The 2008 International Association of Plant Biotechnology (IAPB) Conference-Canadian Section will draw scientists and researchers from across Canada and around the world.  They will be gathering at the University of Saskatchewan from May 5 to 8 to share information and to advance research capabilities.

The conference agenda covers a wide variety of topics that will be presented by experts from around the world.  With plant biotechnology of major and growing importance in the agricultural industry, conference chair Dr. Alison Ferrie says agriculture will be front and centre at the conference.

"There is a strong focus on agriculture, looking at canola, wheat and horticultural crops," Ferrie stated.  "The information will be used by universities and other organizations to enhance crop production in a number of species that are grown in Canada.  It can enhance basic knowledge, as well as have practical implications."

The first full day of the program will involve a discussion of the past and present of biotechnology.  The guest speaker is Dr. Trevor Thorpe of the University of Calgary, a well-known tissue culture scientist.  Dr. Patricia Polowick from the Plant and Biotechnology Institute in Saskatoon will also talk about new developments in plant tissue culture and biotechnology.

Dr. Guiliang Tang from the University of Kentucky, the keynote speaker on the second day, will be discussing advancements in plant biotechnology.  That afternoon, a session on embryogenesis (early seed development) will be led by Dr. Sergio Ochatt of INRA-France.  The third day will feature a couple of discussions on the application of plant biotechnology to the development of new plant varieties.

More than 120 participants representing academia, government and industry will be visiting Saskatoon from across the country.  They will be joined by delegates and speakers from China, the Northern Marianas Islands, the United States and France.

Ferrie says conferences of this nature provide scientists with a valuable opportunity to share information. "It's important that we meet and talk about this information so that other people can use it," she noted.  "We're talking about technologies that are of importance to breeding organizations, and the opportunity to network with other leading-edge scientists.  By doing this, we can collectively enhance our own research and our own breeding capabilities."

The 2008 edition of the IAPB Conference will be the seventh time the conference has been held.  The first edition was held in Saskatoon in 1984, and the conference has returned to the city four times since.

The International Association of Plant Biotechnology was founded in 1963 and has in excess of 2,000 members in more than 85 countries.  As a world leader in plant biotechnology, Canada is a key member of the international association.  There are more than 68 members in the Canadian chapter from across the country.

For more information, contact:
Dr. Alison Ferrie, National Correspondent
International Association of Plant Biotechnology
Phone: (306) 975-5993
E-mail: alison.ferrie@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Website: http://www.iapbcanada.org/

The Saskatchewan Pasture School will seek to continue its past sell-out success while adding a fun new contest to build on interactivity in 2008.  The fifth annual gathering will take place June 18 and 19 in Saskatoon.

The two-day training event provides a forum in which grazing managers can gain practical knowledge and expand their management skills through seminars, producer panels, hands-on exercises and site visits.

Agenda highlights include sessions on grass growth, grazing management principles, calculating stocking rates, matching grazing animal requirements and forage quality, grazing behavior, the benefits of legumes, and grazing from a business perspective.

Producer panel discussions will be conducted on grazing management practices and tricks of the trade for grassing yearlings.

The Saskatchewan Pasture School traditionally involves pasture tours.  This year, the group will visit the Meacham area.  "We're going to look at native prairie and discuss how we evaluate what condition it's in," said Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Forage Development Specialist and workshop leader Lorne Klein.  The tour will also examine tame forages.

A demonstration of electric fencing will also be featured in the field tour portion.  A new component of the Pasture School pits teams of students against each other as they apply their knowledge of fencing.

The tour wraps up with a barbecue supper at Meacham Hall, where a panel of producers will discuss their own grazing operations.

In all, through the various social events, producer presentations and panel discussions, the event provides plenty of opportunities for producers to exchange views and learn from one another.

Organizations involved in the Pasture School include the Saskatchewan Forage Council, the Western Beef Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.

The 2008 Saskatchewan Pasture School will be held at the Best Western Inn and Suites in Saskatoon. 

Registration is $131.25 for the first registrant and $105 for any additional registrants from the same operation.

Attendance at the Saskatchewan Pasture School is limited to 50 participants, and demand is always high. Organizers will be contacting the people on last year's waiting list first, so the spots will likely fill up quickly.  Anyone wanting to participate is encouraged to register soon.

