honour of Dr. T. K. Cheung, a former student of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences who has made significant contributions to the Department of Animal Science. The guest speaker this year is Dr. Temple Grandin, Professor of Animal Science, Colorado State University, who will be giving a talk on “Handling Cattle, Pigs, and Sheep at Meat Plants”. Register to attend at https://eventscalendar.umanitoba.ca/site/fafs/event/tk-cheung-lecture-in-animal-science-handling-cattle-pigs-and-sheep-at-meat-plants/.

Wednesday, March 31 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Linda Jewell, St. John’s Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, topic TBA at 12:30 pm. To watch, visit https://zoom.us/j/99560394249?pwd=cnBNRUFyMjNaVTB0TkY4Z29QUnlwQT09.

Wednesday, April 7 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring  Manasah Mkhabela, Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, on the topic “Robbing Peter to pay Sam: Nitrogen trade-offs in conventional and no-tillage systems” at 12:30 pm. To watch, visit https://zoom.us/j/98565783203?pwd=VGE4Z0IrQ3F2cEdNV092Uk5Gd2xXQT09.

June 22-24 – Save the date! The Manitoba Protein Research Strategy will be holding a virtual sustainable protein research symposium and AIMday in partnership with the Manitoba Industry-Academia Partnership. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. Details coming soon. For more information please contact Erin Goldberg (Research Associate) at MBprotein@umanitoba.ca.

STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS

The Glenlea Research Station team has once again been recognized for their excellence, this time in dairy.  Each year, Lactanet, a Canadian network for dairy excellence, recognizes the top 25 dairy producers in the country. Through this process they also identify the top three dairy producers in each province. Herds are selected based on herd management criteria and herd performance index (milk value, herd efficiency and longevity, udder health and calving interval). This year the Managra herd/Glenlea Research Station was identified as number 3 producer in Manitoba.

The 3MT heats were held March 2-5 and featured six students from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences: Curtis Cavers, Soil Science; James Tucker, Plant Science; Sristi Mundhada, Biosystems Engineering; Yi Xie, Food Science; Susane Trevisan, Food Science; and Vimala Bharathi S K, Biosystems Engineering. Sristi and Vimala advanced to the finals, which take place April 21.  Congratulations to all who participated! See more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/2021-3mt-finalists-announced/

Tressa Alexiuk, Human Nutritional Sciences MSc student with Joyce Slater, has been awarded the Dr. Elizabeth Award for Technical Writing from the Canadian Home Economics Foundation. The $500 award is presented annually to a graduate student from Faculties, Departments or Programs of Home Economics, Family and Consumer Studies/Sciences, Human Ecology, Foods, Dietetics and Nutrition, Clothing and Textiles, and home economics/human ecology/family studies Education. Tressa submitted a literature review of food and nutrition security in Newcomer Canadian youth.

Trina Semenchuk, Biosystems Engineering student, was the winner of the 2021 UM Sustainability Award for Undergraduate Students. Trina is the President of the University of Manitoba Efficiency and Renewable Technology Hub (@umearth). She oversaw the implementation of the Greenwall in the new Stanley Pauley Building, and she also founded the Student Energy: UM Chapter. She also helped organize the Sustainability Town Hall two years in a row.

Jason Gibbs, Entomology, has had another bee species named in his honour (that makes four now). A colleague from his time at York University, Julio Genaro, named the species Lasioglossum jagibbsi, which was discovered in the high mountains of Hispaniola of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean. See page 8 – https://centerforsystematicentomology.org/insectamundi/0853_Genaro_2021.pdf

Second year Diploma in Agriculture students once again worked to develop policy resolutions as part of the DAGR 0920 Current Issues in Agriculture and Food class taught by Reg Dyck, School of Agriculture. The selected resolution, which supports agriucltural literacy and Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba, was presented and passed at the Keystone Agricultural Producers annual meeting on January 26, and subsequently presented and approved at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture annual meeting. (Articles on this in the In the News below).

Derek Brewin, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, was part of a panel on rail regulation related to grain exports at the February 17  Simpson Centre Webinar with the School of Public at the University of Calgary. Watch at:  https://youtu.be/4yOL7zqzv9A. The Simpson Centre also hosted Jared Carlberg on beef processing on November 23 – https://youtu.be/6lRMcIuGRsk

The Farm and Food Discovery Centre partnered with EMILI and Agriculture in the Classroom – Manitoba on a Digital Agriculture Career Panel in celebration of International Women’s Day. Participants included Jenessa Karlowsky [BSc(Agribus)/15], Sheena Pitura [BSc(Agribus)/04], Krista Kilback and Erin Romeo.

IN THE NEWS

Callum Morrison, PhD student in Plant Science, has been interviewed by numerous media outlets regarding the cover crop survey:

GuelphToday – https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/wellington-county-farmers-part-of-manitoba-researchers-study-of-cover-crops-3539545 

Several CBC Radio stations – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/online-survey-cover-crops-1.5937292

Cornwall Standard-Freeholder – https://www.standard-freeholder.com/news/local-news/hoping-seaway-valley-farmers-can-provide-ontario-cover-crop-feedback

Cornwall Seaway News – https://www.cornwallseawaynews.com/2021/02/24/survey-seeks-feedback-on-cover-crops/

Ottawa Valley News – https://www.insideottawavalley.com/news-story/10337197-ottawa-valley-farmers-urged-to-participate-in-cover-crops-survey/

Fort Frances Times – https://fftimes.com/news/district-news/study-seeks-help-from-farmers/

Martin Scanlon, Kees Plaizier and Rick Holley co-authored the op-ed “The Buttergate theory isn’t solid” which was published in the Globe & Mail (March 3) – https://news.umanitoba.ca/op-ed-the-buttergate-theory-isnt-solid/

Kyle Bobiwash, Entomology was quoted in the article “Promoting and engaging Indigenous science ” in the Manitoban (February 23) – http://www.themanitoban.com/2021/02/promoting-and-engaging-indigenous-science/41546/

Reg Dyck, School of Agriculture, and students in his Current Issues in Agriculture and Food class were featured in the article “An education in engagement” in the Manitoba Co-operator (March 3) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/farm-it-manitoba/an-education-in-engagement/. The Diploma students were also featured in the article “Familiarizing non-farmers with agriculture a worthy goal” in the Western Producer (February 18) – https://www.producer.com/opinion/familiarizing-non-farmers-with-agriculture-a-worthy-goal/

Natalie Riediger, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, and Myra Tait, Athabasca University, published the article ” A sin tax on sugary drinks unfairly targets Indigenous communities instead of improving health” on Conversation Canada (February 21) – https://theconversation.com/a-sin-tax-on-sugary-drinks-unfairly-targets-indigenous-communities-instead-of-improving-health-155108

Dilantha Fernando, Plant Science, was quoted in the article “Canola foes the same — but different” in the Manitoba Co-operator (February 17) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/crops/canola-foes-the-same-but-different/

Meagan King, Animal Science, was featured in the article “Robots don’t just help farmers’ mental health. Cows like them, too” which appeared on Canada’s National Observer (February 16) and was picked up by numerous media outlets – https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/02/16/news/robots-dont-just-help-farmers-mental-health-cows-them-too

Derek Brewin, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, was interviewed in the article “A century later a key data report still informs the grain trade” in the Manitoba Co-operator (January 28) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/a-century-later-a-key-data-report-still-informs-the-grain-trade/

PUBLICATIONS

Fife, D, Fordyce-Voorham, S, Worsley, A, Slater, J. 2021. Food literacy education in Manitoba, Canada and Victoria, Australia: A comparative pilot study. International Journal of Home Economics. 13(2):16-28

Lepp, D., Zhou, Y. *, Ojha, S., Iman Mehdizadeh Gohari, I.M., Carere, J., YANG, C., Prescott, J., Gong, J. (2021). Clostridium perfringens produces an adhesive pilus required for the pathogenesis of necrotic enteritis in poultry. Journal of Bacteriology, 203 (7) e00578-20; DOI: 10.1128/JB.00578-20 https://jb.asm.org/content/203/7/e00054-21

Tan, Z.*, Lu, P.*, Adewole, D.*, Diarra, M. S., Gong, J., YANG, C. (2021). Iron requirement in the infection of Salmonella and its relevance to poultry health. Journal of Applied Poultry Science Research, 3 (1): 30:100101.

GENERAL NEWS

 The Department of Animal Science has posted the position of Assistant Professor in Applied Animal Microbiology. Deadline to apply is April 11 – see the posting here https://viprecprod.ad.umanitoba.ca/DEFAULT.ASPX?REQ_ID=14590.

The Fields on Wheels conference from December is now available for viewing online – visit https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/fields-on-wheels-2020 (Agenda section) to see the conference sessions.

The Sustainability of Canadian Agriculture conference presentations are also now available online – visit https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/sustainability-canadian-agriculture-2021#monday-march-1 to see both the workshops and speaker sessions.

The Manitoba Protein Research Strategy has sent out their second survey to individuals conducting research involving sustainable protein. If you received the survey, please complete it no later than March 19, 2021. If you did not receive it, and your research falls within the realm of sustainable protein pertaining to health, environment, economics and sociocultural dimensions, please send an email to MBprotein@umanitoba.ca.

The University of Manitoba 2020 T4 and T4A are now available on Employee Self Service (ESS) portal. Use the secure ESS login by following these simple steps: Log in to VIP https://vip.umanitoba.ca and click My Pay  ->  T4  ->  Print or download. Inquiries about the T4/T4A can be forwarded to Payroll@umanitoba.ca or visit https://umanitoba.ca/admin/financial_services/payroll/index.html for the staff contact list

The Manitoba Farm Safety Program is hosting free virtual mental health literacy training called “In the Know”. The training is focused on mental health and illness, how to promote your own wellbeing, how to recognize mental health struggles in others, and how to provide assistance. There are a number of March dates remaining – details and registration at https://www.manitobafarmsafety.ca/upcoming-events.

Students in Food and Human Nutrition Sciences are looking for your participation in a study regarding Canada’s Food Guide via a short (about 10 minute) online questionnaire to examine the general awareness, perception and use of the 2019 Canada’s Food Guide among adults living in Canada, and how this relates to demographics and self-perceived health status. The results of this study will provide information to benefit Health Canada and health care practitioners such as registered dietitians in promoting the use of the 2019 Canada’s Food Guide to improve the dietary habits of Canadians.  Read more and find the link at https://news.umanitoba.ca/do-you-know-your-canadas-food-guide/.

