One Hundred Years for the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba

Monday evening this week, at the University of Manitoba, there was a celebraton of one hundred years of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba.

Dean of Agriculture, Dr. Michael Trevan, and University President Emoke Szathmary spoke of the contributions of the Faculty. These include the work which led to the development of canola by Dr. Baldur Stefanson. Canola has now become a major crop for western Canada, and canola oil is a major cooking oil for the world, and has been recognized as helpful in terms of reducing heart disease when compared to oils and margarines with high levels of saturated fats.

The Faculty also made a major contribution to political life in Manitoba, when former Dean of Agriculture John Bracken became Premier of Manitoba in 1922.

In recent years, the Faculty has been playing an important role in the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals and in the develompent of improved and sustainable livestock practices.