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Agriculture research, innovation and training earns RDAR support, extending three important faculty positions

A trio of term-limited University of Lethbridge researchers in the Department of Biological Sciences have secured nearly $700,000 in funding support from Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) that will allow their important agriculture portfolios to continue through 2027-28.

Drs. Michele Konschuh, Shelley Hoover and Kim Stanford, who originally joined ULethbridge as part of the Agriculture Research Transition Project in 2020, have enhanced the University’s capacity in agricultural research, innovation and training while expanding partnerships with the Alberta agri-food industry. Extending their faculty positions for an additional five years opens even greater opportunities for their respective research programs.

“The impact of their work has been substantial both on and off campus,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge’s vice-president (research). “With this five-year extension, it allows them the opportunity to take on longer-term research projects, apply for federal funding programs and train more students for our region and beyond. This arrangement also ensures that we continue to grow the University’s partnerships with local and global agri-food industries.”

Working out of Science Commons, one of the most advanced transdisciplinary science facilities of its kind in Canada, Konschuh, Hoover and Stanford will utilize the RDAR support to enhance research programs that are closely aligned with the challenges and needs of local producers.

“RDAR is pleased to support the good work that these scientists are pursuing,” says RDAR Chair, Dr. David Chalack. “We cannot see great results for Alberta’s producers without investing in the people and building capacity for those who are driving positive change for the province. These scientists are leaders in their field, managing research and extension programs that are producer-led, outcome-driven, and industry-supported, filling a much-needed gap in the agri-food research ecosystem.”

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Have Yourself a Country Christmas | © 2026 Hinton Songworks

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Michael Hinton is an agricultural heritage advocate, songwriter and 2025 National Agricultural Hall of Fame inductee based in Hutchinson, Kansas. Widely known as “America’s Antique Tractor Ambassador,” Hinton has combined his passion for vintage farm machinery, agricultural history, and storytelling to celebrate the people, equipment and rural communities that have helped shape American agriculture.

Through Hinton Songworks, Hinton writes and produces country, Christian-country, inspirational, and holiday music inspired by rural life, faith, family, hard work, dreams, and the experiences that connect generations. His songwriting serves as a creative extension of his agricultural preservation work, giving a musical voice to many of the stories, emotions, and memories behind the “old iron” he has spent years celebrating.