Fiscal year end of March 31, 2021 is nearly here. Visit Year End at the University website (http://umanitoba.ca/admin/financial_services/comptrollers/yearend.htm) to review the Year End Guidelines & Schedule for 2020-21 which includes frequently asked questions, key deadline dates, checklists and your Financial Services contacts to help you through the process.

COVID-19 UPDATES

Please continue to exercise caution and follow guidelines. For updated health and safety protocols, visit https://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus/latest-updates-and-safety#latest-covid-19-updates.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, February 17 – The next episode in the Faculty Conversation Series will feature Kyle Bobiwash, Entomology, Emily Missyabit MacAuley, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Erica Oberndorfer, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, on the topic “Indigenous engagement and leadership in science “. Event starts at 3:30 pm – visit the livestream link at https://youtu.be/dudWXGub6Bc.

Thursday, February 18 – The Manitoba Co-operator presents Hot Topics in Commodities – Soybeans in partnership with Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers, an online presentation that will feature Kristen MacMillan, Plant Science on the topic “Putting Soybeans to Work on Your Farm” at 11:00 am. Register for free at https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/hot-topics/soybeans/

February 23-25 – The Manitoba Protein Summit will offer participants the opportunity to learn more about sustainable protein industry growth, market and consumer insights, and protein innovations. The Summit will feature speakers from the United Nations (Switzerland), Nourish Food Marketing (Canada), Big Idea Ventures (New York), and other organizations including Wageningen University and Research (Netherlands), The Good Food Institute (Washington), EY Parthenon (Chicago), HyLife, Roquette Canada, University of Manitoba including our own Jim House and Emma McGeough, Sysco, Maple Leaf Foods, Viresco, Cargill Protein and more!  Register today: https://www.accelevents.com/e/MBProteinSummit.

Wednesday, February 24 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Dr. Amana Kedir, School of Science and the Environment, Memorial University of Newfoundland, on the topic “Phosphorus dynamics in the boreal Podzols converted to agriculture” at 12:30 pm. Please contact Lynda Whitlam (lynda.whitlam@umanitoba.ca) for information on how to connect.

March 1-3 – Join us virtually for the 2021 Sustainability of Canadian Agriculture Conference: Changing environment, changing farms. This online conference co-hosted by the University of Manitoba’s National Centre for Livestock and the Environment and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will feature morning workshops and afternoon panel discussions with producers, researchers, and industry specialists representing both crop and livestock sectors. The three days will provide opportunities to explore novel ideas and concepts, including an exciting session with graduate students who will share their research through short videos.  Visit https://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/sustainability-canadian-agriculture-2021 for the full program. While this event is free, only registered delegates will receive a link to the event, so register today at https://plannersplus.us16.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a0d0a5330263c4c8fc575e7ee&id=20b694d7d2.

Tuesday, March 2 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Steve Robinson, Department of Entomology, on the topic “A taxonomic revision of Protandrena subgenus Pterosarus (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)”. Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.

Wednesday, March 3 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Jess Nicksy and Joanne Thiessen Martens, Department of Soil Science, on the topic “What goes around comes around: The agronomy of closing the human nutrient cycle” at 12:30 pm. Please contact Lynda Whitlam (lynda.whitlam@umanitoba.ca) for information on how to connect.

Wednesday, March 3 – There will be a special Faculty seminar at 3:00 pm featuring Dr. Chithra Karunakaran from the Canadian Light Source on the topic “Advancements in agriculture research using synchrotron imaging techniques”.  Zoom meeting details to be posted shortly at https://eventscalendar.umanitoba.ca/site/fafs/event/special-seminar—advancements-in-agriculture-research-using-synchrotron-imaging-techniques/

Wednesday, March 10 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Takudzwa Nawu, Department of Soil Science, on the topic “Organic amendment effects on productivity of well sites reclaimed with suboptimal topsoil replacement depth” at 12:30 pm. Please contact Lynda Whitlam (lynda.whitlam@umanitoba.ca) for information on how to connect.

Thursday, March 11 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Curt McCartney, Department of Plant Science, with topic TBA. 

Tuesday, March 16 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Massimo Martini, Department of Entomology, on the topic “Pollination community composition and network structure in roadside verges and powerline easement corridors of Manitoba”. Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.

Wednesday, March 17 – The March episode in the Faculty Conversation Series will feature Jitendra Paliwal, Colin Gilmore and Kurt Hildebrand – topic is TBA. Event starts at 3:30 pm – livestream link to be posted shortly to the Faculty’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnP8jN77p7EyhCQTAcRExHQ.

Thursday, March 18 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from DuoDuo Wang, PhD candidate, Department of Plant Science, on the topic “Evaluation of fusarium head blight in rye and fungicide efficacy in fusarium head blight mitigation” To watch, register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/791980836195966733.

STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS

The Glenlea Research Station is pleased to announce the appointment of Hamid Khalouei as the Agricultural Attendant 2 within the Dairy Unit as of February 1, 2021. Hamid completed his Masters within the Department of Animal Science at the University of Manitoba and also brings industry experience to the dairy team. As an Agricultural Attendant 2, Hamid will help look after day-to-day animal care tasks while supporting research activities within the dairy facility.

A number of Soil Science graduate students won prizes at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Manitoba Soil Science Society on February 4-5. Sarah Johnson received the best poster pitch prize. Joanne Thiessen Martens was presented the best general oral presentation prize. Jess Nicksy received the second best general oral presentation prize.

Jim House, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, will speak at the upcoming Manitoba Protein Summit on issues related to sustainable protein (see details in Coming Events), including efforts underway to advance the Manitoba Protein Research Strategy.  Dr. Erin Goldberg, Research Associate, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, is leading stakeholder surveys as part of the research strategy, to gather data on the infrastructure and expertise related to sustainable protein research.  For more information, please contact mbprotein@umanitoba.ca.

Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, made a presentation to Farm Credit Canada on February 9 on the topic “Canadian food and agricultural trade under a new US administration”.

Jess Nicksy successfully defended her Soil Science MSc thesis on February 8. Her thesis was titled “Circular Nutrients for Supplying Phosphorus and Closing Urban to Rural Nutrient Cycles in Organically Managed Cropping Systems.”

IN THE NEWS

Martin Scanlon, Dean, and Rob Duncan, Plant Science, were quoted in the article “Pandemic problem solving” in the Western Grains Research Foundation magazine Research Review – see page 12 at https://wgrf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/WGRF_Magazine_2021_FINALweb.pdf.

Sean Asselin, PhD graduate from Plant Science, was featured in the article “Next generation researchers” in the Western Grains Research Foundation magazine Research Review – see page 20 at https://wgrf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/WGRF_Magazine_2021_FINALweb.pdf.

Natalie Riediger, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was quoted in the article “The downsides of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax” in the Manitoban (February 2) – https://www.themanitoban.com/2021/02/the-downsides-of-a-sugar-sweetened-beverage-tax/41389/.

PUBLICATIONS

R.-M. Guillermic, E.C. Aksoy, S. Aritan, C. Erkinbaev, J. Paliwal, F. Koksel 2021. X-Ray microtomography imaging of red lentil puffed snacks: Processing conditions, microstructure and texture. Food Research International. 140, 109996, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109996.

Duchene, O., Dumont, B., Cattani, D.J., Fagnant, L., Schlautman, B., DeHaan, L.R., Barriball, S., Jungers, J.M., Picasso, V.D., David, C. and F. Celette. 2021. Phenological development of Thinopyrum intermedium highlights the importance of dual induction for reproductive growth and agronomic performance. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology https://doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108341.  

Connolly A, Cermeño M, Alashi AM, Aluko RE, FitzGerald RJ. 2021. Generation of phenolic-rich extracts from brewers’ spent grain and characterisation of their in vitro and in vivo activities. Innov. Food Sci. Emerg. Technol. 68, 102617.

Singh BP, Aluko RE, Hati S, Solanki D. 2021. Bioactive peptides in the management of lifestyle-related diseases: Current trends and future perspectives. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. In press.

Idowu AO, Alashi AM, Nwachukwu ID, Fagbemi TN, Aluko RE. 2021. Functional properties of sesame (Sesamum indicum Linn) seed protein fractions. Food Prod. Process. Nutr. 3, 4.

Mittal A, Singh A, Aluko RE, Benjakul S. 2021. Chitosan from Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) shell and its epigallocatechin gallate conjugates: Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. J. Food Biochem. 45, e13569.

Chotphruethipong L, Sukketsiri W, Aluko RE, Sae-leaw T, Benjakul S. 2021. Effect of hydrolyzed collagen from defatted Asian sea bass (Lates calcarifer) skin on fibroblast proliferation, migration and antioxidant activities. J. Food Sci. Technol. 58, 541-551.

Jim House, Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, recently co-authored two papers to explore the nutrient quality, including the quality of dietary protein intake, of the diets of Canadian adults, as a function of the ratio of animal to plant protein in the diet.  The research represented an analysis of the nutrient intake data collected from national surveys conducted as part of the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey.  These papers are accepted in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, the host journal for the Canadian Nutrition Society – see below:

Dr. Hrvoje Fabek, Dr. Diana Sanchez-Hernandez, Dr. Mavra Ahmed, Dr. Christopher P.F. Marinangeli, Dr. James D House, and Dr. G. Harvey Anderson. An examination of contributions of animal- and plant-based dietary patterns on the nutrient quality of diets of adult Canadians. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. Just-IN  https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2020-1039

Dr. Eric Doucet, Dr. Kevin Hall, Ms. Andrea Miller, Prof. Valerie H Taylor, Ms. Maria Ricupero, Dr. Jess Haines, Dr. Paula Brauer, Dr. Kimberly A. Gudzune, Dr. James D House, and Ms. Rupinder Dhaliwal. Emerging Insights in Weight Management and Prevention: Implications for Practice and Research. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. Just-IN  https://doi-org.uml.idm.oclc.org/10.1139/apnm-2020-0585

The citation for Dilantha Fernando, Plant Science, who was the recipient of the 2020 Canadian Phytopathological Society Oustanding Research Award, was published in the Candian Journal of Plant Pathology –  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07060661.2021.1883943?src=

GENERAL NEWS

The Department of Plant Sciences has posted the position of Station Supervisor – Research Technician, Ian N. Morrison Research Farm, Carman & Region Facility. Deadline to apply is February 19 – see the posting here https://viprecprod.ad.umanitoba.ca/default.aspx?REQ_ID=14479.

