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ACAAF Project Briefs as of November 29, 2006

Yukon Projects:

YT0501-YT0601-Establishment and Inoculation of Alfalfa into Existing Grass-hay Stands in the Yukon Territory

This project focused on the augmentation of the available nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil thought the use of soil organisms. This project used 3 research sites in year one (5 trials on 3 sites) and proposes to use the same sites in year two. The first year is completed and we are in the second year of the project. Three hypotheses were tested in this study, H_1: Establishment of alfalfa inoculated with a Specific strain of Sinorhizobium meliloti with in existing grass-hay stands with reduced fertilizer application will increase forage yield and protein levels; H₂ Amending Yukon soils with Penicillium bilaii will lead to increased phosphorous availability and increased nodulation and; H₃, Limiting nitrogen fertilization will increase the rate of competitiveness of the bromegrass. Results to date, with limited statistical analysis show that the combination of the low fertilizer rate with the tag team (Philom Bios) inoculant provides similar results to the NRG-34 inoculant and these treatments provide the highest yield of alfalfa in all trials. Trials will be continued through 2006t with more field scale projects and more focused sampling.

YT0502 Legume Study 2005-2006

The projects purpose is to test the hypothesis that “soil nutrient balance and adequate fertility are the primary limiting factors to successful legume culture in the Yukon” (Gillespie 2005). The emphasis of the 2005 study season (the first season of a five year project) was placed on investigating options and establishing research methods and data-recoding protocols that provide relevant information, while at the same time being feasible within the physical and time constraints of the project. It was hoped that the protocols of the first year would be useful throughout the life of the project. After the first year there were areas where the proponent felt that needed improvement and those areas will be addressed in year 2 of the project, some examples of areas that needed attention are;

1. to ensure correct identification of weeds, insert flagged marker wands next to sample seedlings, and allow these individuals to mature

2. to accurately gauge irrigation from low-level sprinkler, add wide mouth rain gauges at soil level

The reason these examples are included in the brief is to show the level of detail and diligence that the proponent has for the project. The field technician also met with one of the ex-officios and the ACAAF chair to ensure that the councils concerns with the first year of the project were being met in the second year.

YT0503 The Development of BoldRush Protein Beverages

BoldRush was established in May 2005 and BoldRush Inc. was federally incorporated July 2005. The project is one of the last pre-commercialization steps in the development of a new ready to drink protein and energy beverage that has been under development in Whitehorse for the last year. The target market is initially the Yukon’s large segment of aging but active exercisers. This project has had some problems with getting their protein product and therefore the proponent has asked for an extension on the project, the council granted their request.  

YT0602 Pillar I Oilseed Production Potential in Yukon

This research will focus on the potential oil production from oilseeds and determine if sufficient quality and quantity is possible to make the growing of oilseeds economically viable in Yukon.

The project hypothesis is:

Oil and oil seed byproducts will be of sufficient quality and quantity to make the growing of oilseeds economically viable in Yukon

This hypothesis will be tested as follows:

Five varieties of non-GMO oilseeds will be tested to determine the quality and percent oil content. Polish Canola (Brassica rapa), Argentine Canola (Brassica napus), Flax and False Flax (Camelina sativa) have been selected as the varieties. Canola has been tested extensively in southern climates and some cultivars have shown oil production levels over 40%. This project will use a short season Polish type of canola that matures in approximately 80 days. A longer season Brassica napus will be used because of higher oil content. False Flax has been used for centuries, but has not had the advantage of selective breeding like Canola, so yields are not as high. Oil production is approximately 30%. This species is being brought forward as a low input oilseed requiring less fertilizer and moisture than canola and other oilseeds.

Climate monitoring dataloggers will be installed on each site to determine the growing season and compare the climate of each trial. Composite soil samples will be tested each spring on the individual trials to assure optimum fertilizer rates. Samples will be sent out to a lab in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for analysis. If results in the first 2 years are encouraging, then a press will be requested for purchase to allow for larger scale sampling. The project will be laid out in a completely randomized design over 0.2 ha in each location. Locations are around Whitehorse and up to the central Yukon.

The main deliverable is the analysis of the oil content in terms of quality and quantity. Other variables that will be analyzed include protein, fat and fiber in order to help evaluate the value of the mash for animal feed. Omega-3 will also be evaluated since this food component is now in high demand as a health supplement. Suitability of the flax fiber residue for various purposes will also be evaluated.

