Bee expert joins University of Guelph Wednesday, December 18, 2013 by SUSAN MANN A leading British expert in pollinator conservation and ecology joins the University of Guelph in May. Nigel Raine, who is currently a faculty member in the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway University of London, has been named the inaugural holder of Canada’s first research chair in pollinator conservation, University of Guelph’s Rebanks Family Chair in Pollinator Conservation. The university conducted a year long international search to fill the position. Dan Davidson, president of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, says Raine’s expertise is more in a broad range of pollinators other than honeybees but “it definitely is still positive. He’s going to be a good guy for that chair from what I understand.” Raine studies the impacts of pesticides on bees, insect behavior and pollinator ecology. At the University of Guelph, he will be based in the School of Environmental Studies where he will raise awareness of the importance and plight of pollinators, inform public policy and help train highly qualified conservationists and agriculturalists, according to the university’s Dec. 19 press release. In the U.K., Raine has been an adviser and expert witness for the All Parliamentary Group on Agroecology, the Advisory Committee on Pesticides, the Environment Audit Committee, the National Action Plan for Pesticides, and the Pollinator Conservation Delivery Group. He has also advised the European Food Safety Authority. The chair is funded by a $3 million donation from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation in the name of Wendy Rebanks, Garfield Weston’s daughter and one of the foundation’s directors. BF Agricorp adjusts fruit insurance programs It's time for a new approach to farm property assessment says OFA
Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online
Twelve Ontario Agri-Businesses Receive Funding Support Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Bioenterprise Canada has announced the successful recipients of the second call for proposals under the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream. Twelve organizations across Ontario will receive support to bring innovative agri-food solutions to the... Read this article online
Early Career Research Award supports two Guelph research initiatives Tuesday, June 24, 2025 The was presented to two University of Guelph researchers at the recently held Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) symposium. Dr. Kelsey Spence received $40,000 towards her work in on-farm biosecurity research, and Dr. Sam Workenhe was awarded $60,000 to further his... Read this article online
Rural internet speeds have improved, but compared to urban gap is wide Friday, June 20, 2025 Rural internet speeds have improved, but the gap with urban areas is still wide, says Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) - the national not-for-profit best known for managing the .CA domain. Regional differences also continue—New Brunswick shows faster speeds, while as... Read this article online
Ontario Bean Growers are having a day and you are invited Friday, June 20, 2025 The Ontario Bean Growers have announced it will be holding its annual on August 20, 2025. The day begins with research presentations at 1 pm. Details of the research presentations will be published as they become available. At 4 pm, Chris Gillard will lead attendees on a tour... Read this article online