The University of Manitoba 2020 T4 and T4A are now available on Employee Self Service (ESS) portal. Use the secure ESS login by following these simple steps: Log in to VIP https://vip.umanitoba.ca and click My Pay  ->  T4  ->  Print or download. Inquiries about the T4/T4A can be forwarded to Payroll@umanitoba.ca or visit https://umanitoba.ca/admin/financial_services/payroll/index.html for the staff contact list

Several of our alumni were named recipients of the 150 Manitoba Women Trailblazer Awards presented by the Nellie McClung Foundation – congratulations to Elaine Froese, Linda Malcolmson, The Honourable Janice Filmon, Debora Durnin-Richards, and Tannis Richardson, and to all the nominees. See complete list at https://www.nelliemcclungfoundation.com/mb-150-trailblazers.

The Manitoba Farm Safety Program is hosting free virtual mental health literacy training throughout the months of January, February and March 2021. The training is focused on mental health and illness, how to promote your own wellbeing, how to recognize mental health struggles in others, and how to provide assistance. Details and registration at https://www.manitobafarmsafety.ca/upcoming-events.

Call for Nominations! The Certificate of Merit is presented by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and the School of Agriculture in recognition of leadership with agricultural organizations and outstanding service to the community at large. Each year two Certificates of Merit are presented, normally, one to a graduate of the Agriculture Diploma program, and one to a graduate of the Agriculture Degree program. Nominations are considered by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Executive Committee – deadline has been extended to February 22, 2021. More information about the nomination process including a list of previous recipients can be found at http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/school/merit.html.

Students in Food and Human Nutrition Sciences are looking for your participation in a study regarding Canada’s Food Guide via a short (about 10 minute) online questionnaire to examine the general awareness, perception and use of the 2019 Canada’s Food Guide among adults living in Canada, and how this relates to demographics and self-perceived health status. The results of this study will provide information to benefit Health Canada and health care practitioners such as registered dietitians in promoting the use of the 2019 Canada’s Food Guide to improve the dietary habits of Canadians.  Read more and find the link at https://news.umanitoba.ca/do-you-know-your-canadas-food-guide/.

COVID-19 UPDATES

Please continue to exercise caution and follow guidelines. For updated health and safety protocols, visit https://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus/latest-updates-and-safety#latest-covid-19-updates.

UPCOMING EVENTS

January 27-29 – The Conversation Canada (https://theconversation.com/ca)  is a growing online publication that combines academic and journalistic expertise. It reaches more than three million viewers every month. The University of Manitoba is a Founding Partner of The Conversation Canada. Editors from The Conversation are conducting workshops for researchers at the University of Manitoba which includes academics/postdoctoral fellows, Indigneous Scholars and graduate students (master’s and doctoral) to explain the goals of the publication and how they can use the platform as a knowledge mobilization vehicle. Participants are encouraged to bring story ideas to the workshops to discuss with the editors from The Conversation. Pre-registration is required. Wednesday, Jan 27, 10:00 AM CST – Conversation Canada Online Workshop for Indigenous Scholars at UM https://eventscalendar.umanitoba.ca/site/research/event/indigenous-scholars—conversation-canada-online-workshop.  Friday, Jan. 29, 9:30 AM – UM Graduate Student (master’s and doctoral) – Conversation Canada Online Workshop https://eventscalendar.umanitoba.ca/site/research/event/um-graduate-student-conversation-canada-online-workshop/

Wednesday, January 27 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Dr. Jian Liu, University of Saskatchewan, on the topic “Agricultural water quality in cold climate regions: Drivers and potential solutions” at 12:30 pm. Meeting Link https://zoom.us/j/91019484808?pwd=NmlZRHVlZUVaMEZCVWFQblQrZ0I1Zz09 Meeting ID: 910 1948 4808 Passcode: tGq3Y1

Wednesday, January 27 – The next episode in the Faculty Conversation Series will feature Dr. Natalie Riediger, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences and Myra Tait, Athabasca University, on the topic “Sticky money: exploring the acceptability of sugar-sweetened beverage taxation among Indigenous populations”. Event starts at 3:30 pm – visit https://bit.ly/39choLD for more details and livestream link.

Thursday, January 28 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Ana Badea, Research Scientist, Barley Breeding and Genetics, Brandon Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, on the topic “Towards next generation barley breeding”.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8000692428707426574.

Tuesday, February 2 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Dr. Ola Lundin, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, on the topic “Integrated pest management of flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) in spring oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.)”. This is a DEGSA Invited Speaker through the Endowment Fund Speaker Series.  Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.

February 4-5 – The Manitoba Soil Science Society (MSSS) holds an Annual General Meeting to provide industry professionals and academics a place to share their research findings and network.  This year’s plenary session theme is “Soil Webs:  Keeping connected by collaborating between disciplines”. Both oral and poster presentation submissions are welcome. Poster presentations this year will include one-minute pre-recorded poster pitches. Oral Presentations will involve a 10-minute pre-recorded presentation with a live 2 minute Q&A. Please submit contact information and abstracts to MSSS by January 8, 2021. Abstracts are to include the Title, Authors, Author Affiliations, and Abstract Text of less than 300 words. Registration for this event is free, but all participants must register – https://plannersplus.ca/events/msss-2021/.   More details at https://www.mbsoils.ca/event/annual-general-meeting/

Thursday, February 4 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Aleeza Gerstein, Assistant Professor, Departments of Microbiology and Statistics, University of Manitoba, on the topic “Genome evolution in fungal microbes”.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2887165114107397134.

Tuesday, February 9 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Dr. Heather Broccard-Bell, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of San Diego on the topic “Adaptive, Size-Dependent Sensitivity to Inhibitory Signaling Within Honey Bee Colonies: Preliminary Evidence”. Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.

Wednesday, February 10 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Dr. Martin Entz, University of Manitoba, on the topic “The world’s long-term agronomic field studies: What can they teach us?” at 12:30 pm. Meeting Link https://zoom.us/j/99264690061?pwd=ak5nTncxN1BWb3FGbVBDaFdRcW45Zz09 Meeting ID: 992 6469 0061 Passcode: X80jwa

Thursday, February 11 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at a special time of 10:00 am with a presentation from Dr. Harun Cicek, Department of International Cooperation, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL),  with topic TBA.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6327848159209387022.

STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS

We were deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Dr. Usha Thiyam-Holländer on December 24, 2020. Pleasee read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/remembering-dr-usha-thiyam-hollander/

We reported in August 2020 that Martin Entz, Plant Science, and the Natural Systems Agriculture Lab were part of the Canadian team which was selected as a Food Systems Vision Prize finalist for their prairie food vision – kwayēskastasowin wâhkôhtowin. It was one of ten out of 1300 submissions from around the world. This competition, launched by the Rockefeller Foundation in partnership with SecondMuse and OpenIDEO, challenged people to conceive of a regenerative and nourishing food system that can be created by 2050. In January 2021, the Canadian team received word that they have been named as a Top Visionary, which means they will receive US$200,000 to help them realize their vision. Read the announcement here – https://bit.ly/3r8cOGz.

The Department of Animal Science welcomes new faculty member Dr. Meagan King as Assistant Professor effective January 1, 2021. Meagan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Animal Behaviour and Welfare from the University of Guelph. Meagan has held positions of post-doctoral research fellow (2017-2020) and sessional instructor in the Department of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph. She intends to develop a research program in the area of Animal Physiology and Welfare to examine interactions between livestock species and their environment so as to develop best management practice to support raising animals for food. Meagan will also contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching. Check out a Q&A profile here https://news.umanitoba.ca/new-animal-science-professor-seeks-to-improve-animal-human-health/

Late last year, we had announced the appointment of Dr. Curt McCartney to the Department of Plant Science – you can read his Q&A at https://news.umanitoba.ca/breeding-better-crops-the-goal-of-new-plant-science-professor/.

The Faculty is pleased to announce that Kristen Matwychuk has been officially appointed to the role of Acting Manager at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre effective January 1, 2021.  Kristen had been temporarily serving as the Acting Manager since early 2020, and before that had served as the Discovery Centre Coordinator since 2016. Kristen graduated with a B.Sc. in Food Science and is a Professional Home Economist in Manitoba.

The Glenlea Research Station is pleased to announce the appointment of Don Chaput as the new Livestock Research Coordinator as of December 3, 2020. In this role, Don will be the liaison between Glenlea support staff and UM academic staff. He will be involved in planning labs and training sessions at Glenlea and all aspects of research trials in various areas of the station.  Don brings to the role 15 years of experience from the swine industry, including facility supervisor of the Glenlea Swine herd since 2011. Don is also a graduate of the Diploma In Agriculture program from the School of Agriculture.

The Glenlea Research Station has recently won several industry awards. Despite the challenges of COVID, the GRS teams have worked hard and are recognized for their efforts.  The Dairy team received #7 for Milk Quality in Manitoba from Dairy Farmers of Manitoba, based on a score calculated by averaging the best 11 of 12 monthly averages in the dairy year of August 2019-July 2020.  The Swine team was ranked #2 in the west by Topigs Norsvin Canada at their annual awards event, in the category of herds less than 500 sows where they achieved an average of 14.68 pigs born/litter.

Plant Biotechnology student and Bisons swimmer Kelsey Wog was named one of the Top 8 Academic All-Canadians for the 2019-20 season by USPORTS. In lieu of a formal ceremony at Rideau Hall, the elite group will participate in a public virtual conversation with Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, in mid-February, due to COVID-19 restrictions. See more at https://gobisons.ca/news/2021/1/11/general-u-sports-top-8-academic-all-canadians-announced-for-2019-2020.aspx.

Rotimi Aluko, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, has been renewed as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Food Biochemistry for another 5-year term from January 2021 to December 2025. Rotimi was also elected as Chair of the International Society for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals (ISNFF) for a 2-year term (Nov. 2020-Oct. 2022), and was elected as Chair the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) Ethics Committee for the Term 2020-2023.

Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, presented a paper titled “President Biden’s International Trade Agenda – Implications for the Canadian Agrifood Sector” as part of an organised session at the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society’s Annual Policy Conference on January 19.

Derek Brewin, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, also presented at the CAES conference on the topic “Agriculture Innovation Policy in Canada: Canola, Wheat, and Pulses”.

The Beekeeping for the Hobbyist course administered by the Department of Entomology (with the assistance of the School of Agriculture staff) boasts a few firsts – this is the first time the course is offered completely online and the first time that participants could pay using a credit card.  The course has been offered for 99 consecutive years with no gaps and fortunately was not a casualty of Covid-19. The course runs January 27 to March 31.