"We certainly encourage participants to register earlier rather than later, or they may be disappointed," said Klein.

A complete agenda and registration form are available online at the Saskatchewan Forage Council website at http://www.saskforage.ca/.

For more information, contact:
Janice Bruynooghe, Executive Director
Saskatchewan Forage Council
Phone: (306) 966-2148
E-mail: jbruynooghe@saskforage.ca
Website: http://www.saskforage.ca/

Lorne Klein, Forage Development Specialist
Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
Phone: (306) 848-2382
E-mail: lorne.klein@gov.sk.ca

Rural Saskatchewan has produced many great leaders over the years.  A well-known organization that has done a lot to foster leadership among the province's rural youth recently took time to honour three of its own leaders who have contributed greatly to its work.

The Saskatchewan 4-H Council recognized three of its foremost volunteers as it inducted Wilma Lovdahl, Lambert Wourms and Ronald Oliver into its Hall of Fame.  The ceremony was held at a banquet in conjunction with its annual general meeting in April.

The criteria for induction into the Saskatchewan 4-H Hall of Fame stipulate that nominees must have made an outstanding contribution to the 4-H movement in Saskatchewan, outside of an employment situation, for at least 15 years.  The contribution must extend beyond the club level on a district, regional or provincial basis.  A selection committee evaluates the nominations and chooses inductees from files saved for three years.

Wilma Lovdahl began her involvement in 4-H in 1953 when she organized the Hendon 4-H Homecraft Club.  She later became the first assistant leader of the Hendon 4-H Beef Club, and then general leader.

Lovdahl hosted exchange 4-H members from the United States and served on the District 42 4-H Council.  She was secretary-treasurer of the Wadena District Livestock and 4-H Association, and kept the community and region informed of club activities.

Lambert Wourms was a member of the St. Walburg 4-H Club for seven years, and a leader for 25.  His father and son were and are long-time leaders, as well.  Wourms' activity extended beyond the club level as district president in the 1960s and emcee of the St. Walburg Regional Show and Sale for 50 years.

Wourms served many community organizations, and even ventured into municipal politics.  He is an Honourary Life Member of the St. Walburg Agricultural Society, and has been named Cattleman of the Year by the Lloydminster Agricultural Exhibition Association.

Ronald Oliver joined the Hillmond 4-H Multiple Club in 1961, and served as beef leader beginning in 1971 before stepping up to general leader in 1977.  Beyond the club level, he was president of District 35, represented the northwest on the Saskatchewan 4-H Council and has counseled at several 4-H camps.

Oliver organizes the PFRA tree fundraiser and volunteers for many community associations.

Saskatchewan 4-H Outreach Co-ordinator Lee Walerius says the 2008 inductees have set a tremendous example for others in the organization and in their communities to follow.  "This year's inductees basically live our motto and exemplify the four Hs of head, heart, hands and health," Walerius stated.

"They are always willing to be there to help with whatever needs to be done.  They help the kids have an opportunity to experience the skills that 4-H presents.  They are passionate about what they do.  They want to teach about a future in agriculture and teach leadership and life skills to our young people, because they will be the future of our province."

According to Walerius, there are 218 4-H clubs with 3,797 members and 970 leaders located throughout Saskatchewan.

For more information, contact:
Lee Walerius, Outreach Co-ordinator
Saskatchewan 4-H Council
Phone: (306) 933-5102
E-Mail: lee@4-h.sk.ca
Website: http://www.4-h.sk.ca/

The City of Humboldt will become a flurry of fleece in early May as 24 alpaca handlers learn to shear and sort their animals.

The Alpaca Shearing and Sorting School will be held May 3 and 4, organized by the Saskatchewan Alpaca Breeders Network (SABN).

Participants will be taught how to shear alpacas and sort the fleece in ways that maximize the harvest and minimize stress on the animals and handlers.

The school blends theory with application, as classroom sessions are followed by step-by-step demonstrations.

The clinic is a response to the shortage of contract shearers and sorters in the alpaca industry.  "It's getting harder and harder to get the contract shearers to come around, because they're so busy," said Lorraine Bray of the SABN.  "The more people who learn to do it for themselves on their own farms - even if they're not doing it to set up a business where they go out to do everybody else's - it really helps out."

