How western Canadian farmers manage canola fertility in no-till systems, how canola impacts subsequent rotational crops, and side-banding nitrogen impacts, are all areas that Dr. Cynthia Grant spent much of her career focused on.

Grant, a retired senior research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) based in Brandon, Man., was honoured this week with the 2019 Canola Award of Excellence from the Manitoba Canola Growers Association during the CropConnect conference.

Grant and her research teams investigated themes like how to manage sulphur for canola production in no-till compared to conventional till; how canola would influence the following crops in the rotation and vice versa in terms of nutrient cycling; how side-banded nitrogen affects canola yield, stand density, maturity, number of green kernels and chlorophyll content; and how nutrient management influences the fatty acid profile of canola.

Research priorities were based on managing nutrients through soil, agronomic, and fertilizer management practices right through to their impact on crop quality. “We looked at the environmental effects of fertilizers (specifically nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur) and making fertilizers more economic for producers,” Grant says. “We wanted to determine how a nutrient would affect canola both in the year it was applied, as well as in the crops following in sequence.”

Grant earned her B.S.A., M.Sc., and Ph. D. degrees from the University of Manitoba and began her career as an information officer at the AAFC Brandon Research and Development Centre. Next, she became a soil fertility researcher where, for the majority of her career, she focused on soil fertility and nutrient management for sustainable crop production. Grant is also passionate about the importance of teamwork and the ability to effectively work together in research and extension to look at farming as a whole and change the way people manage their farms.

Collaboration at a provincial and national level and a focus on international markets will be top of mind for Alberta Pulse Growers’ new chair.

The Alberta Pulse Growers (APG) held its annual general meeting last month at FarmTech at Edmonton, where Don Shepert was elected chair of the producer organization.

RealAgriculture’s news lead, Jessika Guse sat down with newly elected chair, Don Shepert to discuss what all took place. He’s no stranger to APG, having worked with the organization for quite some time and continues to be the chair of the crop sector working group.

Shepert says market access continues to be a key issue for the pulse industry. Working with Pulse Canada will be a priority over the next year since India has put a damper on the Canadian market.

“Despite the fact we lost one major market, one other major market has increased by lots, so we’re thankful for China for buying up our peas the way they have,” he says.

Looking forward, he says he’s excited to work with the Team Alberta advocacy team that’s comprised of Alberta Pulse, Alberta Wheat and Barley, and Alberta Canola.

“It’s become a really important venue for us to take care of provincial and national issues,” Shepert says, adding with even more so with the upcoming federal election.

Listen to RealAgriculture’s Jessika Guse speak with Alberta Pulse Growers chair, Don Shepert below.