Alberta Canola’s Research Symposium Refines Targets for Research Investment

Apr 24, 2025

Alberta Canola hosted its third annual Research Symposium at the Alberta Canola Conference in Red Deer on January 23, 2025.

The Research Symposium exists to share information about current and future priority areas of canola research in Alberta. The Canola Council of Canada’s Jay Whetter moderated the day, which featured insights from Breanne Tidemann (AAFC – Lacombe), Stephen Strelkov (University of Alberta), Paul Galpern (University of Calgary), Boyd Mori (University of Alberta), Edel Perez Lopez (Laval University), Ian Epp (Canola Council of Canada) and Nate Ort (University of Saskatchewan). These individuals were chosen because of their backgrounds in canola research and their consistent leadership in creating and completing high-quality research projects.

“The format of the symposium was really engaging,” says Alan Hampton, Chair of the Alberta Canola Research Committee, “the discussions provided insight that will help drive our research priorities and funding decisions in the future.”

After interactive panel discussions, farmer and industry attendees were asked to provide input into Alberta Canola’s research priorities for this year’s research funding calls.

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Video: Designing a Robotic Berry Picker

Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.