Clinicians Trudy McCall and Cathy Merkley from Lloydminster are widely regarded as experts in the alpaca community.  Merkley is a contract sorter.  She is a qualified international fleece and halter judge for both Huacaya and Suri types of alpacas.

McCall offers contract shearing services around Saskatchewan.  She holds a degree in biology, and has obtained an Animal Health Technician Certificate.

Because of the quality of instruction and the reputation of the clinicians, the Shearing and Sorting School attracts interest from across Western Canada.  Participants come from British Columbia to Manitoba.

The two-day clinic begins with all participants learning the basics of shearing an alpaca.  Following this session, the students divide into either shearing or sorting groups. The shearers practice their techniques on three or four animals each.  The sorters then take the fleece away from the tables to practice sorting.

An important focus of the clinic is to minimize the stress on the animals and the handlers.  "It can be an anxious experience for the alpaca," said Bray.  "It's not a natural occurrence for them, but by having trained people to get them on and off the shearing table safely, and by making sure they're safe when they're on the shearing table, it can reduce their anxiety quite a bit."

Effective shearing balances speed and calmness.  Bray notes that there is a certain technique to the order of shearing, so as to limit the amount of time it takes.

The demeanor of the handler also affects the alpaca's temperament during the process.  "The idea is not to get too stressed about going fast, while at the same time, you don't want to have the animals on the table for any longer than you need to," said Bray.

The $250 fee to participate in the Shearing and Sorting School includes meals and instructional materials.  Participants will also have the opportunity to purchase electric shearers.  Shearing and sorting tables will be available for use throughout the clinic.

Those interested in participating should contact Lorraine Bray at (306) 934-1682 or Jane Wortman at (306) 374-2636.

For more information, contact:
Lorraine Bray, Treasurer
Saskatchewan Alpaca Breeders Network
Phone: (306) 934-1682
E-mail : bray@sasktel.net
Website: http ://www.sabn.net/

The Saskatchewan Appaloosa Horse Club's Spring Show on May 3 and 4 will feature a broad program with classes for all ages.  The show will take place in Moose Jaw at the Golden Mile Arena.

The Spring Show celebrates the defining features of the Appaloosa breed and its diversity.  "Most people think of the Appaloosa as a spotted horse, but that is not wholly true," explained club President Karen Bedford.  "Appaloosas can come in all colours, and they can come from a horse that most people would think would be a Quarter Horse because it doesn't have the Appaloosa markings.  But we have Appaloosas with solid colours right up to the well-known spotted horse."

The breed dates back to an affiliation with the Nez Perce Indians of the United States.  "They bred them because they're such a durable, strong, willing horse," Bedford said.  "I believe most of us have continued to breed Appaloosas because of their kind nature and their very versatile skills."

Over the two days of the show, 170 classes are offered, including halter events, Western and English riding - and jumping - and youth classes and games.  The games include flag picking, pole bending and barrel and stake racing.

To celebrate Mother's Day, there is a special walk-trot class offered on Sunday where the only registration criterion is that the participant is a mother.

The Hunter Saddle Stake and the Western Pleasure Stake classes offer cash prizes.  Otherwise, participants compete for points to contribute to their national standings.

This year's Spring Show will incorporate learning opportunities through a Saturday night presentation by Sheila Archer, a well-known researcher in the equine world.

Archer's presentation will focus on equine genetics.  "There is an awful lot of work being done now out of Saskatoon," Bedford added.  "Sheila Archer works with several scientists out of the United States on genetic information that relates specifically to the Appaloosa horse."

Another new addition to this year's show is a helmet rule.  All youth aged 13 and under must wear helmets to ensure safety.  For certain classes, all riders under 19 must be protected.  "All of us have seen a horse accident and it can be very serious," Bedford said.  "That's why we have chosen to go with helmets for our youth.  Hopefully, in the next year or two, we'll see many more helmets on older riders, too."

The show will feature approximately 50 horses from across the Prairie Provinces.  The Saskatchewan Appaloosa Horse Club Spring Show is open to the public and is free to attend.  "We welcome all people in and around Moose Jaw who would want to come and see our beautiful horses."

For more information, contact:
Karen Bedford, President
Saskatchewan Appaloosa Horse Club
Phone: (306) 868-4526