IN THE NEWS

Will Bailey-Elkin, M.Sc. student in Plant Science, was quoted in the article “Survey seeks farmers who intercrop organic peas” in the Manitoba Co-operator (January 26) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/survey-seeks-farmers-who-intercrop-organic-peas/

Alumna Michelle Lepp [BSc(Agribus)/06] was featured in the article “Mentoring Mondays: Michelle Lepp” on UM Today (January 25) as part of National Mentoring Month profiles which feature notable UM alumni who are sharing advice with others through UM Cafe: the university’s online mentorship platform. – https://news.umanitoba.ca/mentoring-mondays-michelle-lepp/

Ryan Cardwell, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, was quoted in the article “WTO problems may persist” in Western Producer (January 21) – https://www.producer.com/news/wto-problems-may-persist/

Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, and Emma McGeough, Animal Science, were interviewed in the article “Going wide on corn row spacing” in Country Guide (January 19) – https://www.country-guide.ca/crops/going-wide-on-corn-row-spacing/

Don Flaten, Soil Science, was profiled in the article “The head of his class” in the Manitoba Co-operator (January 18) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/farm-it-manitoba/the-head-of-his-class/

Alvin Iverson, Plant Science, was profiled in the article “People, relationships the highlight of a long career” in the Manitoba Co-operator (January 13) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/farm-it-manitoba/people-relationships-the-highlight-of-a-long-career/

PUBLICATIONS

Some people are slow to publish…. The former Dominion of Canada Entomologist Norman Criddle had passed away prior to submitted a few manuscripts on grasshopper biology and life history.  A hand written and typescript version of the intended manuscript from 1933 on Studies in the biology of North American Acrididae development and habits, with a preamble to the publication of the original manuscript was recently published in the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Manitoba.

Aondona MM, Ikya JK, Aluko RE, Girgih AT. 2021. In vitro antioxidant and antihypertensive properties of sesame seed enzymatic protein hydrolysate and ultrafiltration peptide fractions. J. Food Biochem. 45, e13587.

Akharume F, Korotkov KK, Aluko RE, Adedeji A. 2021. Modification of plant proteins for improved functionality: A review. Compr. Rev. Food Sci. Food Saf. 20, 198–224.

Cardwell, R, Kerr, WA. President Biden’s international trade agenda: Implications for the Canadian agrifood sector. Can J Agr Econ. 2021; 1– 7. https://doi.org/10.1111/cjag.12266   (paper is open access for next few weeks)

GENERAL NEWS

The U of M Future Leaders 4-H Club  is currently doing a Mom’s Pantry fundraiser until February 12. Funds will go to the club, to the Manitoba 4-H Endowment Fund and to Harvest Manitoba (formerly Winniepg Harvest). There are 3 delivery/pickup locations; Winnipeg, Brandon & Dauphin; if you are not close to these areas you can still support by purchasing dry goods and have them shipped to anywhere in Canada. Check out complete details at https://www.instagram.com/p/CKRx6MJAk5U/

The Manitoba Farm Safety Program is hosting free virtual mental health literacy training throughout the months of January, February and March 2021. The training is focused on mental health and illness, how to promote your own wellbeing, how to recognize mental health struggles in others, and how to provide assistance. Details and registration at https://www.manitobafarmsafety.ca/upcoming-events.

PhD student Callum Morrison and Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, have launched the 2020 Prairie Cover Crop Survey. Participants do not need to have grown a cover crop in 2020 to take part. They welcome participants who are thinking of using cover crops as well as those who grew a cover crop. The 2020 survey will be live until February 1st, 2021. To find out more and / or to take the survey go to https://sites.google.com/view/prairiecovercropsurvey/home.

The Manitoba government has launched an online public engagement to help identify opportunities within the agri-food system, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more and participate at https://engagemb.ca/.

COVID-19 UPDATES

Please continue to exercise caution and follow guidelines. For updated health and safety protocols, visit https://umanitoba.ca/coronavirus/latest-updates-and-safety#latest-covid-19-updates.

UPCOMING EVENTS

December 24 – January 4 (inclusive) – The University of Manitoba will be closed for the holiday break. For details about what is open on campus through the holiday break, visit https://news.umanitoba.ca/whats-open-on-both-campuses/

Wednesday, January 6 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Dr. Clay Robinson, Illinois State University, on the topic “Soils around the world” at 12:30 pm. Meeting Link https://zoom.us/j/98418216336?pwd=c0VIcVNRVUVsTDArN2kzSzhTZXRZZz09  Meeting ID: 984 1821 6336 Passcode: 8ERCe0

Wednesday, January 20 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Dr. Helen Jarvie, University of Waterloo, on the topic “A clearer view through murky waters? Eutrophication risk, resilience and recovery” at 12:30 pm. Meeting Link https://zoom.us/j/94308789369?pwd=azVDYjlodkFCN1pkVmZBWEN3dytDUT09  Meeting ID: 943 0878 9369 Passcode: eY1VLd

Thursday, January 21 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Marie Jasieniuk, Professor and Plant Biologist, Department of Plant Sciences, University of California – Davis, on the topic “Inferring the Origins, Evolution, and Spread of Weed Populations using Molecular Tools”.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9170319912989203215.  This is a special speaker for the Plant Science Graduate Students Association.

Tuesday, January 26 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Dr. Jessica Forrest, University of Ottawa, on “Population ecology of subalpine bees in an era of global change”. Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.

Wednesday, January 27 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Dr. Jian Liu, University of Saskatchewan, on the topic “Agricultural water quality in cold climate regions: Drivers and potential solutions” at 12:30 pm. Meeting Link https://zoom.us/j/91019484808?pwd=NmlZRHVlZUVaMEZCVWFQblQrZ0I1Zz09  Meeting ID: 910 1948 4808 Passcode: tGq3Y1

Wednesday, January 27 – Save the date for the next episode in the Faculty Conversation Series, featuring Natalie Riediger, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Jeff LaPlante, National Indigenous Diabetes Association and Myra Tait, Athabasca University, on the topic “Sticky money: exploring the acceptability of sugar-sweetened beverage taxation among Indigenous populations”. Event starts at 3:30 pm – visit https://youtu.be/Qy1nmH9VzMU.

Thursday, January 28 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Ana Badea, Research Scientist, Barley Breeding and Genetics, Brandon Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, on the topic “Towards next generation barley breeding”.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8000692428707426574.

Thursday, February 4 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Aleeza Gerstein, Assistant Professor, Departments of Microbiology and Statistics, University of Manitoba, on the topic “Genome evolution in fungal microbes”.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2887165114107397134.

Wednesday, February 10 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Dr. Martin Entz, University of Manitoba, on the topic “The world’s long-term agronomic field studies: What can they teach us?” at 12:30 pm. Meeting Link https://zoom.us/j/99264690061?pwd=ak5nTncxN1BWb3FGbVBDaFdRcW45Zz09  Meeting ID: 992 6469 0061 Passcode: X80jwa

Thursday, February 11 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at a special time of 10:00 am with a presentation from Dr. Harun Cicek, Department of International Cooperation, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL),  with topic TBA.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6327848159209387022.

STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS

 Nandika Bandara, who joined the Department of Human and Nutritional Sciences earlier this year, has been named Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Food Proteins and Bioproducts. He was awarded a Tier 2 CRC, which comes with $500,000 in funding over five years from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Learn more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/eleven-new-canada-research-chairs-awarded-to-um-faculty/  and see Nandika’s profile at https://news.umanitoba.ca/meet-nandika-bandara-the-new-canada-research-chair-in-food-proteins-and-bioproducts/

Alumni Donald [BSA(Hon)/66] and Elaine [BHEc(Hon)/66] Triggs have generously donated $1 million for a new bursary program at the University of Manitoba for high potential students with financial need – from any faculty or field of study. Read more at https://news.umanitoba.ca/when-you-have-a-chance-to-share-you-do/

Mohammed Moghadasian, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was highlighted in a recent St. Boniface Research Centre story which shared that a recent Stanford University study identified the top 2 percent of the world’s nearly 7 million working scientists. Mohammed was noted for his expertise in the category Nutrition & Dietetics. There are other Faculty researchers on this list – stay tuned for more details on this study – https://www.sbrc.ca/2020/12/sbrc-researchers-among-worlds-top-2-scientists-stanford-university-releases-list/

Fahad Khan, Soil Science PhD student, was awarded the second prize in the American Society of Agronomy Biochar Community Poster Competition at the ASA-CSSA-SSSA 2020 Virtual Conference which was held November 9-13.

Annemieke Farenhorst, Soil Science, was appointed Associate Editor of the Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology of the American Chemical Society.

Dilantha Fernando, Plant Science, was an invited speaker at the Western Canada Canola and Rapeseed Recommending Committee, Plant Pathology sub-committee meeting. Dilantha’s presentation was titled “Genetics of Resistance to Blackleg Understood: So, what’s next?”

James Tucker, PhD student, Arshani Alukumbura, MSc student, Sachithrani Kannangara, MSc student, Abbot Oghenekaro, Post-Doctoral Fellow, all from Dilantha Fernando’s (Plant Science) lab gave Flash and Dash & poster presentations at the National Fusarium Head Blight Forum in the USA. In addition, Anuradha Jayathissa (from Dept. of Microbiology) co-supervised by Dilantha Fernando, also gave a poster on her work. James Tucker’s  (co-supervised by Ana Badea) Flash and Dash presentation was titled “Transcriptomic Analysis of a Low-DON, In vitro selected, Two-row Malting Barley Variety in Response to Infection by Multiple Chemotypes of Fusarium graminearum”. Arshani Alukumbura’s presentation was titled ” Analysis of effectiveness of Trichoderma gamsii as a biocontrol agent to control the growth of Fusarium graminearum and development of fusarium head blight disease in wheat”. Sachithrani Kannangara’s presentation was titled, “Evaluating the Fusarium Species Diversity and Chemotype Distribution of Wheat in Western Canada”, Abbot Oghenekaro’s Falsh and Dash was titled, “Genetic structure and mycotoxin profile of Fusarium graminearum populations from Canada and North Eastern United States” and Anurdha Jayathissa’s presentation was titled, “Identification of Fusarium graminearum Traits that Relate to Malt Quality Defects and Fusarium Success within the Malt Microbiome”.

December signals a time of change and so we have a few announcements. Research study leaves begin for Jason Gibbs (Jan 1 to June 30, 2021), Carla Taylor (Jan 1 to June 30, 2021), Michel Aliani (Jan 1 to December 31, 2021), continuing for Danny Mann (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021), Jason Morrison (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021) and those returning are George Gozho, Mashiur Rahman and Trust Beta. Joyce Slater has been appointed Acting Head of the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, effective January 1 to June 30, 2021. Claudio Stasolla has been appointed Acting Head of the Department of Plant Science, effective January 1 to December 31, 2021. And finally, we wish the following faculty and staff members a most happy retirement – Alvin Iverson (December 11) and Don Flaten and Wole Akinremi (December 31).

