UNews - Kim Stanford

Agriculture research, innovation and training earns RDAR support, extending three important faculty positions

trevor.kenney — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 15:37:01 +0000

A trio of term-limited ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers in the Department of Biological Sciences have secured nearly $700,000 in funding support from Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) that will allow their important agriculture portfolios to continue through 2027-28.

Drs. Michele Konschuh, Shelley Hoover and Kim Stanford, who originally joined ULethbridge as part of the Agriculture Research Transition Project in 2020, have enhanced the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s capacity in agricultural research, innovation and training while expanding partnerships with the Alberta agri-food industry. Extending their faculty positions for an additional five years opens even greater opportunities for their respective research programs.

“The impact of their work has been substantial both on and off campus,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge’s vice-president (research). “With this five-year extension, it allows them the opportunity to take on longer-term research projects, apply for federal funding programs and train more students for our region and beyond. This arrangement also ensures that we continue to grow the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s partnerships with local and global agri-food industries.”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ officials, faculty members and RDAR representatives were on hand for the funding announcement.

Working out of Science Commons, one of the most advanced transdisciplinary science facilities of its kind in Canada, Konschuh, Hoover and Stanford will utilize the RDAR support to enhance research programs that are closely aligned with the challenges and needs of local producers.

“RDAR is pleased to support the good work that these scientists are pursuing,” says RDAR Chair, Dr. David Chalack. “We cannot see great results for Alberta’s producers without investing in the people and building capacity for those who are driving positive change for the province. These scientists are leaders in their field, managing research and extension programs that are producer-led, outcome-driven, and industry-supported, filling a much-needed gap in the agri-food research ecosystem.”

One goal of Konschuh’s research is to improve the sustainability of crops given a changing climate. Her work in this area can help evaluate new crops and lead to the selection of new varieties. Current crops like potatoes, sugar beets and seed canola will remain as research focuses. This research also has implications for regenerative agricultural practices such as no-till farming, planting cover crops and rotational grazing.

“I’ll be working with local producers and agri-businesses like the Potato Growers of Alberta, Farming Smarter and Galaxy Ag Ventures,” says Konschuh. “It’s important to identify the priorities of crop producers and help them transition to more sustainable practices while reducing risks associated with climate change.”

RDAR Chair David Chalack speaks with ULethbridge President and Vice-chancellor Dr. Digvir Jayas.

Stanford continues to build on her research that investigates cattle feed and food-borne pathogens. She’s examining ways to improve the detection and control of pathogenic E. coli, as well as building knowledge of the factors that can lead to toxicity in cattle feed.

“Along with minimizing the negative effects on animals, my research aims to identify sustainable feed sources for producers, such as creating silage using food waste from grocery stores,” says Stanford.

Her research also examines pathogens that can transfer from cattle to humans or vice-versa to improve detection and prevent future outbreaks of foodborne disease. Several partners, such as Alberta Beef Producers, Beef Cattle Research Council, Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development and individual producers and feedlot owners, are involved to ensure the research supports the beef industry.

Whether it’s producing feed for cattle or bountiful crops, pollinating insects are an essential component. Hoover’s research into honeybees covers the gamut from nutrition, parasites and viruses to their management and economics. Hoover concentrates on honeybee health, commercial beekeeping and their work as pollinators. Her work aligns with the Alberta Beekeepers Commission’s emphasis on the health of honeybees, the honey industry and pollination.

“My work with various partners, locally, nationally and internationally, is aimed at ensuring our honeybees are healthy, not only for their important role as pollinators but also as producers of honey,” says Hoover.

RDAR is an arm’s length, non-profit corporation designed to enable Alberta producers to determine priorities and lead agriculture research. By collaborating with scientists and researchers, RDAR taps into existing talent and funds ideas generated by innovators to push the boundaries of Alberta’s agriculture potential.

uLethbridge Agri-Food Summer Series bringing research and industry together

trevor.kenney — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 19:52:15 +0000

Big ideas are growing in southern Alberta, and it’s one of the reasons the area is one of the world’s most important agricultural zones. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and area producers are looking to ensure ideas continue to germinate with the launch of the uLethbridge Agri-Food Summer Series conversations.

