November 2004

Going with the grain
Dr. Elsayed Abdel-aal and Dr. Peter Wood of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have edited a new authoritative reference on the many specialty or alternative grains coming into niche markets. Specialty Grains for Food and Feed details the history, genetic background, agronomic needs, and advantages and disadvantages of these crops. The grains covered include einkorn, emmer, Kamut, spelt, blue and purple grains, amaranth, and organic grains. The relationship betwee grain consumption, health and health claims are covered. Given the development of organic farming and concerns over safety and nutritional quality, the environment and agricultural diversity, the book is timely. This compendium allows the reader to reach informed conclusions, and is particularly important as pressures develop to produce healthier, safer and more environmentally friendly food. It will be a useful resource for today's cereal and baking industry, producers and the grain industry, ingredient and food manufacturers, and informed consumers. The book was published in October by the American Association of Cereal Chemists. For information see, www.aaccnet.org
Elsayed Abdel-aal, (519) 780-8031
Peter Wood, (519) 780-8037

Mother Nature's little helpers
Demand for all natural ways to boost yields and fight disease is on the upswing as more and more farmers ponder the potential of going organic. In an effort to feed this appetite for information, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists are investigating non-chemical ways to fertilize crops, improve soil health and fight plant disease. Farmers have long used manure to boost yields but researchers are now learning that organic matter – from manure and other sources – is capable of much more than just helping crops grow. Working with organic by-products from the fish, food processing and ethanol industries – as well as manure and plant by-products such as grain gluten – researchers have discovered benefits ranging from improved soil health and upturns in potato yields to reductions of diseases such as potato scab, black scurf and verticillium wilt. Researchers are continuing this work in an effort to formulate some useful products for farmers.
George Lazarovits, (519) 457-1470, ext. 293

Two million extra trees and counting
Efforts at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to increase the number of trees planted on Prairie farms every year are paying-off. The department's Shelterbelt Program has been supplying free seedlings to farmers for the past 100 years and has reached a point where it is helping put an average of six million trees a year on Prairie farms. Not content with this success, AAFC has improved its free seedling program with the offer of free plastic mulch to protect the plants from weeds. The Shetlerbelt Enhancement Program (SEP) has helped PFRA pass out an extra two million trees over the past two years and the goal is to quadruple this number by 2007. This tree plant-ing push fits well with the sector's renewed focus on the environment as stands of trees – or shelterbelts – create wildlife habitat and protect soil, water and crops. Shelterbelts also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by trapping carbon in the soil and can increase energy efficiency in buildings which they surround. The SEP is part of Canada's Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change.
Bob Turnock, (306) 695-5120
Laura Poppy, (306) 695-5119

The green side of agroforestry
Planting trees on the farm can add green to more than just the landscape. Solid returns on products like wood, nuts and fruit are making the economic case for agroforestry and, as more farmers look into this emerging practice, researchers are turning their attention toward its environmental benefits. Studies in Canada and around the world have looked at the financial management side of agroforestry, but little work has been done to measure its positive impact on land, air and water. This is critical information for producers as they compile environmental farm plans and in an effort to fill the void, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will conduct a variety of studies over the next four years through its Greencover Canada program. Projects will focus on the benefits of agroforestry in areas like biodiversity, air quality, soil and water health, greenhouse gases and odour reduction.
Bill Schroeder, (306) 695-5126
Laura Poppy, (306) 695-5119

A buffer zone that pays
A Nova Scotia researcher is looking for ways to make environmental sensitivity pay. Farmers are being asked more and more to set aside narrow portions of their farmland to protect nearby streams and other environmentally sensitive areas. These buffer zones could create economic opportunity as well. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientist Ken Webb is creating a riparian forest buffer system near Truro, Nova Scotia, that includes ground hemlock, sea buckthorn and hybrid poplar alongside native tree species. He will evaluate the potential of the non-native trees as alternative crops. Ground hemlock is used to produce the anti-cancer drug, Taxol, and Sea buckthorn berries, leaves, and seeds have diverse nutraceutical applications.
Ken Webb, (902) 893- 6724

The best of all smells
Researchers in Quebec are looking to harness the power of pig manure. An incubator developed at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's research centre in Lennoxville is being used to successfully extract methane, a greenhouse gas, from liquid pig manure. The researchers are also working on a complementary system to turn the gas into electricity. Bio-terre, a Quebec company, has come onboard to help the process and market the system. An initial version is running on one farm and researchers hope when the work is complete, the incubator will become a farm fixture across Canada and around the world. This would spell good news from economic and environmental perspectives because the system reduces methane emissions into the atmosphere and also helps reduce odor from hog operations.
Daniel Massé (819) 565-9174, ext. 128

Watching where the gas goes
Scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Charlottetown are tracking the movement of nitrous oxide in water located just under the soil surface to see what part it plays in global warming. Agriculture is one of the major sources of nitrous oxide through the application of manures and fertilizers. Nitrous oxide has a global warming potential of 310 times that of carbon dioxide. The research results will help develop better practices for mitigating emissions.
John Macleod, (902) 566 6848

Minor use, major difference
Efforts are underway at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to ensure Canada's farmers have access to the most effective, economic and environmentally-friendly pesticide products. Field trials began on 35 of these products this summer under the Minor Use Pesticide Program. This was the second season for the initiative, which was created to address growing concerns from farmers about a lack of approved products to handle weed, disease and insect problems. Newer products tend to be better for the environment and make more economic sense for producers, but aren't always available right away in Canada. This is where the new program comes in. It essentially helps ensure the most important new products navigate their way into the regulatory process quickly and efficiently. Farmers determine which products are highest priority through an annual selection process. AAFC then conducts field trials to generate data needed by Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency and ensures all of the right documentation is prepared and laboratory analyses completed.
Randy Fletcher, Pest Management Centre, (613) 694-2457

Building greener greenhouses Growing ripe red tomatoes in the middle of a white Canadian winter is a minor miracle that comes at cost. Heating, dehumidifying and adding carbon dioxide to large commercial greenhouses burns fossil fuels and so energy efficiency is a key factor to the bottom line and the environmental impact of operations. That's why Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers in Ontario are working to develop more energy-efficient heating and climate control technologies. The team is working with various systems for tomatoes and has had some initial success.
Xiuming Hao, (519) 738-2251 Ext. 505