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Feature
Stories
ARDI-funded grad students recognized
at Canadian Nutrition Congress
Shifting into gear with
pedal extensions
Hog
manure, pasture and groundwater
Graduate student Ainsley Little samples groundwater on
cattle pasture in the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie,
Manitoba.
When it comes to
pasture research, the
La Broquerie
site is one of the most comprehensive, integrated research
sites in the province. La Broquerie is also the first stop
on the July 25th
Manitoba Provincial
Grazing Tour.
ARDI-funded research at the site relates to how
spreading hog manure on pasture might affect groundwater.
ARDI's recent
research update shows the practice of spreading manure
on pasture land does not account for the majority of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria present in groundwater.
Unravelling the mysteries of light at Spectrum Scientific
Jennifer Powell places a sample in the infrared
spectrometer.
The
Manitoba Farm Writers and
Broadcasters spring tour stopped at
Spectrum Scientific in Pinawa at the end of May.
Spectrum Scientific, working with Dr. Jitendra
Paliwal at the Department of Biosystems
Engineering at the University of Manitoba, received an
ARDI grant in July 2005 to find an economical way for
farmers to separate fusarium-infected wheat kernels from
healthy kernels, potentially increasing the value of the
crop they deliver. First, Spectrum President Dr.
David Prystupa determined that light scatters
differently, depending on whether the kernels are healthy
or fusarium-infected. Next, he set out to find a way to
quickly and efficiently separate healthy kernels from
diseased ones. Dr. Prystupa recently applied for a patent
on his methodology, which he intends to commercialize for
on-farm use. Read
Spectrum Scientific research update.
Hydro R&D Update on
solar greenhouses
Manitoba
Hydro recently posted a
PDF that brings us up to date on solar greenhouse research
supported by both Manitoba Hydro and
ARDI.
One of the greenhouses is located on the outskirts of St.
Francois Xavier, while the other is located in Elie. Look
for Solar Energy
Greenhouses Profile 06/07
Results on
the right-hand side of the
page.
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ARDI
backs winners
Grad
students shine at Canadian Nutrition Congress
Tofuko Woyengo (l)
took first prize in the Canadian Society of Animal Science
Graduate Student poster competition while Vanessa DeClercq (r)
took top prize in the Canadian Section of the American Oil
Chemists' Society poster competition. Both awards were made at the
Canadian Nutrition Congress. Both projects received funding from
ARDI.
The Canadian Nutrition Congress, held in June
at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, illustrated the depth of ARDI's
involvement in human and animal nutrition research. From the oral
presentations, the poster sessions, the keynote speakers, and
right down to the organizing committee, an ARDI connection could
be found. Highlights include:
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Danielle Stringer
won 2nd prize in the Canadian Society for Nutritional Sciences
oral research competition for her work investigating conjugated
linoleic acid (CLA) in fatty liver disease associated with
obesity. She also received first prize for her poster at the
pre-conference Canadian Workshop on CLA.
Drs. Carla Taylor
and Peter Zahradka
are Danielle's supervisors, and the project is funded by
ARDI,
Dairy Farmers of Canada
and NSERC.
-
Aysheh Shuaibi
also made an oral presentation in the nutritional science
graduate student competition, one of only eight students
selected from across the country. Under the supervision of
Dr. Jim House,
she studied whether women of childbearing age are getting enough
folate from their diets. This research received financial
support from ARDI,
the Canadian Egg
Marketing Agency, and
Manitoba Egg Producers.
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Tofuko Woyengo
received first prize in the animal science poster competition.
Supervised by Drs.
Martin Nyachoti and
Bill Guenter,
his research relates to the digestibility by finishing pigs of
barley-based diets supplemented by phytase.
ARDI
co-funded this research project with
Danisco Animal Nutrition,
UK.
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Vanessa DeClercq,
working with Drs.
Carla Taylor and
Peter Zahradka,
won best poster for the Canadian Section of the American Oil
Chemists' Society and was honoured at an awards luncheon held on
June 21. This ARDI-funded
project is investigating dietary conjugated linoleic acid (found
in ruminant meats and dairy products) and blood pressure
regulation.
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Dr. Nancy Ames
gave a critical evaluation of health claims for barley.
ARDI funded
Dr. Ames' earlier work to develop new barley food products, such
as tortillas and chips. "ARDI showed a lot of foresight in
seeing how this research could affect farmers and consumers,"
says Ames. "Now we're well known in Canada and North American
for having developed these products." Ames, an Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada cereal chemist, featured prominently in a June
20th Winnipeg Free Press
article about the congress.
The congress
also demonstrated that ARDI plays a significant role in providing
work for graduate students. "That extra funding that comes from
ARDI may lead students to say, 'Yes, I'm going to stay in
Manitoba' or 'Yes, I can do meaningful work in this lab,'" says
ARDI Chair David Gislason. "By supporting Manitoba labs,
researchers and grad students, ARDI is helping to ensure that
Manitoba cements its growing reputation as a centre of research
excellence."
See
ARDI news release on the Canadian Nutrition Congress.
Tractor
extensions shift into high gear
Art Quanbury,
assistant professor at the School of Medical Rehabilitation at the
University of Manitoba, tests out one of the clutch extensions
with the help of Biosystems Engineering student Alexia Stangherlin.
Dr. Danny
Mann,
with the Department of Biosystems Engineering at
the University of Manitoba is heading out to
rural Manitoba to test his latest research innovations on
privately-owned tractors.
With the help of ARDI funding, Dr. Mann is evaluating several new
designs of tractor pedal extensions.
Farmers with chronic knee or joint pain,
osteoarthritis or other disabilities sometimes have difficulty
pushing down on tractor clutch or gas pedals. The extensions (shown
at right) allow the foot pedals to be controlled by hand.
Earlier this summer, the extensions were evaluated by
rehabilitation experts and now the
researchers are
heading out to the farm to ask farmers to evaluate them on their
own tractors.
This research has the potential to improve safety for farmers with
disabilities. In previous ARDI-funded research, Dr. Mann and his
team identified 19 potential hazards associated with pedal
extensions and several of these hazards were present on three
known designs. The purpose of the new design is to eliminate as
many hazards as possible.
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