(No number) Contribution Agreement Swine Haven

Proposed plan

This is a two-stage project. The first stage involves planning a crossbreeding program specifically designed to produce a hardy, lean bodied pig that is suited to summer grow out on a combination of commercial ration and foraging over rough ground. Pigs of four breeds with a clean genetic background will be brought to the Yukon and used in crossbreedings to produce piglets with the desired attributes. (July 06 – Mar. .07)

The second stage of the project involves maintaining two boars and 12 or more sows over winter. The sows will be bred and the piglets raised until weaned. These weaner piglets will be sold to Yukon farmers and other interested individuals. (May-July ’07)

Currently 80 or more weaner piglets are trucked into the Yukon each year, mostly in late spring to be used for summer grow out. There are also several established farmers who require piglets to raise for commercial sales. I have surveyed local farmers and all have complained about a chronic shortage of wiener piglets and that this is the major limitation to pork production. The piglets that arrive here are purchased from sale barns in Alberta. The quality of piglets has been inconsistent and trucking as many as 60 piglets in a single has resulted in problems with parasites. Most of these piglets have been Yorkshires which have been bred for grow out in crowded indoor conditions. While their growth rates are generally good this breed is not necessarily best suited for the local market which involves foraging over rough ground and not the intensive large scale approach used in southern jurisdictions. It is expected that if a consistent supply of suitable piglets were available demand would rise significantly. 

Scope of work covered under the contribution agreement:

The council would like to see a proposal that more clearly defines the broader benefits to industry and that includes letters of support from farmers currently involved in the sector. It is possible that there are other pork producers that are considering brood stock operations, without program funding and the program is not designed to create subsidized competition.

According to the DRAFT 2006 Agriculture Products Guide that is currently underway, there are 6 such farmers in the pork sector;

1. D Bar Diamond Ranch, Jim Dillabough, 633-3343,

2. Wind and Fire Farm, Bernie Cross and Gail Milmine, 393-3875

3. Grizzly Valley Farms, Joan and Allen Norberg 393-3200,

4. Todd Bolton, 536-2933,

5. Diversified Livestock Co., Jim and Merve Ambrose, 863-5022

6. McCabe Creek Farm, Jerry and Kathy Cruse, 537-3458.

The Yukon ACAAF Council understands that this research and industry consultation is time consuming and is willing to offer you a contribution agreement of up to $1000.00 upon completion of the following deliverables:

• Consult with all sector members to solicit letters of support

• Determine the preferred breed:

-         That customers/consumers want to purchase to eat

-         That farmers want to raise to sell

-         And that the Yukon conditions will allow

• Look into local sources of feed and bedding, including cost

 The council would like to bring to advise you that under the ACAAF agreement, capital costs can be funded to a maximum of 25% of the total project cost.

 YT0603 Pillar III Terra Madre

‘1500 food communities from 5 continents, 5000 farmers, breeders, fishermen and traditional food producers, 1000 cooks and 200 universities meet in Turin to share experiences and discuss the development of a new concept of agriculture and good, clean and fair food.’

 Fireweed Community Market (FCM) would like to send 3 food producers, 1 quality cook, and 2 food- based, organic local business proprietors to attend this conference.

Slow Food is an eco-gastronomic non-profit assoc. founded in 1989 to counteract fast food, the disappearance of local food traditions and peoples dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. Terra Madre is an event that brings together representatives of food communities that produce good, clean and fair food in a responsible and sustainable way. FCM believes that participating in an event like this will help local producers face challenges the that are universal- how to enable small scale, quality and sustainable operations to operate and generate a reasonable living for the producers. We believe that we must start thinking ‘outside of the box’, and partaking in events such as Terra Madre will help Yukon food producers and processors develop strategies for a sustainable agricultural future.

 YT0604 Pillar I-Craft Fibre Mill Feasibility Study

This report will present applied research into the feasibility of buying, setting up and operating a craft fibre mill in the Whitehorse area. Information will be compiled on at least two different manufacturers of fibre mills.

There will be data on mills sizes and capacities, equipment required for start-up, building requirements, operator training and a preliminary financial plan.

Information will be gathered from internet sources, phone communication and personal visits to existing mills and local producers.

Currently there are no local fibre mills that can process fibre from local producers. Fibres currently produced and used include wool, cashmere, angora, mohair, alpaca, qivuit, flax fibre, dog-hair and novelty yarns from bear, wolf and coyote. All fibre gathered, currently has to be shipped to Alberta, British Columbia or Prince Edward Island for processing. Both shipping costs and turn around time can be prohibitive. Quite often there is no guarantee that the raw fibre you send in to larger mills will be the finished product returned.