IN THE NEWS

Jason Gibbs, Entomology, was quoted in the article “Less mowing, more flowers, more yield” in the Manitoba Co-operator (December 23) – https://www.country-guide.ca/crops/less-mowing-more-flowers-more-yield/.

Jared Carlberg, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, was quoted in the article “” in the Manitoba Co-operator (December 17) – https://www.producer.com/livestock/meat-plant-improvements-called-best-option-for-worker-safety/

Jared was also interviewed by RealAg LIVE! Q&A on the topic “Food security, protein processing, and boutique markets” on November 23 – watch it at https://www.realagriculture.com/2020/11/food-security-protein-processing-and-boutique-markets-a-live-with-jared-carlberg/

Kristen MacMillan, Plant Science, authored the article “Our understanding of soys on the prairies” in Better Farming Prairie (Nov-Dec) – https://www.betterfarming.com/flippingbook/better-farming-prairie/2020/november/#56

Martin Entz, Plant Science, was featured in the article “The benefits of perennial forages” in Better Farming Prairie (Nov-Dec) – https://www.betterfarming.com/flippingbook/better-farming-prairie/2020/november/#34

David Lobb, Soil Science, was quoted in the article “Soil erosion concerns overblown?” in the Manitoba Co-operator (December 14) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/soil-erosion-concerns-overblown/

Ryan Cardwell and Chad Lawley, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, were featured in the National Post column “David Clement: Will no MP stand up to supply management?” (December 9) for their paper (https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/cpp.2013-062) – https://financialpost.com/opinion/david-clement-will-no-mp-stand-up-to-supply-management

Ryan was also quoted in the article “Manitoba farm leaders watching U.S. closely” in the Manitoba Cooperator (November 20) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/manitoba-farm-leaders-watching-u-s-closely/

Don Flaten, Soil Science, was quoted in the article “The life of the Red River” in Country Guide (December 8) – https://www.country-guide.ca/crops/the-life-of-the-red-river/

Yvonne Lawley and Callum Morrison, Plant Science, were featured in the article “Probing the Potential of Cover Crops” in SpudSmart (December 7) – https://spudsmart.com/probing-the-potential-of-cover-crops/

Derek Brewin, Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, was quoted in the article “Fewer, bigger farms bad for farmers, Canada: policy paper” in the Manitoba Co-operator (December 3) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/fewer-bigger-farms-bad-for-farmers-canada-policy-paper/.

Dilantha Fernando, Plant Science, and Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, were noted in the article “Add another one to your canola scouting list” in Country Guide (November 27) – https://www.country-guide.ca/crops/add-another-one-to-your-canola-scouting-list/

Joyce Slater, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was interviewed for the article “City of food (in)security: Amid COVID-19, more Winnipeggers struggle to afford their next meal” in the Uniter newspaper (University of Winnipeg)- http://uniter.ca/view/city-of-food-insecurity.

Kim Ominski, Animal Science, was featured in the article ” Will needle-free injection technology be adopted?” in Western Livestock Journal (Oct 16, updated Dec 11) – https://www.wlj.net/top_headlines/will-needle-free-injection-technology-be-adopted/article_a5ee5560-0fbe-11eb-bcf7-0f8084a2e13b.html

PUBLICATIONS

Michael Eskin has co-edited the following book, which is now available for POD (print on demand): Enzymes: Novel Biotechnological Approaches for the Food Industry, Kermasha, S., Eskin, M.N.A., eds, Academic Press, London, 2021, 328 p.

Gardner J. and J. Gibbs (2020) The ‘red-tailed’ Lasioglossum (Dialictus) (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) of the western Nearctic. European Journal of Taxonomy 725: 1–242. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.725.1167

Adesanya, T., Zvomuya, F., Sultana, T., Metcalfe, C., & Farenhorst, A. (2020). Dissipation of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim during temporary storage of biosolids: A microcosm study. Chemosphere, 128729.

Adesanya, T., Zvomuya, F., & Farenhorst, A. (2020). Sulfamethoxazole sorption by cattail and switchgrass roots. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B, 1-11.

Dengate J., Peter T., Farenhorst A. (2020). Department Culture in Canadian Sciences & Engineering: An Empirical Test of the Culture Conducive to Women’s Academic Success Model. J. Women Gender Higher Educ. 13, 2, 175-192.

Buamard N, Aluko RE, Benjakul S. 2020. Tuna trypsin-loaded alginate-chitosan beads are stable in acidic stomach fluid but release active enzyme molecules within the simulated intestinal tract environment. J. Food Biochem. 44, e13455.

Famuwagun AA, Alashi AM, Gbadamosi SO, Taiwo KA, Oyedele DJ, Adebooye OC, Aluko RE. 2020. In vitro characterization of fluted pumpkin leaf protein hydrolysates and ultrafiltration peptide fractions: antioxidant and enzyme-inhibitory properties. Polish J. Food Nutr. Sci. In press

Aluko, R.E. (2020). In vivo efficacy of antioxidant hemp seed and calmodulin-binding flaxseed peptides. Invited keynote paper delivered (virtually) at the “International Symposium of Modern Science and Technology in Food Processing”. Organized by the School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian China, Nov. 20.

GENERAL NEWS

Bees and Trees!  Beekeeping for the Hobbyist runs 9 Wednesdays from January 27 to March 31, 2021  – learn more or register via http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/dept/entomology/programs/Beekeeping.html. The School of Agriculture Arboriculture Course has its next online course intake beginning January 25, 2021 – visit https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/arboriculture/.

The Glenlea Research Station is hiring an Agricultural Attendant 2 – deadline to apply is January 4, 2021. See details at https://viprecprod.ad.umanitoba.ca/DEFAULT.ASPX?REQ_ID=13324

Call for Nominations! The Certificate of Merit is presented by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and the School of Agriculture in recognition of leadership with agricultural organizations and outstanding service to the community at large. Each year two Certificates of Merit are presented, normally, one to a graduate of the Agriculture Diploma program, and one to a graduate of the Agriculture Degree program. Nominations are considered by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Executive Committee and must be received no later than January 25, 2021. More information about the nomination process including a list of previous recipients can be found at http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/school/merit.html.

PhD student Callum Morrison and Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, have launched the 2020 Prairie Cover Crop Survey. Participants do not need to have grown a cover crop in 2020 to take part. They welcome participants who are thinking of using cover crops as well as those who grew a cover crop. The 2020 survey will be live from October 1st, 2020 – February 1st, 2021. To find out more and / or to take the survey go to https://sites.google.com/view/prairiecovercropsurvey/home.

The 8th Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop will be a virtual workshop, taking place February 1-5, 2021. The week-long event will include oral presentations, trade show, panel discussion, topic-focused networking sessions and a poster session. Their call for Poster Presentation Abstracts is now open. Deadline for abstracts is December 4. See more details at https://www.pcap-sk.org/upcoming-events/nprrw2021.

UPCOMING EVENTS

November – The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association is offering the entire 2020 MFGA Regen Ag Conference online free of charge every Thursday night throughout the month of November. Internationally-recognized keynote presentations are scheduled for MFGA’s month-long celebration of Regenerative Agriculture in Manitoba. Each keynote speaker will include a very strong Manitoba profile into their presentations and be available for a facilitated Q & A session. MFGA will also showcase regenerative agriculture during the presentations through Manitoba-based regen ag topics and producers. It will also include a virtual trade show. Learn more and register at https://www.mfga.net/regen-ag-conference.

November-December – A series of webinars on weed management in organic production is being cohosted by the UM Natural Systems Agriculture Lab and the Manitoba Organic Alliance. Rob Gulden, Plant Science, is the featured presenter on December 2 on “Green and Yellow Foxtail”. Each webinar is $10. See registration info at https://manitobaorganicalliance.com/event/weed-webinars/.

Did you miss last night’s UM Cafe Scientifique on “Eating the Whole Grains in Canada’s Food Guide” with Jim House, Carla Taylor, Peter Zahradka and Getty Stewart? It is now available for post-event viewing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVIa8-cvBCo.

Thursday, November 19 – Kyle Bobiwash, Entomology will present “Indigenous Knowledge Interrupted” as part of the Rural Policy Learning Commons webinar series. Registration link for the webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1gf8CzWqS7O1ZvhHUZPLqA. Or watch via Facebook live link: https://www.facebook.com/MinoBimaadiziwinPartnership/live/

Thursday, November 19 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Uzzal Liton, PhD student, on the topic “Identification of loci for pre-harvest sprouting resistance in highly dormant spring wheat RL4137”.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1105177820973508622.

Thursday, November 19 – Martin Scanlon, Dean, will appear as part of a panel to present to the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food regarding its study of Processing Capability. Martin will be representing the Deans Council of the Association of Canadian Faculties of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. You can watch at 3:30 CST at https://www.ourcommons.ca/webcast/43-2/AGRI/6.

November 24-25 – The virtual two-day Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference has over 35 speakers, and offers networking, chat rooms, round tables and a virtual exhibitor hall. Cost is $250 (plus tax) per person. Get details and register at https://www.advancingwomenconference.ca/2020virtual/.

Wednesday, November 25 – The second seminar in the virtual Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Conversation Series will be presented by Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, John Heard, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development and Jennifer Sabourin, Antara Research, at 3:30 pm.  Topic is “The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Framework in the Research-Outreach-Advising Continuum”. Event link is  https://bit.ly/3kcbMVe. After the presentation, viewers will be able to ask questions through the chat platform www.sli.do using event code #4Rnutrient. The event will be recorded and available at the same link shortly after it ends.

Thursday, November 26 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Malcolm Morrison, Research Scientist, Crop Physiology/Crop Phenomics, Ottawa RDC, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, on the topic “The Lost Art of Crop Physiology”.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3506319901013183502.

Tuesday, December 1 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Dr. Paul Galpern, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, on “The merits of messy fields: linking landscape complexity and beneficial arthropods in Alberta croplands”.  Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.

Wednesday, December 2 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Claudia Quilesfogel-Esparza, Department of Soil Science, on the topic “Using sensors to measure corn canopy” at 12:30 pm. Please contact Lynda.Closson@umanitoba.ca for information on how to connect.

December 8-10 – The Agricultural Excellence Conference (AgEx) is the only event in Canada dedicated exclusively to bringing farm management enthusiasts together to build their business acumen. This year’s theme, Prosperity with Purpose, is about taking a proactive approach to farm business management – to build the confidence and underlying capacity to weather any storm and seize opportunities, positioning the farm for continued success. Registration is free – visit https://www.agexcellenceconference.ca/.

