Researchers
The La Broquerie Research Project brings together the expertise of a wide variety of researchers, including university professors and research associates, graduate students and summer students.
University Professors and Research Associates
Dr. Derek Brewin
Email: derek_brewin@umanitoba.ca
Derek Brewin, Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics,
University of Manitoba, is a agricultural and regional economist with
many years of experience in farm lending and investment analysis. He
has been part of several economic feasibility assessments and has used
Geographical Information Systems in several economic contexts including
regional migration and hog farm expansion. Currently Dr. Brewin is
collaborating with the La Broquerie team on the assessment of the local
costs and regional economic impacts of forage based systems.
Dr. Martin Entz
Email: m_entz@umanitoba.ca
Martin Entz is a professor in the Department of Plant Science at the
University of Manitoba, where he focuses his research on cropping
systems and natural systems agriculture. He devotes much of his
research efforts to organic production systems, including the Glenlea
Long-Term Rotation Study and the Organic Crops Field Laboratory at
Carman, MB. Other research interests include the rotational benefits of
traditional and novel legumes, self-regenerating cover crops, and
perennial grains.
Dr. Don Flaten
Email: don_flaten@umanitoba.ca
Don Flaten is an associate professor in the Department of Soil Science
at the University of Manitoba, where he specializes in nutrient
management teaching and research. Don has led or served as a
co-investigator on several research projects and reports in the area of
phosphorus-based manure management. Don also serves on the Lake
Winnipeg Stewardship Board, the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council and
has also served on the Manitoba Phosphorus Expert Committee. Prior to
joining the Department of Soil Science on a full-time basis, Don was
Director of the School of Agriculture and an Associate Dean for the
Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences.
Dr. Rick Holley
Email: rick_holley@umanitoba.ca
Rick Holley is currently Professor, Department of Food Science,
University of Manitoba. He has published over 140 papers in peer
reviewed journals, a book and book chapters. Research interests include
microbial ecology of meats, use of natural antimicrobials in food , and
zoonotic pathogens in animals and the environment. He is a former head
of the Department of Food Science and chair of the Canada Committee on
Food. He is presently chair of the International Standards Organization
Technical Committee 34 for Food and Agriculture in Canada and is a
member of NSERC, Killam Research Foundation and CRC committees in
Canada. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and
Technology and recently received awards for research accomplishments
from the CIFST, the University of Manitoba, and the Canadian Meat
Council.
Dr. Ermias Kebreab
Email: kebreabe@cc.umanitoba.ca
Ermias Kebreab is an Associate Professor in the Department of Animal
Science at the University of Manitoba and holds a Canada Research Chair
in Modelling Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Ermias has been involved
in mathematical modelling of nutrient dynamics in manure and mitigation
of nutrient pollution, and greenhouse gases mitigation from enteric
fermentation, manure and soils. His mandate at the University of
Manitoba is development of decision support systems for sustainable
agricultural production by taking a whole system approach and
compliments the efforts of the La Broquerie Research Project.
Dr. Denis Krause
Email: animal_science@umanitoba.ca
Denis Krause is an Associate Professor in the Department of Animal
Science and the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of
Manitoba. His main interests are in gut microbiology and in particular
the relationships between agricultural activities, the environment, and
human infectious diseases. He employs sophisticated molecular biology
techniques in his research. Since coming to the University of Manitoba
in 2004 from CSIRO Australia, Denis has developed a world-class
microbiology laboratory with state of the art facilities for molecular
microbiology.
Dr. Suren Kulshreshtha
Email: suren.kulshreshtha@usask.ca
Suren Kulshreshtha is currently a professor of agricultural economics
at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, a position he has held
for the past 37 years. He teaches quantitative methods, and project
evaluation, where incorporating environmental considerations in project
planning and evaluation is a major focus. He has also participated in
several overseas projects through the Canadian International
Development Agency, and through the United Nations Environmental
Program. Suren's role in the La Broquerie project is to undertake
economic analysis of the project. In particular, farm level economics
of the proposed technology along with regional level economic impacts
are being planned.
Dr. Kim Ominski
Email: k_ominski@umanitoba.ca
Kim Ominski is an Associate Professor in the Department of Animal
Science at the University of Manitoba. Kim has had the pleasure of
cooperating with scientists across the Faculty to conduct projects
examining the sustainability of beef cattle production systems. She
welcomes the opportunity to share these research findings with the
agricultural community. Kim also enjoys teaching degree and diploma
students courses in ruminant production and grassland agriculture.