Each month, the uLethbridge Agri-Food Summer Series will bring producers and researchers together to discuss topics related to southern Alberta’s agriculture industry. It’s an opportunity to hear from the people who know this industry inside and out as they generate ideas and push the boundaries of agricultural potential in southern Alberta.

“We’re really excited to launch this series of conversations and showcase some of the active partnerships that are driving innovation in the agriculture industry and helping to solve some of the most pressing issues facing our producers,” says Dr. Danny LeRoy, associate professor of economics in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Arts & Science. “It’s also an opportunity to spur new conversations and relationships between the U of L and the agriculture industry.”

The five-part series will kick off virtually on the Zoom platform on Tuesday, June 29 at 5:30 p.m. with Can we save the planet by directing cattle feed to people? The conversation features U of L researcher Dr. Kim Stanford, who grew up on a family farm in the Spring Coulee area before embarking on a career in the research industry that led her to work with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and eventually the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. She will be joined by Leighton Kolk, who, along with his wife and three adult children, own and operate Kolk Farms Ltd., which is focused on finishing cattle, raising irrigated crops, selling cereal seeds and striving for efficiencies and sustainability in these areas of agriculture.

Climate experts are calling for less meat in our diet to ensure the future viability of the planet, claiming cattle are taking valuable resources away from people and increasing greenhouse gas emissions in the process. But is that the full story? The conversation will focus on how southern Alberta producers are balancing the health of the planet with the important role animal agriculture plays in feeding the growing population.

Le Roy will moderate the discussion and, following the talk, the panel will take questions from listeners, highlighting industry developments, advances in research, and how we as a community can come together to tackle issues faced by southern Alberta cattle producers.

Bev Thornton, executive director for Alberta SouthWest Regional Alliance, which is supporting the series in partnership with SouthGrow, says the talks will highlight the value of industry and research collaborations.

“This Summer Speaker Series enhances the Alberta SouthWest Energizing Agricultural Transformation (EAT) project and the work of SouthGrow, Canada’s Premier Food Corridor (CPFC), and all the partners in the Regional Innovation Network of Southern Alberta (RINSA). Exciting innovations can be sparked by connecting outstanding research programs with the real-world agricultural industry in our regions.”

LeRoy adds the goal of organizers is to eventually bring people together to further solidify working relationships.

“While this first talk will be virtual, we are hoping as COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease, we will be able to present some in-person events as well,” says LeRoy. “We just want to make these conversations available to as many people as possible and hopefully it will spur further collaborations.”

To learn more about the uLethbridge Agri-Food Summer Series, visit the website and attend the first event.

Further scheduled events are as follows:

July — Crops & Irrigation
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Dr. Tom Jensen
Autumn Barnes (BSc ’09) | Canola Council

August — Pollinators
Tuesday, Aiugust 31, 2021
Dr. Shelley Hoover
Alberta Beekeeper Commission Board representative

September — GIS/Smart Farming
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Dr. Craig Coburn
Remi Schmaltz (BMgt ’06) | Decisive Farming

October — Agriculture Economics
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Dr. Mehdi Jourabchi
Producer Panelist TBD

U of L researcher earns funding to pursue a suite of critical studies supporting area beef industry

caroline.zentner — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 20:06:29 +0000

With more than $700,000 in funding over two years from the province’s new Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) fund, Dr. Kim Stanford, a research associate at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, will continue her research studies that support the beef industry. Further funding from the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) will allow Stanford and her collaborators to produce a series of podcasts called Cows on the Planet.

“This funding allows me to continue my work investigating cattle feed and food-borne pathogens,” says Stanford. “My research looks at ways of improving detection and control of pathogenic E. coli and ways to reduce ergot in cattle feed. The Cows on the Planet podcast will provide science-based information to Canadians to help them understand the cattle industry in a balanced way.”

Stanford is involved in several research projects involving Escherichia coli (E. coli). E. coli bacteria are commonly found in the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals like cattle. Most types of E. coli are harmless, but a few strains can cause serious illness. The most common way to contract an E. coli infection is by eating contaminated food, such as undercooked ground meat or fresh produce that has been contaminated by runoff from cattle farms. Better detection of the harmful strains can help improve food safety in meat-processing plants and in fresh produce.

