Lethbridge Research and Development Centre

  • Forages and Beef
  • Biodiversity and Bioresources
  • Cereal and Pulses

 

The Lethbridge Research and Development Centre (Lethbridge RDC) was established in 1906 in Lethbridge, Alberta. It is one the largest facilities within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) network of 20 research and development centres. 

The Centre is associated with one satellite location: Vauxhall Research Farm.

Areas of Research

The Lethbridge RDC leads research on beef cattle production systems (health and welfare, food safety, microbiology); crop production (agronomy, breeding, genetics, pathology) and sustainable production systems under dryland and irrigated conditions associated with farming in a semi-arid climate.

Research activities focus on supporting the long-term competitiveness of the sector while reducing the environmental footprint of agricultural practices and maintaining the health and productivity of the agro-ecosystem.

Search Research projects from the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre to learn more about what we do.

Sector Needs

The Lethbridge RDC carries out innovative research, development, technology and knowledge transfer activities in support of the AAFC's Strategic Plan for Science, which includes:

Lethbridge RDC has a national mandate for research on feedlot finishing of beef cattle, with a focus on enhancing productivity, reducing adverse environmental impacts, addressing concerns regarding food safety (with a production focus), including antibiotic resistance, animal health and welfare, and mitigating disease threats and their vectors.

Lethbridge RDC’s germplasm and rumen microbe collections support research programs by providing a long-term repository of microbial diversity. The world-class collection includes anaerobic rumen fungi, a broad representation of rumen bacteria including those that are prominent in fibre digestion, and plant-associated fungi and bacteria (pathogenic and non-pathogenic isolates).

New varieties (potatoes, beans, wheat, triticale, rye and forages), sustainable crop production and protection technologies are developed for crops on dry and irrigated lands, adapted to the Canadian prairies. Discovery type science and innovation are conducted using novel technologies, such as remote sensing and imaging technologies, plant biotechnologies and increasing the integration with biological science, breeding, agronomy and farming.

Lethbridge RDC’s research includes nutrient cycling associated with cropping and livestock production; monitoring crop and environmental health using remote sensing and imaging technologies; and ecological modeling to understand the impact of various management practices at the farm level on the local environment.

Meet our Scientists

Find out more about the scientists at Lethbridge Research and Development Centre through their profiles below.

You can also visit the Fields of Science campaign featuring 11 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists from coast to coast. Discover why they chose to pursue a career in agriculture and learn more about their research.

5403 1st Avenue South
Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1
Canada
(403) 327-4561

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Scientists and researchers

Image André Laroche
Research Scientist in Functional Genomics of Cereals
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Brian Beres
Senior Research Scientist - Agronomy
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Molecular Biology Technician - Cereal Genomics
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Wade Abbott
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Charles M. Geddes
Research Scientist - Weed Ecology and Cropping Systems
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Dr. Elham Rahmani
Agriculture Research Data Analyst
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Emma C. Stephens
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Henry Wai Chau
Research Scientist (Soil Conservation and Land Resilience)
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Kevin Floate
Senior Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Reem Aboukhaddour
Research scientist, cereal pathologist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Francis Larney
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Haley A. Catton
Research Scientist - Field Crop Entomology
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Hari Poudel
Research Scientist (Forage Breeding)
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Harpinder Singh Randhawa
Research Scientist, Spring Wheat Breeding
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Hector Carcamo
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image John Lu
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image JOHN D LAURIE
Research Scientist - Enabling Technologies
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Jonathan Neilson
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Jonathan Challis
Research Scientist, Pesticide Chemistry & Ecotoxicology
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Justin Pahara
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Karen A, Beauchemin
Research Scientist, Ruminant Nutrition and Environment (Retired)
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Karen Koenig
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein
Senior Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Keshav Singh
Research Scientist (Digital Agriculture)
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Lawrence Kawchuk
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Newton Lupwayi
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Nilusha Malmuthuge
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Parthiba Balasubramanian
Research Scientist (Dry Bean Breeding)
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Raja Ragupathy
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Raman Dhariwal
Research Biologist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Robert Graf
Principal Research Scientist, Winter Wheat Breeding
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Rodrigo Ortega Polo
Biology Study Leader - Bioinformatics
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Roland Kröbel
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Rosemarie De Clerck-Floate
Research Scientist - Weed Biological Control
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Sandra Yanni
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Shaun Dergousoff
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Stacy D Singer
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Syama Chatterton
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Tim A. McAllister
Research Scientist, Ruminant Nutrition & Microbiology
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Timothy Schwinghamer
Agricultural Research Biostatistician
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Trevor Ward Coates
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Wenzhu Yang
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Image Xiying Hao
Research Scientist
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

