Mary-Jane Orr has been named MBFI’s first full-time, on-site general manager.

Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives names first general manager

Mary-Jane Orr will be overseeing all three of MBFI’s sites around Brandon and Brookdale

The Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives has its funding for the next five years. It has its new learning centre. Now, it has its first on-site general manager. Mary-Jane Orr stepped into her new position Sept. 4, taking over management at all three MBFI sites, two just in or outside the north edge of Brandon

Opinion: Avoiding GMOs isn’t just anti-science. It’s immoral

Everyone should benefit from this technology, but opposition in wealthy countries thwarts that goal

Of the several claims of “anti-science” that clutter our policy debates these days, none can be more flagrantly clear than the campaign against modern agricultural technology, most specifically the use of molecular techniques to create genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Here, there are no credibly conflicting studies, no arguments about the validity of computer models, no


Predators, such as (A) an Orius nymph, (B) Asian lady beetle, (C) aphid midge larva, and (D) parasitic wasps typically suppress early-season infestations of soybean aphid.

U.S. study questions neonics for soybean aphid control

The effectiveness of the insecticide has diminished by the time the plants 
are at the stage when the insects arrive

A multi-university study says that neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments have little effect on soybean aphid populations, as the pesticide has disappeared in plant tissue by the time the aphids arrive. The two-year study was a joint effort of Purdue University, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, North Dakota State University, the University of Minnesota, South

Global Affairs Canada headquarters in Ottawa.

Federal TPP study draws criticism

Global Affairs Canada’s report is said to downplay potential negative effects and overestimate benefits

A study from the federal external relations department Global Affairs Canada is drawing sharp criticism for ignoring the costs to agriculture. The study says Canada would gain $4.3 billion in trade benefits from the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, but critics say it doesn’t properly account for the impact on farmers. TPP gains would be offset by

Purdue University researcher Bruce Applegate and other collaborating researchers developed a process that extends the shelf life of milk.

Process extends milk shelf life

The new technique could reduce waste and 
make distribution more efficient

Researchers at Purdue University say a new process could extend milk’s shelf life to as long as nine weeks. Bruce Applegate, an associate professor of food science, says he and other researchers rapidly heated and cooled milk, which significantly reduced the number of harmful bacteria. Applegate and collaborators from Purdue and the University of Tennessee


Entomologist Christian Krupke at the Purdue Bee Laboratory with pollen collected by Indiana honeybees.

Non-crop plants source of most pesticide contamination of bees

One of the most common sources of pollen contamination is home pest control products

Urban landscapes may bear more responsibility for exposing bees to pesticides than previously thought. A recent study from Purdue University, published in the academic journal Nature Communications, found honeybees gathered the vast majority of pollen from non-agriculture crops and were being exposed to both agricultural and domestic pesticides. Entomologist Christian Krupke found pollen samples contained

Eggs are a healthful and budget-friendly food

Eggs are a healthful and budget-friendly food

Prairie Fare: Heavenly Devilled Eggs

A couple of weeks ago, my daughters and I were preparing food one afternoon for guests arriving the next day. I wrote a list of things to do. My older daughter enjoys eggs, so she wanted to complete the “hard cook one-dozen eggs” item from my list. Although “hard boiled” often is used to describe

small fish in a fish tank

In this case, GMO technology is a failure

The glow-in-the-dark boys impress the ladies, but they can't fight off the competition

Purdue University researchers say that while males of a genetically modified zebrafish that glow in the dark are more attractive to females, their wild cousins end up with more breeding success. Glofish are a GM version of zebrafish with a transgene from a sea anemone, which gives them a neon glow. Animal science professors, William


an orange corn cob

Golden Rice, make way for Orange Corn

Orange corn rich in vitamin A on its way

While the world continues to debate the potential for Golden Rice genetically modified to contain higher vitamin A, Purdue University researchers have found a way to boost vitamin A in corn using traditional plant-breeding methods. Researchers say they have identified a set of genes that can be used to naturally boost the provitamin A content