Wednesday, December 9 – The Virtual Learning for Life series, a weekly lecture program aimed at UM alumni and friends, will feature Carla Taylor, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences and Peter Zahradka on the topic “Eating to Live Longer and Better”. Register for the session at https://fall2020vlfl.eventbrite.ca/.

Friday, December 11 – Save the date! The 25th Annual Fields on Wheels Conference is themed “Celebrating Achievement and Building Resilience in Agricultural Food Systems” and will take the form of a FREE webinar from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. More details and registration at http://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/fields-on-wheels-2020.

December 16-17 – The Manitoba Agronomists Conference 2020 is themed “Farm Health: The Agronomist’s Role”. CCA (Certified Crop Advisor) and CCSC (Certified Crop Science Consultant) CEUs (continuing education credits) are available for registered participants. Early Bird registration rate is $185 until November 27. Regular registration rate is $225 and registration deadline is December 11. Full program and registration at www.manitobaagronomistsconference.ca.  Faculty, graduate students and agronomic consultants are encouraged to submit posters. See deadlines and submission details at https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/agronomists_conf/posters.html.

STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS

We were sad to learn of the passing of alumnus Dr. Vernon Burrows [BSA/ 51, MSc/53] on November 8. Known to many as “Dr. Oat”, he was a prolific and internationally recognized oat breeder who may be best know for developing AC Gehl, a hulless oat variety. He was deeply involved in bringing oats to China, and a statue was erected in the city of Baicheng in honour of his contributions – https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/ex-winnipegger-has-a-feel-for-oats-164987006.html. His obituary can be found at https://passages.winnipegfreepress.com/passage-details/id-293371/BURROWS_VERNON.

Don Flaten and David Lobb, Soil Science, received Fellow Awards at the 2020 ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting held virtually last week. Don received the Agronomy Society of America Fellows Award and David received the Soil Science Society of America Fellows Award. The awards are a recognition by members of these Societies, who nominate “worthy colleagues based on their professional achievements and meritorious service”. For perspective, a mere 0.3% or less of the Societies’ active and emeritus members may be elected Fellow.

The Department of Plant Science welcomes new faculty member Dr. Curt McCartney as Associate Professor effective November 1, 2020.  Curt holds a PhD degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics from the University of Manitoba.  From 2006 to 2010, he was an Assistant Professor in Plant Pathology at the University of Saskatchewan, and since 2010 held the position of Research Scientist in Cereal Crop genetics with AAFC, Morden, MB. Curt comes with 20 years between academic and government research experience in genetics and plant pathology and will be a real asset in furthering the success of the wheat breeding program at the University of Manitoba. Curt will also be teaching courses in plant breeding and genetics.

Martin Entz, Plant Science, and recent MSc grad Myra Van Die presented at Organic Connections November 6 on the topic “Improving soil health on organic farms through integrated management”.  Martin explained how cropping and grazing systems can be managed to maximize additions to the long-term soil carbon pool. Myra presented one of the farm case studies from her MSc on “Grass-fed livestock systems”.

Martin also gave a key note address to the National Farmers Union Annual Meeting on the topic “Agroecology Fits” on November 3.  

Will Bailey Elkin, graduate student in the Natural Systems Agriculture Lab, hosted a webinar on “Weed management in organic agriculture” on November 4. This month-long webinar series on weed management in organic production is being cohosted by the UM Natural Systems Ag Lab and the Manitoba Organic Alliance https://manitobaorganicalliance.com/event/weed-webinars/.

The Department of Entomology is contributing to the Provinces’ efforts to battle COVID-19 by lending their Kingfisher extraction machine for high throughput DNA-RNA-purification-analysis along with some consumables. The machine was originally purchased through a CFI grant to Barb Sharanowski and Alejandro Costamagna and is part of a suite of tools in their molecular lab overseen by Jason Gibbs.

Graduate students Adam Franczyk, Jiayi Hang, Nancy Asen and Siwen Luo, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, recently presented their research findings at a research update for the NSERC CREATE program called CAPTURE:  A training program focused on the advancement of sustainable plant protein foods.  The CAPTURE program is a collaborative training program involving the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Alberta, and the University of Manitoba.

A collaborative project poster by Food and Human Nutritional Sciences students Hannah Derksen, Avery Penner, and Chantal Perchotte was awarded second place  in the category Social Sciences & Humanities in the 2020 University of Manitoba Undergraduate Research Poster Competition. The poster was titled “Exploring challenges faced by the charitable food sector in Manitoba during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic” and the students were supervised by Natalie Riediger and Joyce Slater. Student Anh Thi Dang placed third (Applied Sciences) for the poster “Effects of pre-treatment on phenolic compounds in yellow and black Mustard”, supervised by Usha Thiyam-Holländer.  Other students who participated in the competition include Michael Byun (supervisor Carla Taylor) and Maureen Cooper (Natalie Riediger). You can see the posters and video presentations at http://umanitoba.ca/research/poster-entries.

Several graduate students presented at the Cereal & Grains 20 Online (AACI), which took place October 25-November 13:

Susane Trevisan, Food Science MSc student, presented her project “The relationship between wheat free asparagine content and gluten strength” and was co-authored by Yi Xie, James D. House, Ali Salimi Khorshidi and Martin G. Scanlon. Susane’s research, for the first time in Canada, aimed to reveal the relationship between the free asparagine content and the gluten strength of Canadian Hard Red Spring wheat varieties under the effects of genotype, environment and fertilization treatments. Susane’s work involves collaborations between the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences (FHNS), the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Winnipeg, Canada. Susane is certain that her findings will provide new and essential information to wheat growers and to the scientific community to help keep the unique quality of Canadian hard spring wheat cultivars while complying with international requirements for low free asparagine content.

Nasibeh Y. Sinaki, recent PhD graduate, also presented a talk entitled “Microwave assisted extrusion: An effective pulse-based snack product development tool” in the Processing-Consumer Demands section. The collaborators were Dr. M. Tugrul Masatcioglu, Dr. Jitendra Paliwal and Dr. Filiz Koksel. The high protein content of pulses makes them attractive ingredients for new product development strategies in the food industry. Nevertheless, there can be significant quality challenges when processing pulses into appealing foods. In this study, we showed that extrusion followed by microwave heating greatly improved the physical properties of extruded yellow pea and red lentil products which is beneficial for the development of high quality protein-rich expanded snacks.

Xiang Li, Food Science MSc student, presented poster titled “Investigating the effects of extrusion cooking on physical and nutritional quality of puffed snacks made from blends of barley and green lentil flours” in the “How do we meet the growing list of demand” poster section. The poster is co-authored with Dr. James D. House and Dr. Filiz Koksel. This presented study used blends of barley and green lentil flours and manipulated the extrusion parameters (feed moisture and die temperature) to explore the potential of producing nutritious puffed snacks without compromising their physical quality.

Siwen Luo, a PhD student in Food Science, presented a poster entitled “Physical and techno-functional properties of bread waste and yellow pea flour mixtures processed with low moisture extrusion”. The poster is regarding a research project that showed yellow pea-bread crumb blends can be processed using extrusion cooking to develop nutritious foods with a more balanced amino acid profile and improved physical as well as techno-functional properties. The study also indicated that using bread crumb-yellow pea blends in food industries also provided a new solution for bread waste. The co-author of this poster is Dr. Filiz Koksel.

Erin Goldberg, PhD in Human Nutritional Sciences, joined the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences as a Research Associate to work with Jim House on the Manitoba Protein Research Strategy.

Jim House, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, presented talks at the Bridge2Food Virtual 1st Global Plant-Based Foods and Proteins Research Conference, October 7-8 and the AOCS Plant Protein Science and Technology Forum, October, on issues related to sustainable protein and the human diet.  Jim also co-chaired a session at the AOCS forum related to Emerging Technologies for Plant Protein Quality-Based Supply Chains – Global Crops.

Jim was also interviewed by Mr. Larry Maguire, Member of Parliament for Brandon-Souris, in relation to the recently announced Manitoba Protein Research Strategy.  This interview was posted to Mr. Maguire’s Facebook page:  https://fb.watch/1KsK1XYqo0/

Rotimi Aluko, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, presented a virtual seminar to the Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NB, on November 2 entitled “Bioactive peptides in human nutrition: from blood pressure regulation to immune modulation and bitter taste suppression”. Watch it at https://unl.zoom.us/rec/share/mwsLeiseSS_ApLgMNY2ZrwfndRCytx-Ug-ZC0dgntBBrP_UolF4obj2RVWIAQha8.ZraEpbATvYrlpFqB

Usha Thiyam Holländer, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was featured on the AOCS blog lipidsfatsoilssurfactantsohmy.com in the Processing Division member spotlight (October 29) – https://www.lipidsfatsoilssurfactantsohmy.com/2020/10/processing-division-member-spotlight-on.html.  You can also see her discuss “Teaching in the time of Covid” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH7GMYiIjVw&feature=youtu.be.

Mengistu Wendimu, adjunct in Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, along with UM colleague Annette Desmarais (Sociology and Criminology), Darrin Qualman and André Magnan have authored the study “Concentration Matters: Farmland Inequality on the Prairies” for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives which examines ownership and control of Canadian farmland. Read more at https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/concentration-matters.

IN THE NEWS

A feature story in UM Today highlights the Willy Wiebe Fellowship Award, and profiles several alumni who received it, including Silvia Barcellos Rosa, Marley Boyce and Pratisara Bajracharya. Read it at “A love for farming, a gift for research” – https://news.umanitoba.ca/a-love-for-farming-a-gift-for-research/.

Nate Ort, Plant Science MSc student and new Canola Council of Canada hire, was interviewed by RealAgriculture (November 16) on “Statistics for fun, physiology interests, and covering new ground” – watch the video at https://www.realagriculture.com/2020/11/statistics-for-fun-physiology-interests-and-covering-new-ground-a-live-with-nate-ort/.

