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

Software Developer
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

 

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 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

 

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

 

Image Hari Poudel
Research Scientist (Forage genomics breeder)
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 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. Bhattarai, K., Khanal, N., Lupwayi, N., Malinda Thilakarathna, M., and Rahman, N. (2024) Soil aggregate stability and organic carbon after a decade of cropping system diversification. A poster presented in the 60th Alberta Soil Science Workshop held in Lethbridge, Alberta on February 20 to 22, 2024.

    2024 - View publication details

  2. K.D. Singh, P. Balasubramanian, M. Natarajan, H. Wang and P. Ravichandran, “UAV-based Multispectral Imaging for High-throughput Phenotyping of Dry Bean Breeding Trials”, NAPPN Annual Conference 2024, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, February, 2024 (Hybrid); https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.170110651.16979152/v1

    2024 - View publication details

  3. K.D. Singh, S.D. Noble, P. Ravichandran, K. Halcro, R. Soolanayakanahally, J. Sangha, E. Brauer, K.T. Nilsen, O. Molina, H.S. Randhawa, R. Ortega Polo, C. Workman, S. Pahari, “Unmanned Ground Vehicle for High-throughput Phenotyping to Quantify Field Crops Characteristics”, NAPPN Annual Conference, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, February, 2024 (Hybrid); https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.170008912.21420303/v1

    2024 - View publication details

  4. Geddes, C.M.* 2024. New kochia research. Palliser Agricultural Management Society meeting. Virtual. Feb 07, 2024. (Oral Presentation). Invited.

    2024 - View publication details

  5. Geddes, C.M.*, Dhariwal, G., Kennedy, L., and Pittman, M. 2024. Ile2041Asn substitution confers ACCase inhibitor resistance in foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum). 2024 Annual Meeting of the Weed Science Society of America. Jan 22-25, 2024. San Antonio, TX, USA. (Poster Presentation).

    2024 - View publication details

  6. Geddes, C.M.* 2024. Protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor (Group 14)-resistant kochia (Bassia scoparia) in Canada. 2024 Annual Meeting of the Weed Science Society of America. Jan 22-25, 2024. San Antonio, TX, USA. (Oral Presentation).

    2024 - View publication details

  7. De Clerck-Floate, R.A., J. Littlefield, G. Cortat, and C.E. Moffat (2023) Hawkweed biocontrol agents: History and ecology in North America. In: R.L. Winston, Ed. Biological Control of Weeds in North America. North American Invasive Species Management Association, Milwaukee, WI. NAISMA-BCW-2023-36-HAWKWEEDS-A.

    2024 - View publication details

  8. Moffat, C.E., R.A. De Clerck-Floate, J. Littlefield, and G. Cortat. 2023. Hawkweeds (Pilosella spp.): History and ecology in North America. In: R.L. Winston, Ed. Biological Control of Weeds in North America. North American Invasive Species Management Association, Milwaukee, WI. NAISMA-BCW-2023-36- HAWKWEEDS-P.

    2024 - View publication details

  9. Geddes, C.M.* 2024. Keynote Address – part 1: Herbicide-resistant weeds on the Canadian Prairies. 2024 Wild World of Weeds Workshop. North Dakota State University. Fargo, ND, USA. Jan 16, 2024. (Oral Presentation). Invited.

    2024 - View publication details

  10. Geddes, C.M.* 2024. Keynote Address – part 2: Multiple herbicide-resistant kochia – A Canadian perspective, eh… 2024 Wild World of Weeds Workshop. North Dakota State University. Fargo, ND, USA. Jan 16, 2024. (Oral Presentation). Invited.

    2024 - View publication details