Milling fibre locally with a small craft mill could provide:

-an increase in the number of fibre producers(farms)

-decreased costs to producers for transportation

-quicker turnaround time with a guarantee on return of your own fibre product

- creation of new jobs

-ability to brand a “Northern” niche market product

-a noticeably better fibre in conjunction with a colder climate

-a market for muskox fibre(qivuit) from the Wildlife Preserve

-new money brought into the Yukon through processing contracts with outside producers

-future returns in value added products like knitted items or felt

 

Collective Outcome Projects:

 BC0048-Pillar II-Horse Council BC Online Equine Collective Outcome

Horse Council British Columbia (HCBC) and Access Institute of Training and Development (Access), as the recognized private, post-secondary education partner, have entered into a strategic partnership to develop and deliver education programs to the equestrian/equine industry in BC.  Access Institute of Training and Development, a fully owned branch of Access Employment Services Inc. has provided private post secondary training in the Province of BC for the past eighteen years.  In accordance with PCTIA requirements, Access maintains a large financial bond and meets all regulatory standards.

With the 2003 membership renewal applications, HCBC included a survey to determine the needs of the 19,000 members of this association.  With over 4000 responses, the HCBC membership identified the need to attend industry seminars and take courses online as an important mandate for HCBC.  In response to these member surveys, this strategic partnership proposes to develop an equine education pilot project with two key components:  the establishment of an annual industry education workshop and supporting online distance learning modules:

The intent is to develop one certificate program with four areas of concentration:  Basic Horse Management, Stable Management, Equine Business Management and, Coaches and Officials Program.  The specific modules under each area are detailed in Appendix I.

Individuals that participated in the successful Horse-Fest modules would be permitted to

substitute the completion of one of these sessions as indicated by area.  For example, people that participated in the Wounds and Injury Management session conducted by Dr. Eric Martin would receive recognition as completing one module in the above certificate program.   

These survey results also provided valuable research for course topics when combined with the education requirements of PCTIA.  The intent is to strongly encourage participants to work towards the completion of an industry certificate although courses can be taken on a casual basis.  These courses or modules are designed to be practical and have immediate application for participants in their horse operations.  Certainly, over time, the goal is to create a series of modules on a topic area.  For example, the first module developed in 2005, on nutrition will include a brief overview of the gastrointestinal tract of horses, sources of nutrition in various feed sources and a financial model to allow farms to develop a farm feeding program.   As the program grows the intent would be to add a more detailed module on feeding the pregnant mares and young foals, a module specific to the demands of performance horses, and another module on the differences in feed requirements due to differences in soil and pasture management throughout the province.

Each student completing a module will receive a questionnaire evaluating the effectiveness of the course.  In addition, the results of self-administered quiz sections are another important evaluation tool.  The absolute number of students participating in the course combined with the number of people that take a number of courses is also information that will help in the review of the results of this proposed program.

AB0122 Pillar I-Collective Outcome-Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Bison: Implications for Preserving the Genetic Diversity of Free-Ranging and Captive Populations

This proposal is based on the general hypothesis that reproductive technologies have substantial potential for conserving and managing genetic diversity of wild bison, and will concurrently have important management implications for genetic salvage of diseased bison populations in North America. On a long-term basis, we envision developing and maintaining a broad range of reproductive technologies to conserve bison and make our facilities and expertise available to other industries and species conservation programs. Although assisted reproductive techniques are established to varying degrees in domestic animals, there is little or no experience with them in bison. Our preliminary results demonstrated that frozen –thawed bison spermatozoa have a reduced ability to initiate fertilization compared to epididymal spermatozoa. In addition, we inferred that culture conditions required for the development of bison embryos are different from those of cattle; therefore, further research is critically needed to effectively utilize assisted reproductive techniques in bison. Therefore we propose the following activities for the next 3 years, with the overall objective of developing efficient reproductive technologies for preserving the genetic diversity of free-ranging & captive bison populations. We envision developing technologies for the successful production of embryos and maximizing the utilization of gametes and embryos.   

Proposed activities (Specific aim 1): To compare the structural (sperm proteins and DNA quality) and functional characteristics (motility, viability, acrosome integrity) of epididymal spermatozoa with that of ejaculated spermatozoa, and determine their relationship to fertility (based on in vitro embryo production).

Deliverables: 

1. Molecular and physiological markers for fertility, which will    greatly improve our ability to identify fertile semen samples for efficient production of embryos in vitro. 

2. Effects of semen processing methods and extenders on structural and functional characteristics of spermatozoa. This information will enable us to identify suitable media for the preservation of epididymal spermatozoa and optimise semen preservation methods to protect fertilizing ability of spermatozoa.

