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Spring
2017
grainswest.com39
DOES MORE NEED TO
BE DONE?
The recent infusion of young talent into agriculture
research is a good sign for the industry, as well as a relief
to some of the researchers who are nearing the end of
their careers.
Harker, one of Tidemann’s mentors, has spent
32 years doing weed research and field research.
As a research scientist in weed ecology and crop
management at AAFC’s Lacombe Research and
Development Centre, he will be looking to researchers
like Tidemann to carry on the valuable work he has
done for the industry.
“For a few years, we were hard-pressed to find any
graduate students in my area of weed science and
general agronomy. There were very few that were
taught in the western Canadian situation,” said Harker,
noting that interest is on the rise and there are now a
number of qualified students working in the field.
Like any occupation, attracting and retaining talent
to agriculture research means there have to be jobs
available and funding to support the work. Harker said
the federal government is starting to hire researchers
again, after years of program cuts and fiscal restraint.
Industry also needs to display leadership on this front.
Langlois’ position with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
was created when producer groups identified it as a
priority and pushed for action. They are also pushing for
research investment and providing the much-needed
matching funds to get projects off the ground.
As more and more young people grow up without
a direct connection to agriculture, they need to be
made aware of the science-based opportunities that
agriculture has to offer in areas like computer, satellite
and engineering technology, as well as plant and
animal sciences.
“One of our challenges is making people aware
that agriculture is a very vibrant and forward-looking
industry in terms of new technology,” said Harker.
It’s a sentiment that Langlois echoed, while taking
it one step further. “We don’t do a very good job of
promoting agriculture as a science-based industry like
other sectors do,” he said. “We’re not going to promote
more Canadian youth to get involved in science and
agriculture without promoting agriculture first.”
2008. They noted it was here and they noted some damage
symptoms, but it’s not a huge pest like it is in Ontario,” Mori
said. “So what’s different in Saskatchewan compared to
Ontario?”
Mori is looking at host-plant resistance to determine what
plant hosts swede midge can attack, with a particular focus on
weeds like wild mustard, stinkweed and peppergrass. He is
screening the alternate hosts to determine whether they have
swede midge-resistant properties and why.
“If we can figure that out, potentially we can dive deeper
into the genetics of it and [find out] if it’s a particular gene that
is enhancing resistance. If it is, we could potentially give [that
information] to breeders so that they could incorporate that into
canola lines or other brassica vegetable lines,” he said. “We are
trying to use the plant to combat the insect rather than have to
use a secondary approach.”
Mori’s work blurs the line between field entomology and
lab entomology. While the fieldwork keeps him grounded,
being able to bring new tools to bear on a problem—like
genetic investigation—deepens understanding and opens up
possibilities for new approaches.
“I think we’re getting more integrative in agricultural
research,” he said. “You’re not just an entomologist working on
a problem. We’re working with so many different people—plant
breeders, geneticists, even engineers. It’s looking at the whole
agricultural system. You can’t just focus on one single thing. You
really have to look at the whole ag system and see how you can
improve it.”