AAFC research site in Morden houses one of the largest groups of plant pathologists

Aug 29, 2022

The Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research and Development Centre in Morden is 107 years old.

Early research focused on livestock and has now moved into pulses, oilseeds, and cereals with research being conducted on genetics and breeding.

Associate Director Scott Duguid explained how the data is used.

"The data that's collected is used in a couple of ways. One is that the data that comes out of here is used to recommend varieties for registration of bean varieties across Western Canada. That data gets then utilized by growers to see what particular varieties of beans would fit their area of production, their rotation, their area. The data that's generated for yield, disease resistance and the quality of seed goes into that decision of what the farmer is going to produce and market."

Duguid says one of the largest groups of plant pathologists in any one centre in Canada is located in Morden.

He notes they have a full section of land to grow crops and run trials.

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Video: WARNING! Rough Start To Breeding Season!!

WARNING! Sheep Breeding Season Begins With A Bang! Breeding season is officially underway at Ewetopia Farms, but it didn’t exactly start the way we planned!

This vlog begins with us sorting through our rams to find the perfect match for a customer’s breeding program. What should have been routine quickly turned dangerous when one of our more nervous rams panicked. In seconds, Arnie’s knee was injured, and then I was slammed hard onto the concrete floor — both of us taken down by one ram!

Thankfully, it was just bruises, but it’s a reminder of how unpredictable and powerful mature rams can be. Once we recovered, it was time to get back to the real work — the start of breeding season.

We sorted the ewes into four breeding groups (two Suffolk and two Dorset), checking parentage as they ran through the chute, deworming those that needed it, and setting aside thinner ewes for session two of breeding season in a month’s time.This staggered approach keeps lambing organized and prevents overcrowding in the barns.

From rogue rams to the excitement of new breeding groups, this episode is full of action. Stay tuned for the next vlog, where we’ll share how we chose the rams for each group!