Location of activity and project period:  Retrieval of epididymal sperm and semen cryopreservation will be done by collaboration between Calgary Zoo and the GNWT. These semen samples will be subsequently used by the applicant for evaluating the structure and function of spermatozoa, and IVF experiments at the UCVM. Experiment 1 is expected to be completed in Year 1 (January 1, 2007 –December 31, 2007.

Proposed activities (Specific aim 2):  Investigate the physical characteristics (culture drop volume, zygote density) and chemical composition of culture medium that support development of embryos. The purpose is to improve the efficiency of in vitro production of embryos (proportion of cultured oocytes developing to blastocysts). Blastocyst is a developemental stage at which these embryos could be transferred to recipients or cryopreserved for future use. On a long-term basis, we envision developing a defined embryo culture medium for the production of embryos that will have tremendous potential in preventing the spread of emerging diseases.

Deliverables: New technologies for the efficient production of bison embryos in vitro.

Location and proposed project period: Experiments involving in vitro production of embryos will be carried out at the UCVM by the applicant with the support of collaborators. This activity will be performed during Year 2 (January 1, 2008-December 31, 2008).

Proposed activities (Specific aim 3): To develop technologies for the successful cryopreservation of immature oocytes and preimplantation bison embryos for maximizing the use of gametes and embryos. 

Deliverables: Efficient methods for the successful cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos (for future use).  

Location and proposed project period: Experiments related to Specific aim 3 will be performed at the UCVM by the applicant with the support of collaborators. This activity will be done during Year 2 and 3 (January, 2008-December 31, 2009).

 AB0032 Collective Outcome Pillar I-Technical and Business Feasibility of Multi-location Abattoirs in Canada

The purpose of the project is to develop and test a prototype of the first Canadian multi-location abattoir for slaughter of a wide variety of livestock in various conditions.  This would specifically address the needs of livestock producers and alleviate a current shortage of slaughter capacity. In addition, it would promote the recruitment of a skilled workforce for the meat industry, capitalize on niche markets and support livestock producers and rural communities.

Main goal:  Design and construct an inspected mobile slaughter facility to assess technical, economic and regulatory factors of mobile slaughter in Alberta and beyond.

·        Design a multi-location slaughter system (operating and transporting units) that meets Alberta Meat Inspection guidelines

·      Build the prototype of the plant

·      Buy and refurbish a refrigerated transportation truck and waste hauling trailer

·      Select proper laughter waste utilization/disposal system

 Secondary goals: Through pilot testing this prototype assess the following factors:

Technical

·      Develop and test slaughter procedures for a multi-location plant

·      Test slaughter of a cross section of large livestock species.

·      Test the maximum capacity of multi-location operations for different species

·      Conduct bacteriological studies to assess meat safety within a multi-location plant

·      Conduct a study investigating the effect of pre-slaughter and transportation stress on meat quality for different species

·      Develop guidance for future designs of inspected mobile plants

·      Test the logistics of mobile operations at various locations and during different seasons

·      Select alternative methods of waste utilization/disposal that can be pursued by future operators of multi-location slaughter plants

Educational

·    Develop curriculum and train personnel to operate a mobile slaughter plant

·    Demonstrate a multi-location slaughter operation and provide relevant information to all interested parties from Alberta and beyond

·    Showcase a successful niche livestock initiative that incorporates mobile slaughter

·    Promote rural recruitment to pursue education in trades and career paths to meet urgent needs of the diversified meat processing industry

 Economic

·      Define cost of slaughter in a multi-location abattoir

·      Financial analyses of a meat marketing venture that utilizes mobile slaughter

·      Develop business scenarios and define market niches in which mobile slaughter may provide a competitive advantage

 Regulatory

·      Asses, update regulations and guidelines that will allow operations of inspected multi-location slaughter in Alberta

·      Develop and test HACCP system for multi-location abattoirs

·      Provide technical inputs in support of pursuing availability of federal inspection for multi-location slaughter plants

 This application is to provide additional funding to complement already committed cash and in-kind contributions from the Alberta government. Attached is the application for Innovation Program funding administered by Alberta Innovation and Science department of Alberta government. Attached is a letter from the Minister of Innovation and Science, Honourable Victor Doerksen that confirms allocation of funds. 

In the initial application an assumption was made to work directly with an industry partner (Alberta Value Chain Corporation) who would provide for the operation of the plant and some funding for the project. However, it has been deemed more desirable to involve Olds College as the mobile plant operating partner. This would allow for greater flexibility to conduct required research and expanded technology transfer.  In addition Olds College will take a lead role in the training of skilled labour and supervisory/ inspection personnel that are essential in building a diversified meat industry.