CLAUDIA WAGNER-RIDDLE

PROJECT LEAD

University of Guelph
School of Environmental Sciences

Professor

Much of Claudia’s research relates to greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and provides information to farming organizations and government to help them make policy decisions. Claudia’s research identifies which greenhouse gas emissions are associated with certain agricultural practices to determine more environmentally friendly methods. Her research also looks at soil health and its impact on soil ecosystem services such as water quality, water filtration by soils, and all that soil can do to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about Claudia’s research here.

WILLEMIJN APPELS

Lethbridge Polytechnic
Centre for Applied Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship
Senior Research Chair

Willemijn trained as a hydrologist and soil physicist at Wageningen University (the Netherlands).  Her expertise is in measuring and modeling water flow and solute transport above and below the soil surface. The Mueller Irrigation Research Group was established in 2016 and investigates how new scientific findings in the field of agricultural water management can be translated into practical applications for producers in the irrigated agriculture sector of southern Alberta. The group works on new sensor systems and management practices to achieve better water and nutrient use efficiency in collaboration with industry partners across the irrigation sector. Read more about Willemijn’s research here.

ANDREW BLACK

FACULTY OF LAND AND FOOD SYSTEMS
PROFESSOR

Andy’s research is aimed at understanding the processes that control terrestrial-atmosphere exchanges of energy, water vapor and greenhouse gases. He has applied micrometeorological and chamber methods in his studies of various agricultural crops and forests. He has a particular interest in how climate variability and management affect the water use efficiency of agricultural and forest ecosystems. A key objective of his current research is determining the best management practices for enhancing carbon sequestration and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. Find out more about Andy’s research here.

DAVID BURTON

Dalhousie University
Department of Plant, Food, & Environmental Sciences
Professor

David’s research examines the role of the soil environment in influencing the nature and extent of microbial metabolism in soil. His focus has been on processes in nitrogen cycling in soils and their implications for soil fertility and environmental impact. David’s current research programs involve an examination of the production and consumption of greenhouse gases in natural and agricultural landscapes, the development of tools for the measurement of soil nitrogen supply to plants, influence of climate on soil biological processes, and the assessment of the quality of the soil biological environment and its influence on soil health. Over the past decade his work has focused on potato production in Atlantic Canada. It is the aim of this work to better understand the factors that control soil microbial processes and to use this information to developing sustainable land management systems in a changing climate. Learn more about David’s research here.

HENRIQUE DA ROS CARVALHO

University of Manitoba
Department of Soil Science
Assistant Professor

Henrique’s research efforts are focused on studying the cycling of energy and mass in agricultural systems using micrometeorological techniques. The goal of his research is to better understand the mechanisms controlling the exchanges of energy and mass between the land surface and the atmosphere. The objective of his research is to determine which agricultural practices are most efficient in utilizing natural resources to produce food and energy without negative impacts on soil and water resources. Learn more about Henrique’s research here.

KATE CONGREVES

University of Saskatchewan

Department of Plant Sciences
Associate Professor

Jarislowsky & BMO Research Chair in Regenerative Agriculture

Kate’s research program is focused on understanding nitrogen flows, cycling, and losses in crop production systems. She studies a range of cropping systems, including field crops, specialty crops, and horticultural crops. Current projects are addressing how diversification of cropping systems can control soil nitrogen transformations and supply, crop nitrogen uptake and use efficiency, and nitrous oxide emission dynamics. The long-term vision is widespread implementation of sustainable nitrogen management, and the creation of regenerative agroecosystems that do not pose reactive-nitrogen threats to our environment.Learn more about Kate’s research here.

KARI DUNFIELD

University of Guelph

School of Environmental Sciences

Professor

Kari’s lab works at the intersection of microbiology, ecology, and soil science, to investigate the microbial communities and microbial processes driving the global processes that help support life on Earth. The long-term objective of her research program is to study the relationship between genetic diversity of soil microbial communities and soil ecosystem functioning. Kari’s research program uses established molecular biology techniques to assess how agricultural and environmental practices impact soil microbial communities, and microbially mediated soil processes, such as nitrogen cycling. This is accomplished through a number of collaborative research programs with research groups across the University of Guelph campus. Learn more about Kari’s research here.

