THE SOILED PROFILE NEWSLETTER DEPARTMENT OF SOIL SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

THE SOILED PROFILE
NEWSLETTER
DEPARTMENT OF SOIL SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA
“bringing you the latest dirt”
For general inquiries or
if you have material to
include in the newsletter:
Lynda Closson
University of Manitoba
Room 362 Ellis Bldg
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2
Phone: 204 474-8153, Fax: 204 474-7642
Email: [email protected]
Past issues of the Soiled Profile are now on our
webpage: umanitoba.ca/afs/soil_science/
25 September 2015
Upcoming:
Friday, Sep 25 – Stadium Event at Investors’ Group Field. Parking restrictions will be in effect for W lot
starting at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Sep 30, 12:30-1:30 p.m. – First Soil Science Seminar for the season in Room 346 Ellis Building.
The Graduate Students Seminar Committee plans to have seminars every 2 weeks this year. They will be
asking each Professor to give a seminar on "My Career: how I got here, what I do and what I love about it".
First up is Dr. Brian Amiro.
Saturday, Oct 3 – Stadium Event at Investors’ Group Field. Parking restrictions will be in effect for W lot
starting at 1:30 p.m.
Monday, Oct 12 – Thanksgiving holiday. University is closed.
Wednesday, Oct 14, 12:30-1:30 p.m. – Soil Science Seminar in Room 346 Ellis Building. Dr. Xiaopeng Gao,
Research Associate, Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba - "Improving Water and Nutrient
Efficiency in Agriculture of Arid Xinjiang Province of China "
Department Staff Away:
Please note: Terri will be working on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays through the week of Oct 5. She will
return to her regular schedule of Monday through Wednesday starting the week of October 12.
News:
Dr. Cynthia Grant has been awarded the Fertilizer Industry Round Table Recognition Award
Congratulations to Dr. Cynthia Grant, one of our department’s alumni and long-serving adjunct professors.
Cindy has been awarded the Fertilizer Industry Round Table Recognition Award for Innovative
Technologies Advancing the Fertilizer Industry. Nominations for this international award are solicited
from across the U.S. and Canada. The award recognizes outstanding achievements in research, extension
and/or education that centres on fertilizer technology and associated benefits to agricultural productivity
and sustainability. Cindy will receive the award in November, at the Round Table annual meeting in
Florida.
Megan Westphal and Jeff Seward receive high praise from the MAFRD Nutrient Management Specialist for an
“exemplary extension performance” at the Harvest Moon Festival in Clearwater, Manitoba
Mitch Timmerman sent an email and photos of the stellar work by a graduate student (Megan Westphal)
and an undergraduate student (Jeff Seward) at “The Dirt on Soil” workshop offered at the recently held,
annual Harvest Moon Festival in Clearwater (http://www.harvestmoonfestival.ca/workshops.html).
Megan and Jeff put in hours of work helping Mitch with assembling the props, delivering the show and then
taking it all down and reloading the truck. Their tremendous effort and quick thinking on their parts
throughout really showcased what talented students we have in the department. Mitch reported that they
were so committed that they resisted the draw of beer and music until all of the work was done. This was
certainly very impressive dedication and discipline. Mitch was more than happy to treat them to a first
round afterwards.
The workshop was an initial foray into extending knowledge on soils, water and agriculture to the public in
that kind of venue. Mitch felt that it was more productive and enjoyable by having Megan and Jeff’s
involvement. There was a good crowd seated on the grass outside the church where the workshop was
held. It provided an old-fashioned feel to the venue and an appropriate setting for Mitch to deliver his “soil
sermon”. Mitch reported that if any of the assembled mass was in need of conversion, it seemed to happen.
Many of us in the department have seen Mitch’s display so we can picture the moment when he brought
forth a rainfall event around four o’clock on a sunny day with nary a cloud in the sky.
Megan, Gustavo and Magda also pitched in at the annual Amazing Agricultural Adventure at the Farm &
Food Discovery Centre. There will be photos and more information about this event next week.