Dr. Mario Tenuta
Email: tenutam@ms.umanitoba.ca
Mario Tenuta is a Soil Ecologist and Canada Research Chair in Applied
Soil Ecology. He joined the Department of Soil Science, University of
Manitoba, in September, 2002. Mario is an advocate for the promotion of
nurturing soil organisms to improve the efficiency and benefit to the
environment of our agroecosystems. Dr. Tenuta has a variety of
interests but all share the common base of understanding the role of
soil organisms in soil processes important to plant performance and
applying that knowledge to improving environmental quality. His
research interests include reducing greenhouse gases in agriculture,
improving nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency, and finding
bioindicators of soil practices that improve soil health. Mario works
with an array of soil organisms, particularly nitrifying and
denitrifying bacteria important to greenhouse gas emissions,
mycorrhizal fungi important to phosphorus use by crops and soil
nematodes which are important plant pests and very useful
bioindicators.
Matthew Wiens
Email: matt.wiens@gov.mb.ca
Matthew Wiens currently works with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural
Initiatives, where he uses greenhouse gas quantification methods
(protocols) to estimate the impact of farming practices, and changes in
farming practices, on Manitoba’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
He is also working with a group of people to establish a community farm
near Beausejour, MB. He is a beekeeper and gardener with an interest in
sustainability and equitable use of resources. In the past, he has also
worked in the Department of Plant Science at the University of Manitoba
as a sessional instructor and researcher.
Colleen Wilson
Email: colleen.wilson@gov.mb.ca
Colleen Wilson currently works as Agri-Environment Specialist with
MAFRI, where she provides leadership in emerging provincial resource
management issues in the area of air, soil, water and biodiversity, and
increases awareness and application of the principles of sustainable
resource management in agricultural decision making. She has had the
opportunity to complete her graduate work at the La Broquerie site,
examining the forage and animal response to applied plant nutrients in
the form of liquid hog manure, and has also worked as a research
associate in this area.
Dr. Karin Wittenberg
Email:
km_wittenberg@umanitoba.ca
Karin Wittenberg has a doctorate in Ruminant Nutrition from the
University of Manitoba (1985), where she is now Associate Dean,
Research in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. An
initiative led by Dr. Wittenberg has resulted in the recent
announcement that a $ 9.5 million Centre will be established at the
University of Manitoba to study the long-term impact of conventional
and alternative livestock and land management practices on
environmental, economic and human health. Dr. Wittenberg maintains a
research program in the area of grassland management and environment,
and has developed the research tools for some of the first greenhouse
gas work generating information relevant to Canadian production
systems.
Current Graduate Students
Ainsley Little
Changes in the microbial community structure of groundwater and soil have been measured over a five year period using high throughput DNA sequencing techniques. Statistical analysis is being done to determine the impact of groundwater and soil nutrients along with botanical composition of pastures on the microbial diversity of groundwater and soil. Pathogens have also been monitored to determine whether they are becoming more prevalent in soil and groundwater with repeated manure applications.
Luca Coppi
Potential for Nutrient Leaching from Liquid Hog Manure Applied to a Coarse Soil Pasture
The objectives of this study are to:
- Monitor over time accumulation and movement of phosphorus and nitrogen in the soil.
- Determine whether and to what extent leaching of nutrients to the groundwater table occurs.
- Calibrate leaching models to be used as simulation tools.
Completed Graduate Students
Ashley Stewart, M.Sc., 2008
Using a Systems Approach to Examine Net Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Beef Production in Western Canada (abstract)
Denis Tremorin, M.Sc., 2009
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Grassland Pasture Fertilized with Liquid Hog Manure (abstract)
Joel Walkty, M.Sc., 2007
Potential for pathogen transfer from hog manure fertilizer to grazed cattle and groundwater (abstract)
Colleen Wilson, M.Sc., 2007
Productivity and Environmental Sustainability of Grasslands Receiving Liquid Hog Manure (abstract)
Undergraduate Projects
Siobhan Stewart, B.Sc. Agroecology Project. 2007.
Nutrients Accumulate Around Water and Mineral Sources in Cattle-grazed Pastures (abstract)
This page posted August 2007.
Last updated December 2009.