Doug Cattani, Plant Science, Emma McGeough, Animal Science, and Francis Zvomuya, Soil Science, were featured in the article “Study looks at economics of wheatgrass as dual-purpose crop” in the Manitoba Co-operator (November 10) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/study-looks-at-economics-of-wheatgrass-as-dual-purpose-crop/

Myrna Grahn, project manager for Manitoba Industry-Academia Partnership, was interviewed in the UM Today (November 4) feature “Academics and industry tackle digital agriculture challenges” – https://news.umanitoba.ca/academics-and-industry-tackle-digital-agriculture-challenges/

Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, was interviewed in the article “Fall surface N robs canola of $180 per acre” in the Western Producer (October 29) – https://www.producer.com/2020/10/fall-surface-n-robs-canola-of-180-per-acre/

Mario was interviewed by RealAgriculture (October 30) on “Soil structure, cover crops, no-till, and measuring carbon — a LIVE! Q&A with Mario Tenuta” – watch the video at https://www.realagriculture.com/2020/10/soil-structure-cover-crops-no-till-and-measuring-carbon-a-live-qa-with-mario-tenuta/

Martin Scanlon, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, and his collaborators (Lovemore Malunga and Nancy Ames with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Winnipeg; Elaine Sopiwnyk at the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi); John Waterer with Paterson Grain; Richard Cuthbert with AAFC in Swift Current; and Belay Ayele at the University of Manitoba) and research team (Ali Salimi Khorshidi, Yi Xie, Susane Trevisan and Somy Khorami) were featured in the article “The Asparagine Challenge” in Top Crop Manager (West) (October 2020) – https://www.topcropmanager.com/addressing-the-asparagine-challenge/.

Kelsey Wog, 4th year Plant Biotechnology student and Bison swimmer was noted in the article “Wog comfortable against world’s best” in the Winnipeg Free Press (November 16) – behind the paywall at  https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/amateur/wog-comfortable-against-worlds-best-573099171.html

PUBLICATIONS

Friesen, G.M.A., S.R. Smith, D.J. Cattani and A.T. Phan. 2020. Characterizing genetically diverse blue grama [Bouteloua gracilis (Willd. ex Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths] seed sources. Botany 98: 661–671 (2020) dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjb-2020-0029.

Lasisi A. A., Kumaragamage D., and Akinremi O.O. 2020. Nitrification inhibitor reduces the inhibitory effect of N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) on the hydrolysis of urea. Soil Sci Am. J. 84, 1782-1794.

Fu Y, Shi J, Xie S-Y, Zhang T-Y, Soladoye OP, Aluko RE. 2020. Red beetroot betalains: Perspectives on extraction, processing and bioactivity. J. Agric. Food Chem. 68, 11595−11611.

Fu Y, Zhang Y, Soladoye OP, Aluko RE. 2020. Maillard reaction products derived from food protein-derived peptides: insights into flavor and bioactivity. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 60, 3429–3442.

Chunkao S, Youravong W, Yupanqui CT, Alashi AM, Aluko RE. 2020. Structure and function of mung bean protein-derived iron-binding antioxidant peptides. Foods 9, 1406.

The following two studies represent collaborative research supported by NSERC, Egg Farmers of Canada and the Manitoba Egg Farmers.  The data will help to define optimal levels of omega-3 fatty acids in pullet and laying hen diets for bird health and productivity.

Neijat M, Habtewold J, Li S, Jing M, House JD. Effect of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the composition of cecal microbiome of Lohmann hens. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2020 Sep 28;162:102182. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2020.102182. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33038831.

Neijat M, Zacek P, Picklo MJ, House JD. Lipidomic characterization of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine species of egg yolk lipid derived from hens fed flaxseed oil and marine algal biomass. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2020 Oct;161:102178. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2020.102178. Epub 2020 Sep 19. PMID: 32980739.

The following two studies reflect translational activities in relation to positioning sustainable proteins within the human diet, with a focus on the current regulatory frameworks that define how we communicate messages related to proteins to consumers

Mansilla WD, Marinangeli CPF, Cargo-Froom C, Franczyk A, House JD, Elango R, Columbus DA, Kiarie E, Rogers M, Shoveller AK. Comparison of methodologies used to define the protein quality of human foods and support regulatory claims. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2020 Sep;45(9):917-926. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2019-0757. Epub 2020 Jul 24. PMID: 32706267.

Fernandez MA, Bertolo RF, Duncan AM, Phillips SM, Elango R, Ma DWL, Desroches S, Grantham A, House JD. Translating “protein foods” from the new Canada’s Food Guide to consumers: knowledge gaps and recommendations. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2020 May 27:1-13. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2020-0192. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32459974.

GENERAL NEWS

Call for Nominations! The Certificate of Merit is presented by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and the School of Agriculture in recognition of leadership with agricultural organizations and outstanding service to the community at large. Each year two Certificates of Merit are presented, normally, one to a graduate of the Agriculture Diploma program, and one to a graduate of the Agriculture Degree program. Nominations are considered by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Executive Committee and must be received no later than January 25, 2021. More information about the nomination process including a list of previous recipients can be found at http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/school/merit.html.

PhD student Callum Morrison and Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, have launched the 2020 Prairie Cover Crop Survey. Participants do not need to have grown a cover crop in 2020 to take part. They welcome participants who are thinking of using cover crops as well as those who grew a cover crop. The 2020 survey will be live from October 1st, 2020 – February 1st, 2021. To find out more and / or to take the survey go to https://sites.google.com/view/prairiecovercropsurvey/home.

The 8th Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop will be a virtual workshop, taking place February 1-5, 2021. The week-long event will include oral presentations, trade show, panel discussion, topic-focused networking sessions and a poster session. Their call for Poster Presentation Abstracts is now open. Deadline for abstracts is December 4. See more details at https://www.pcap-sk.org/upcoming-events/nprrw2021.

UPCOMING EVENTS

(FYI – Faculty events are also listed in our Events Calendar – https://eventscalendar.umanitoba.ca/site/fafs/)

Did you miss last week’s Faculty Seminar “From grain to grazing: the intermediate wheatgrass potential” featuring Emma McGeough, Animal Science, Doug Cattani, Plant Science, and Francis Zvomuya, Soil Science? You can watch the recording online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSUy_4VXAHo&feature=youtu.be

Monday, October 26 – Following the University of Manitoba Café Scientifique at 7 pm on “Parenting During the Pandemic” which is viewable at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SoRezVbtkA, the Manitoba Association of Home Economists is hosting a “Chew on That Chat”, a MAHE member-only conversation on the topic to discuss the implications on the work they do, to share ideas of how to implement some of this new information or just to discuss ideas and opportunities around that theme. Myrna Grahn is the facilitator. Please let the MAHE Office know (mahe@mahe.ca) if you are attending their session by 3 pm on October 26.

Thursday, October 29 – The Arthur V. Mauro Institute for Peace & Justice at St. Paul’s College and the University of Manitoba Peace and Conflict Studies Graduate Programs in collaboration with Rotary District 5550 World Peace Partners and the Conflict and Resilience Research Institute of Canada present “A Conversation with Nobel Laureate Professor Mohammad Yunus” at 900 am CDT.  The father of Microcredit and Social Business will engage in a timely conversation about Economic Justice during and in the aftermath of COVID-19. Watch on Facebook Live https://www.facebook.com/events/394871045028613/ or via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88992678819?pwd=eHdaci9wLzlCYVR2eGl1dkNPbFlzUT09 Meeting ID: 889 9267 8819   Passcode: DyP9WW

Thursday, October 29 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Kenny So, PhD student, on the topic “Exploring genetic variation of cruciferin content in Brassica napus”.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5798741171786204942.

November – The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association is offering the entire 2020 MFGA Regen Ag Conference online free of charge every Thursday night throughout the month of November. Internationally-recognized keynote presentations are scheduled for MFGA’s month-long celebration of Regenerative Agriculture in Manitoba. Each keynote speaker will include a very strong Manitoba profile into their presentations and be available for a facilitated Q & A session. MFGA will also showcase regenerative agriculture during the presentations through Manitoba-based regen ag topics and producers. It will also include a virtual trade show. Learn more and register at https://www.mfga.net/regen-ag-conference.

Tuesday, November 3 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Emily Hanuschuk, Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, on  “The effects of human-driven landscape change on wild bee communities in southern Manitoba”.  Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.

Wednesday, November 4 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Masoud Goharrokhi, Department of Soil Science, on the topic “Lake Winnipeg Sediment Budget: Big lens to track terrestrial sediment” at 12:30 pm. Please contact Lynda Closson (lynda.closson@umanitoba.ca) for information on how to connect.

Thursday, November 5 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Muthu Bagavathiannan, Associate Professor, Weed Science and Agronomy, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, on the topic “Integrated Weed Management in the Era of Herbicide Resistance”.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7654956493007090446.

Tuesday, November 10 – Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development is hosting a virtual Learn and Lead Seminar on “Fundraising and the Board”. Experts will share current statistics and trends in the Canadian fund development sector; best practices and insights into traditional and virtual fundraising strategies; and innovative concepts to consider related to donor stewardship, data management, and responsible fund development planning post COVID- 19. More details and registration at https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/industry-leadership/index.html.

Tuesday, November 17 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Dr. Don Henne, Department of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, on “Zombie ants, zebra chips, and oakworms: reflections on a career in entomology…so far”.  Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.

Wednesday, November 18 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Dr. Adrian Unc, School of Science and the Environment, Memorial University of Newfoundland, topic TBA at 12:30 pm. Please contact Lynda Closson (lynda.closson@umanitoba.ca) for information on how to connect.

Wednesday, November 18 – The UM Café Scientifique will feature members of the Faculty in the presentation “Eating the Whole Grains in Canada’s Food Guide” at 7:00 pm. Jim House, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, will moderate, and panellists include Carla Taylor and Peter Zahradka from the Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine, along with Getty Stewart, professional home economists. More details at http://umanitoba.ca/research/cafe-scientifique. The viewing link will be available closer to the date.  (Manitoba Association of Home Economists will also again offer their “Chew on That Chat” post-event discussion – contact mahe@mahe.ca to let them know you plan to attend.)

Thursday, November 19 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Uzzal Liton, PhD student, on the topic “Genetic and transcriptomic analysis of pre-harvest sprouting resistance in Canadian red spring wheat”.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1105177820973508622.

November 24-25 – The virtual two-day Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference has over 35 speakers and costs just $250 (plus tax) per person. Get details and register at https://www.advancingwomenconference.ca/2020virtual/.

Wednesday, November 25 – The next Faculty Seminar will take place at 3:30 pm and will feature Mario Tenuta, Soil Science, John Heard, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development, and Jennifer Sabourin, Antara Ag,  on the topic ” The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Framework in the Research-Outreach-Advising Continuum”.  Viewing link coming soon.

Thursday, November 26 – The Advanced Plant Science Seminar Series takes place at 3:00 pm with a presentation from Dr. Malcolm Morrison, Research Scientist, Crop Physiology/Crop Phenomics, Ottawa RDC, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, on the topic “The Lost Art of Crop Physiology”.  To watch, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3506319901013183502.

