Natural fibres are abundant in Canada and have the potential to be used in a wide variety of biocomposites and industrial bioproducts. In order to develop a thriving biomaterials sector, the quality and consistency of this vast resource must be continually assessed and monitored to ensure a quality product can be delivered to end-users on […]

Farmers of North America (FNA) and FNA Strategic Agriculture Institute (FNA STAG) are two Canadian organizations dedicated to maximizing farm profitability. They collect and analyze demographic, legal, marketing and relevant data about its producers and partnering commodity organizations to understand the farmer market need and create strategies for business operation functionality. With this project, the […]

Non-Apis bees are now recognized as significant pollinators. For most crops visited by bees, pesticides are used for pest management, and there is concern about the potential negative effects of pesticides on wild and managed bees. Most toxicity studies involving bees have focused on honey bees (Apis mellifera), partially because honey bee data are required […]

Increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance is becoming a major public health concern and is linked to use of sub-therapeutic antibiotics in agriculture. Sub-therapeutic antibiotics have been used for years in swine production to mitigate diarrheal diseases observed at weaning. Thus, development of alternative nutritional strategies to minimize sub-therapeutic antibiotic use is vital. Mannan-oligosaccharides may be […]

Soybean is the main source of protein in poultry diets while its production results in significant global greenhouse gas emissions. A potential substitute for the use of soybean could be insects like black soldier fly larvae (BSFL; rich in protein and fat) produced from food wastage. Dried BSFL has been approved by CFIA for use […]

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) adoption in livestock production landscape has been transformative and has led to a fundamental need for sophisticated data management and exchange solutions. Building an interoperable data management system requires an understanding of data context, stakeholders’ needs, data usage conditions, as well as contractual and legal requirements. Only through understanding the […]

Transition cows (3 wk before calving until 3 wk after calving) often suffer from negative energy and protein balances due to reduced feed intake, but increased nutrient demands for milk production. In Canada, up to 50% of transition cows may be affected by a metabolic (ketosis, hypocalcemia, and milk fever) or infectious (retained placenta, displaced […]

Biomass combustion is used to generate combined heat and power (CHP). The combustion furnace of this study (WiseWay) has been providing heat in small scales using wood pellets. The target of this project, however, is to upgrade the stove’s design (for larger scale purposes and other biomass types) and integrate it with a steam microturbine […]

Tea is often considered as a healthy drink that is rich in antioxidants and other health constituents. However, tea can become contaminated during production and pathogens such as Salmonella can persist over extended storage periods. The true risk of Salmonella linked to tea is unclear as on one side, the beverage is brewed in hot […]

Feed restriction in gestating sows is required to prevent excessive body weight gain and the associated negative consequences on lactation, locomotion, farrowing, and feed intake during lactation. Aggression and stereotypies associated with restricted feeding become a welfare and production concern when the sows are housed in groups. Delayed gastric emptying, increased swelling of contents in […]

Pests and diseases are major problem that growers face with plants. Ecoation Innovative Solutions Inc. (EIS) is proposing a solution to this problem that turns to plants as reliable source of information about their own health and well-being. EIS will provide data from different sensory measurements for clean and infested plants. We intend to use […]

Botanical extracts with the potential to stimulate crop plant growth or performance must be rigorous tested as part of new product development. Similarly, botanical extracts that control microbial growth on plant tissues (including plant pathogenic fungi, bacteria, nematodes, etc.) or that control insect or arachnid pests on plants (aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, mites, etc.) must be […]