Publications

  1. C. Wijekoon, S. D. Singer, R.J. Weselake, S. Acharya (2019 July 7-10) Metabolomics-Assisted Applications in Nutritional Genomics and Crop Improvement. Plant Canada conference. Guelph. Student poster presentation judge. Oral presentation by C. Wijekoon.

    2023 - View publication details

  2. Published by Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation
    Mar 2023
    ISBN 978-1-4601-5240-9
    © 2023 Government of Alberta.
    This publication is issued under the Open Government Licence – Alberta (http://open.alberta.ca/licence).
    This publication is available online at https://open.alberta.ca/publications/9781460152409

    2023 - View publication details

  3. Ensing, DJ, RS Bourchier, R De Clerck-Floate, V. Miller, S. Turner, and CE Moffat. 2023. 30 years of biological control of invasive spotted knapweed in British Columbia. Alberta Invasive Species Council Annual Conference and General Meeting. 07-08 March 2023. Olds, AB.

    2023 - View publication details

  4. Norris, C.E., Gorzelak, M., Arcand, M., Bruhjell, D., Carlyle, C.N., Dyck, M., Ellert, B., Entz, M., Geddes, C.M., Hao, X., Janovicek, K., Larney, F., May, W., Luce, M.St., Van Eerd, L.L., Zhang, T., Beck, R., Cowen, T., Liptzin, D., Morgan, C.L.S. (2023). The story of long-term research sites and soil health in Canadian agriculture. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, [online] 103(1), 164-190. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2021-0174

    2023 - View publication details

  5. Tidemann BD, Sharpe S, Geddes CM (2023) Curious and Concerning False Cleavers (Galium spurium) response to Quinclorac. Western Society of Weed Science Annual Meeting, Boise, Idaho. Feb 27 - March 2, 2023. Poster # 36

    2023 - View publication details

  6. Ensing, DJ, RS Bourchier, R De Clerck-Floate, V. Miller, S. Turner, and CE Moffat. 2023. Variable biological control of invasive spotted knapweed in BC. Invasive Species Council of British Columbia Annual Forum. 28 Feb – 02 March 2023. New Westminster, BC.

    2023 - View publication details

  7. Khanal, N., Azooz, R., Lupwayi N., Otani, J., and Yoder, C. (2022) Integrating perennial forage seed crops in the cropping systems in western Canada: An agroecological and economic assessment. Oral presentation in the 3rd NAPA Biennial Scientific Conference held on site (in Atlanta, GA) and virtual hybrid mode on May 27-29, 2022.

    2023 - View publication details

  8. Dhaubhadel, S., Halane, H., Islam, N., Chatterton, S., Renaud, J., Zhang, Y. (2023) Host-pathogen interaction: Identification of pea signals that trigger Aphanomyces euteiches. 12th Canadian Pulse Research Workshop. Windsor, CA Feb 19-22.

    2023 - View publication details

  9. Ensing, DJ, RS Bourchier, R De Clerck-Floate, V. Miller, S. Turner, P. Weyl, and CE Moffat. 2023. Research on invasive plant species biological control a AAFC’s Summerland Research and Development Centre. 2023. Okanagan College Speaker Series, 06 Feb 2023, Penticton, BC.

    2023 - View publication details

  10. Liu, X.; Floate, K.D.; Gorzelak, M.A.; Holman, D.B.; Hrycauk, S.; Kubota, H.; Lupwayi, N.; Neilson, J.A.D.; Ortega Polo, R.; Petri, R.M.; Tran, L.; Wang, H.; Wilches, D.; Yang, X.; Zorz, J.; Guarna, M.M. Prairie Agroecosystems: Interconnected Microbiomes of Livestock, Soil and Insects. Agriculture 2023, 13, 326. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13020326

    2023 - View publication details