The fruit of a disaster millions of years ago Tuesday, October 2, 2012 Those ripe red juicy tomatoes that put dollars in growers' pockets are the result of a meteorite that crashed into Earth between 60 and 70 million years ago.According to researchers who have mapped the tomato genome and published their findings in Nature on May 30, the fruit of the surviving tomato plant suddenly tripled in size after a very stressful event, likely a solar eclipse following the meteor strike. The fruit turned red and toxins that protect other members of the nightshade family were lost.According to the scientists, modern breeding means little by comparison. Tomatoes grown in Holland, for example, only differ about 0.6 per cent from their ancestors brought to northern Europe from Spain in the 15th century. BF Global warming speeds tree growth Wanted: More drainage engineers, maybe
Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility Friday, June 27, 2025 Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online
Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost Friday, June 27, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online
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 2025 Early Career Research Award 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... Read this article online