Thanks to Megan and Jeff for all of their time and talents with spreading the gospel of soil science at the
Harvest Moon festival, especially during the 2015 International Year of Soil.
Mitch Timmerman is shown delivering “The Dirt on Soil” workshop (and sermon) at the Harvest Moon
Festival in Clearwater, Manitoba with lots of help from Megan Westphal and Jeff Seward.
The Soil Science Baby Boom continues!!
Output has been truly impressive this year! Below are the latest recruits for 2015. We will need to start
planning for the extra large Soil Science classes expected in 20 years!
Siobhan Maas, former graduate student, along with Elden
and Milena were excited to welcome a little brother to the
family. Anno Florian was born on Sunday, August 30th (7 lbs
2 oz)
Terri Ramm’s son and daughter-in-law now have a baby girl
in their family along with their 2 sons. Everley Faye Marie
arrived on September 10 (8 lbs 2 oz). This is Terri’s first
grand-daughter.
Likewise, Paul Bullock’s son and daughter-in-law also have a
baby girl and sister for their son. Charlotte Ann Bullock
arrived on September 16 (7 lbs 2 oz). This is also Paul’s first
grand-daughter and Paul’s parents’ first great granddaughter (after a string of 6 great grandsons).
Opportunities:
Contract Work, Renewable Power Partners
Renewable Power Partners is looking for a contractor to complete field work and reports for eight
properties over the next couple weeks. They develop small solar farms in the 1-2 acre size range, and need
agricultural capability studies for some projects. Beyond the first eight sites, they have a couple dozen sites
per year that require soil studies.
The information on the soil studies for solar projects is here: http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/en/fit-andmicrofit-program/fit-soilstudy/. Each site requires 1 hand auger down to C horizon (or 1 meter). The
median property size of the sites is roughly 70 acres. No lab testing is required.
If you are able to do this work, please email Aaron at [email protected] and he
will reply with an example report and the required qualifications in the body of an email for your review.
Additionally, there is a job posting which went up on their company website:
http://renewablepowerpartners.com/careers/#op-81732-land-evaluation-study-specialist. If you would
like to phone Aaron directly to discuss further, his direct line is: 416-846-4804.
Geza and Trudi Racz Scholarship in Soil Science
With a gift in 2015, Geza and Trudi Racz established an endowment fund at the University of Manitoba to
recognize academic achievement and encourage further study in the field of Soil Science. The Manitoba
Scholarship and Bursary Initiative has made a contribution to the fund. In honour of the United Nations’
recognition of 2015 as the International Year of Soils, the donors have provided an additional gift of $2,000
to offer the scholarship in 2015-2016. In 2016-2017, one scholarship of $2,000 will be offered using the
available annual income from the fund and an additional contribution from the donors. Beginning in 20172018, and each year thereafter, the available annual income from the fund will be used to offer one
scholarship.
The scholarship is available to undergraduate students who:
 are enrolled full-time (minimum 80% course load) in the fourth year of study in the Faculty of
Agricultural and Food Sciences;
 have achieved a minimum degree grade point average of 3.5;
 have declared their intention to pursue graduate studies via application for this award.
Preference in selection will first be given to students with a declared minor in Soil Science who intend to
pursue graduate studies in the field of Soil Science. If there are no candidates that meet these criteria, the
award may be offered to a fourth-year student in the Agronomy program who otherwise meets all other
criteria. Candidates will be required to submit an application to the Faculty of Agricultural and Food
Sciences that includes a brief statement (maximum 500 words) describing their intention to pursue
graduate studies. The selection committee will be the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Awards
Committee.
The award application can be accessed at the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Awards Database:
https://agawards.agric.umanitoba.ca/index.php/home/award/view/196.