One of Stanford’s studies involves analyzing the genome of E. coli to better detect pathogenic strains. Throughout her years working for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Stanford has collected many E. coli from cattle. She’s working on developing a better way to classify those strains that are capable of producing Shiga toxins, which cause illness in people.

Another project, in collaboration with Alberta Health Services, investigates the relationship between human disease and persistence in the environment of pathogenic E. coli shed by cattle. And yet another study being conducted with scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada looks at the presence of pathogenic E. coli throughout the production chain. The researchers are testing the bacteria’s ability to tolerate heat, to form a biofilm and resistance to sanitizers. While they haven’t found any increased resistance to heat, their work on biofilm has shown a different result. Certain strains of E. coli can grow together in layers, forming a biofilm that is much more resistant to stress and sanitizers. When biofilms get onto meat-processing equipment, meat can be contaminated.

“One thing we found is that the sanitation procedures used by slaughter plants are actually selecting the strongest biofilm formers to remain on processing equipment,” says Stanford. “Chilling carcasses at zero degrees really reduced biofilm formation. We may need to incorporate some kind of chilling as the final step in sanitizing the processing equipment.”

Another focus of Stanford’s research looks at ways of reducing the toxicity of cereal ergot in cattle feed.

“Ergot is a fungus that can grow on grain. It creates these purplish ergot bodies that are packed full of ergot alkaloids, which are some of the most toxic mycotoxins,” says Stanford. “Ergot didn’t used to be a problem in Western Canada, but in recent years more and more grain is contaminated with ergot.”

Grains used for human food are cleaned to remove any ergot, but the grain that doesn’t meet the standard for human consumption is typically directed to livestock feed. If a lot of ergot is present, the feed can be toxic for the animals and produce symptoms that are hard to diagnose. It can present like pneumonia, interfere with reproduction or cause tissue death in the tips of ears, tail or hooves.

“A series of ergot studies is being conducted and the one I am leading is looking at finding a simple means of detoxifying the ergot,” Stanford said. “We’ve found that pelleted feed was less toxic than non-pelleted feed. We’re also examining heat treating the ergot. Once the ergot alkaloids have been analyzed, we’ll know which treatments worked best and we’ll move on to an animal feeding study.”

Stanford will be a co-host on the Cows on the Planet podcast. Planning the topics for the series is underway and the first podcast should be ready sometime in late spring. Edit: The podcasts are now available and you can listen and subscribe here.

Provincial support expanding agricultural research at U of L

trevor.kenney — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 22:26:42 +0000

In July, Alberta’s government and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge signed a $1.8-million agreement, which saw three programs transferred to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and provided it with the financial capacity to recruit three researchers.

Drs. Shelley Hoover, Michele Konschuh and Kim Stanford are introduced to campus.

On Thursday, Drs. Shelley Hoover (apiculture and pollination), Michele Konschuh (irrigated crops) and Kim Stanford (livestock pathogens) were introduced.

These researchers bring world-leading experience and expertise to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and create even greater learning experiences for students. Welcoming these researchers brings together multiple disciplines and opens up even more chances for collaboration.

“The addition of Doctors Konschuh, Hoover and Stanford will expand the breadth of agriculture research on our campus, while their programs and experience will inform and enhance the greater work of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s talented faculty members. Our institution values collaboration and trans-disciplinary research. Having these talented individuals working in tandem with our existing researchers will lead to new discoveries benefiting the communities we serve," says Dr. Robert Wood, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's vice-president (research).

This agreement is a part of the Alberta government’s commitment to ensuring farmers and ranchers lead agriculture research priorities. Establishing Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR), an arm’s-length non-profit corporation, is a first step in making sure research funding priorities are producer-led. Over the long term, RDAR will assume ongoing responsibility for the funding agreement with the U of L.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is closely connected to southern Alberta’s agriculture activities through its research, teaching and outreach activities," says U of L President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. "The addition of these three research programs will further our agriculture research capacity on campus, and allow the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to enhance its already close connectivity to this critical industry in the years ahead.”

UNews - Kim Stanford

Agriculture research, innovation and training earns RDAR support, extending three important faculty positions

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