 Tuesday, December 1 – The Entomology Seminar Series features Dr. Paul Galpern, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, on “The merits of messy fields: linking landscape complexity and beneficial arthropods in Alberta croplands”.  Chatting and announcements start at 10:00 am, seminars start at 10:10 am. Zoom meeting instructions are emailed just prior to the event. To be added to the mailing list, contact Kateryn Rochon at kateryn.rochon@umanitoba.ca.

Wednesday, December 2 – There will be a Soil Science Seminar featuring Claudia Quilesfogel-Esparza, Department of Soil Science, on the topic “Using sensors to measure corn canopy.” at 12:30 pm. Please contact Lynda Closson (lynda.closson@umanitoba.ca) for information on how to connect.

December 8-10 – The Agricultural Excellence Conference (AgEx) is the only event in Canada dedicated exclusively to bringing farm management enthusiasts together to build their business acumen. This year’s theme, Prosperity with Purpose, is about taking a proactive approach to farm business management – to build the confidence and underlying capacity to weather any storm and seize opportunities, positioning the farm for continued success. Registration is free – visit https://www.agexcellenceconference.ca/.

Wednesday, December 9 – The Virtual Learning for Life series, a free weekly lecture program aimed at UM alumni and friends, will feature Dr. Carla Taylor, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences. Register for the series at https://fall2020vlfl.eventbrite.ca/.

Friday, December 11 – Save the date! The 25th Annual Fields on Wheels Conference is themed “Celebrating Achievement and Building Resilience in Agricultural Food Systems” and will take the form of a FREE webinar from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Details coming soon.

December 16-17 – The Manitoba Agronomists Conference 2020 is themed “Farm Health: The Agronomist’s Role”. CCA (Certified Crop Advisor) and CCSC (Certified Crop Science Consultant) CEUs (continuing education credits) are available for registered participants. Early Bird registration rate is $185 until November 27. Regular registration rate is $225 and registration deadline is December 11. Full program and registration at www.manitobaagronomistsconference.ca.  Faculty, graduate students and agronomic consultants are encouraged to submit posters. See deadlines and submission details at https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/agronomists_conf/posters.html.

STAFF AND STUDENT NEWS

We were sad to learn of the passing of Dr. Kenneth Clark, retired professor in the Department of Plant Science on September 10 –  https://news.umanitoba.ca/in-memoriam-dr-kenneth-clark-plant-scientist/

Jim House, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was named to lead the development of a new Protein Research Strategy and the establishment of a research chair to advance the Manitoba Protein Advantage strategy – https://news.umanitoba.ca/um-professor-tapped-to-lead-protein-research-strategy/.

The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences launched the Manitoba Agriculture and Food Knowledge Exchange (MAKE) website, a resource which shares current research by Faculty scientists and their collaborators. Read the UM Today story here https://news.umanitoba.ca/new-site-promotes-manitoba-agriculture-and-food-research/ or visit the site at http://umanitoba.ca/agricultural-food-sciences/make.

Don Flaten, Soil Science, has been named recipient of the Dr. and Mrs. Ralph Campbell Outreach Award. Read more about Don’s dedication to sharing knowledge with students, producers and the industry – https://news.umanitoba.ca/a-lifetime-of-outreach-and-community-engagement/.

Speaking of Don, you may recall that 2019 was the 350th anniversary of the discovery of P, and Don (and others) were engaged through the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America in some communications around it.  Don participated in two podcasts, one of which garnered over 18,000 hits! “What are the sources of phosphorus for crops” – https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/2019/09/15/what-are-sources-of-phosphorus-for-crops/ and “Ten things we can do to manage P better” – https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/2019/09/15/ten-things-we-can-do-to-manage-phosphorus-better/.

Additionally, the Journal of Environmental Quality special section which Don guest edited (https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15372537/2019/48/5) had two of the four most read articles published in JEQ over the last year, and one of those top four articles on options for improved P cycling and use in agriculture included two co-authors from our own Faculty, Joanne Thiessen-Martens and Francis Zvomuya. 

The late Frank Shefrin (BSA/34) was a key architect in the United Nations’ World Food Programme, which received the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. Hersh Shefrin shared his uncle’s story – https://news.umanitoba.ca/forbes-imperative-messages-from-the-world-food-programmes-nobel-peace-prize-remembering-frank-shefrins-role/.

Michele Rogalsky, School of Agriculture, served as a leadership panellist during the Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture Summit organized by AgAnnex on October 20. The summit featured roundtable-style sessions with advice and real-life experiences on leadership, communication and balance working in agriculture.

Martin Scanlon, Dean, was the moderator of a panel entitled “Skills Required on the Farms of the Future” as part of “Connected Farms”, the second episode in CityAge’s The Future of Food series held on October 15. To learn more about this series, visit https://www.cityage.com/food.

Joyce Slater, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, reports that the FANLit (Food and Nutrition Literacy) knowledge portal has additional content developed by FAFS alumni who are now Manitoba Human Ecology teachers: two new ‘Cooking in the Classroom without a Kitchen’ lessons, plus a new module – Critical Thinking about Food and Nutrition on Social Media . See new resources at www.fanlit.org.

Carla D’Andreamatteo, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences sessional instructor, was involved with the Manitoba Egg Farmers’ Eggstravaganza Virtual Family Week  October 6-10 conducting a live social media cooking session with her daughter along with an “ask the dietitian” Q&A. You can watch the recording at https://www.instagram.com/tv/CGBd2BqAO5U/?igshid=x5t65lu6qr16.

IN THE NEWS

Annemieke Farenhorst, Associate Dean (Research), was quoted in the article “New website to MAKE agriculture research engaging” in the Manitoban (October 20) – https://www.themanitoban.com/2020/10/new-website-to-make-agriculture-research-engaging/40631/.

Callum Morrison, Plant Science PhD student, was interviewed by a number of media outlets:
-in the article “Survey looks for those who’ve grown cover crops – or haven’t” in the Manitoba Co-operator (October 20)  – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/survey-looks-for-those-whove-grown-cover-crops-or-havent/
-in the article “Prairie Cover Crops Research” in the Toronto Star (October 16) – https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/10/16/prairie-cover-crops-research.html
-in the article “Cover crop use on the prairies not well known” in the Western Producer (October 15) –  https://www.producer.com/2020/10/cover-crop-use-on-the-prairies-not-well-known/
-on CBC Radio Noon (October 15) – https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-101-radio-noon-manitoba/clip/15803982-cover-crops-becoming-popular-farmers-looking-long-term

Ashlyn Scott, B.Sc. Agriculture (Animal Systems) and one of our Fall 2020 graduates was profiled in the UM Today story (October 22) titled “Meet the graduating class of Fall 2020” – https://news.umanitoba.ca/meet-the-graduating-class-of-fall-2020/

Alum Colin Penner, Kristine and Graham Tapley, along with Yvonne Lawley and Doug Cattani, Plant Science, and Kim Ominski, Animal Science, were featured in the Winnipeg Free Press article “Harvesting uncertainty” (October 16) – behind WFP paywall at https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/agriculture/harvesting-uncertaintyreaping-and-reflecting-572770411.html.

Jim House, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, was featured in the article “Research critical to successful protein strategy” in the Manitoba Co-operator (October 13) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/research-critical-to-successful-protein-strategy/.

Jess Nicksy, Soil Science MSc student, was featured in the article “Urban waste shows promise as fertilizer” in the Manitoba Co-operator (October 12) – https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/urban-waste-shows-promise-as-fertilizer/.

Megan Bourns, recent Soil Science MSc grad, and Don Flaten were featured in the article “A special K soybean problem” in Top Crop Manager (October 12) – https://www.topcropmanager.com/a-special-k-soybean-problem/.

Chengbo Yang, Animal Science, authored the article “The Role of Essential Oils in Gut Health” in Better Pork (October 2020) – https://www.betterfarming.com/flippingbook/better-pork/2020/october/index.html#40.

Chengbo was also quoted in the article “Essential oils blend shows promise as antibiotic alternative” in the online magazine FeedStrategy (October 14) – https://www.feedstrategy.com/animal-feed-additives/essential-oils-blend-shows-promise-as-antibiotic-alternative/

Chengbo’s research was also highlighted in the American Society of Animal Science blog post “Interpretive Summary: Microencapsulated organic acids and essential oils in weaned piglets” (September 17) – https://www.asas.org/taking-stock/blog-post/taking-stock/2020/09/17/interpretive-summary-effects-of-a-microencapsulated-formula-of-organic-acids-and-essential-oils-in-weaned-piglets.

Rob Duncan, Plant Science, was quoted in the article “Prairie breeders explore heat-tolerance rating” in the Western Producer (October 1) – https://www.producer.com/2020/10/prairie-breeders-explore-heat-tolerance-rating/.

PUBLICATIONS

Choi, J.*, Wang, L., Liu, S.*, Lu, P.*, Liu, H.*, Lahaye, L., Santin, E., Liu, S., Nyachoti, M., YANG, C. (2020). Effects of a microencapsulated formula of organic acids and essential oils on nutrient absorption, immunity, gut barrier function, and abundance of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4 in weaned piglets challenged with E. coli F4. Journal of Animal Science, 98 (9): 1-13. skaa259.

Helbig, M., J.M. Waddington, P. Alekseychik, B. AMIRO, and 53 others. 2020. The biophysical climate mitigation potential of boreal peatlands during the growing season.  Environ. Res. Lett. 15, 104004.

GENERAL NEWS

PhD student Callum Morrison and Yvonne Lawley, Plant Science, have launched the 2020 Prairie Cover Crop Survey. Participants do not need to have grown a cover crop in 2020 to take part. They welcome participants who are thinking of using cover crops as well as those who grew a cover crop. The 2020 survey will be live from October 1st, 2020 – February 1st, 2021. To find out more and / or to take the survey go to https://sites.google.com/view/prairiecovercropsurvey/home.

The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences invites applications for a tenured appointment as Head, Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, effective January 1, 2021. Deadline to apply: Oct 30. https://viprecprod.ad.umanitoba.ca/DEFAULT.ASPX?REQ_ID=12796.

The Student Initiative Fund has been established by students in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, to support undergraduate student activities. Faculty employees may apply to SIF for student related matters with the support of an undergraduate student. Application deadline is October 30 – see more details and application form at https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/afs/student/studentinitiativefund.html.

The 8th Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop will be a virtual workshop, taking place February 1-5, 2021. The week-long event will include oral presentations, trade show, panel discussion, topic-focused networking sessions and a poster session. Their call for Poster Presentation Abstracts is now open. Deadline for abstracts is December 4. See more details at https://www.pcap-sk.org/upcoming-events/nprrw2021.