ADAM GILLESPIE

University of Guelph

School of Environmental Sciences

Assistant Professor

Adam’s focuses on soil organic matter and soil health. Soil organic matter is widely recognized as an integral part of sustainable agriculture, soil health and ecosystem resilience. It is critical for soil function, providing a source of nutrients, substrates and energy for the microbial population.  His research program is one which examines land use and ecosystem influences on soil organic matter dynamics and their relationship with soil fertility and carbon cycling in both the lab and field settings. Learn more about Adam’s research here.

BOBBI HELGASON

University of Saskatchewan

College of Agriculture and Bio resources

Associate Professor

The broad goal of Bobbi’s research program is to improve the environmental and economic performance of agricultural production systems by understanding and optimizing microbial processes and interactions in soils and plants. She runs a highly collaborative soil microbial ecology research group that engages in projects with other soil scientists, agronomists, plant breeders, plant ecologists, grazing systems researchers, computer scientists and other professions. Bobbi’s work combines field and laboratory research using established methodologies in molecular biology, stable isotope probing, and soil energetics to link microbial abundance, community structure and function with soil biogeochemical processes and plant-microbe interactions. Read more about Bobbi’s research here.

TONGZHE LI

University of Guelph

Department of Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics

Professor & Arrell Family Chair in Behavioural and Experimental Economics

Tongzhe is a professor & Arrell Family Chair in Behavioural and Experimental Economics in the Department of Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics (FARE) at the University of Guelph and founding director of FARE Lab for Experimental and Applied Economics. She combines economic theory and behavioral approaches, such as field or laboratory experiments, to understand the economic and political context of a problem. Read more about Tongzhe’s research here.

GRAHAM MACDONALD

McGill

Department of Geography
Associate Professor

Graham  studies regional- to global-scale dimensions of agricultural land use and management. A core focus of his research has been to examine nitrogen and phosphorus as bridging elements that connect interdisciplinary themes around agriculture, food, and the environment. HIs broader work on food systems is typically at the intersection between the biophysical and farm management context that underlies agricultural production and the socioeconomic factors that influence food consumption.  Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative techniques, his collaborative work increasingly explores urbanization and its links to food systems. A goal in this area is to better understand how the demand for food in cities links consumers to farming systems and agricultural landscapes at different scales, including the implications of these configurations for sustainability. Read more about Graham’s research here.

HERMAN SIMONS

Olds College

Smart Agriculture Applied Research MANAGER

Herman is the Manager of Smart Agriculture Applied Research at Olds College Centre for Innovation and is at the forefront where new and exciting technologies are tested in a practical setting for the ag industry and producers. As the manager of the Smart Agriculture and Applied Research team, Herman collaborates on industry-driven applied research related to smart agricultural technologies with the goals of saving producers time or money, improving efficiency, and improving environmental sustainability. Read more about Herman’s research here.

TRISTAN SKOLRUD

uniVersity of saskatchewan

Department of Agricultural and resource economics

associate professor

Tristan’s research program focuses on the intersection between farm-level decision making, agri-environmental policy, and the role of institutions in achieving welfare-maximizing outcomes. Read about Tristan here.

MARIO TENUTA

University of Manitoba
Department of Soil Science

Senior Industrial Research Chair & Professor

Dr. Mario Tenuta is a full professor in the Department of Soil Sciences and heads the Applied Soil Ecology Lab. His training includes a B.Sc. in Botany and Physical Geography, an M.Sc. in Soil Science, a Ph.D. in Plant Sciences, and Post-Doctoral research in Nematology. From 2006 to 2017 he served as the Canada Research Chair in Applied Soil Ecology. Mario is one of nine leading researchers in the Canadian 4R Research Network (supported by Fertilizer Canada and Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Agri-Innovation Program). Most recently, Mario was named the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in 4R Nutrient Stewardship. Read more about Mario’s research here.

ALFONS WEERSINK

University of Guelph

Department of Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics

Professor

As an agricultural economist, much of Alfons’ work is applied and results in tangible outcomes. His research focuses on the impact of new technology and/or government policy on the decisions made by farmers and the consequences of those decisions on markets and the environment. In terms of CanN2Onet, the technologies relate to fertilizer management strategies that reduce N2O emissions, and the policies are ones such as cost-share arrangements designed to encourage adoption of those technologies. Research for this project will focus on the changes in farm returns and GHG emissions from alternative farm practices and the factors influencing the changes. Read more about Alfons’ research here.