10th Annual Undergraduate Research Poster Competition, Thursday, October 29th, 1:00 – 4:30 p.m.,
Manitoba Rooms 210 – 224, University Centre
This year will mark the 10th year of the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International)’s
Undergraduate Research Poster Competition. This has been a highly successful annual event. It is also a
great opportunity for members of the university community and the general public to see the relevance,
value, and outstanding calibre of research being conducted by young researchers at the University of
Manitoba. Students may wish to present the results of an undergraduate honours thesis completed in the
previous academic year; present the results of a summer 2015 research project; or present an original
research/scholarly/creative works project that was completed in an undergraduate course. Posters will be
judged by representatives from the university community, industry, government, and community
organizations. Prizes of $500, $300 and $200 respectively will be awarded to the top three posters in each
of the following five categories: applied sciences; health sciences; natural sciences; social
sciences/humanities; and creative works.
Students should fill out the registration form (http://umanitoba.ca/postercompetition/) and return it by
Friday, October 16, 2015 to [email protected]. Contact Lindsey Troschuk at 789-3493
or [email protected] with any questions regarding the undergraduate poster competition.
Judges are needed to help assess posters on October 29th. Each Judge will be provided with a score sheet
and will be given approximately 4-6 posters in their discipline to review and score. Judging will take place
from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. If you would be willing to assist by serving as, or recommending, a judge for the
competition, please contact Lindsey.
Post-doctoral Research Fellowship, Agri-ecosystem Sustainability Modeling, Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada, Ottawa, ON
A PDF opportunity is available for a recent PhD (within 3 years) with a strong interest in agricultural
systems, environmental quality, ecological modelling, agro-meteorology, sustainability, and related topics.
An academic background in Agricultural Science, Environmental Science or Engineering, Bioresource
Engineering, Ecosystem Modelling, or similar disciplines is ideal. The primary scope of the PDF work will
be to advance our understanding and accuracy in estimating nutrient flows (reactive N, carbon and water)
and GHG emissions through agricultural systems in Canada to improve accounting methodologies under
the Sustainability Metrics Program. In the study an integrated systems approach will be employed using
mechanistic models in order to track the interactions between plant-soil-animal systems under changing
management and climate. The approach will ensure a mass balance budget of water and nutrients
universally. The successful candidate will work on incorporating new research findings into a full-farm
systems model, manure-DNDC, which integrates livestock, manure, and cropping systems to estimate flows
of water, carbon, nitrogen. The model will be used to assess effects of management and climate on
greenhouse gases and losses of reactive nitrogen to air and water and will be used to help develop tools for
assessing the environmental footprint of agricultural under the AAFC Sustainability Metrics Program. The
successful candidate will report findings to collaborating scientists and write scientific publications focused
on: a) Model testing and improvement, b) Assessing best management practices to optimize nutrient
cycling and minimize GHG emissions, and c) Assessing effects of climate variability on farm production and
sustainability.
The position involves close collaboration with a dynamic team of scientists, technicians, post-docs, and
students at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, including national-scale modellers, process model
developers, agricultural scientists, and agro-meteorologists measuring on-farm emissions. Applicants will
be encouraged to bring their own expertise and interests to the project to expand the team’s capacity.
Qualifications: Recently completed (3 years) PhD in a related field, excellent communication and leadership
skills, demonstrated publication potential, experience with ecological modelling, knowledge of agricultural
systems related to nitrogen and carbon cycling and emissions of greenhouse gases and ammonia.
Eligibility: Canadians and non-Canadians, English essential
Applications are currently being accepted to begin the project on November 1, 2015. The position will
remain open until filled. The position is guaranteed for one year at a salary of $53,161 (term research
scientist with benefits), with the possibility of extension for up to 3 years. To qualify, the candidate will
need to apply formally through the Postdoctoral Research Pilot Program: https://emploisfp-psjobs.cfppsc.gc.ca/psrs-srfp/applicant/page1800?poster=785734.
Candidates should send their curriculum vitae and a statement describing motivation to: Ray Desjardins,
[email protected], 613-759-1522.
Events:
Manitoba Soil Science Society AGM, February 4-5, 2016, Holiday Inn Winnipeg-South
The theme is not yet decided but your input is welcome. Please send any ideas to [email protected].
The deadline for the call for papers will be sometime in December 2015. Further details will follow.