The three met with me to learn more about who I was, my experience, my objectives and answer my many questions about the scientific research community, the work is done at the research station, Okanagan soils and soil problems, and how to determine in what field you want to do your field work.
I started by summarizing my undergraduate work in global resources, my subsequent desire to work in the private sector, specifically in hospitality, my reexamination of my involvement in the agriculture industry and my subsequent exploration of said industry which has taken me to all parts of BC and Argentina farming. I also explained that my long term goal is to have my own farm in the Okanagan and my current pursuit of a master's in soil science is with the intention of making this dream more tangible by giving me options to work in the industry as a researcher or technician to build the knowledge and capital I will require to have a farm.
The three then shared with me their career paths and current areas of study. Denise Neilsen works a lot in water management at the plant, field and regional level. She is involved with water supply modeling and evaluating climate surfaces to see the influence of climate change At the field level, finding ways to implement precision with regard to necessary inputs to automate irrigation and nutrient management. She also does a lot of work documenting the changes in phenology, the stages in the development of a plant, based on the input changes.
Tom Forge is currently in the process of moving his operation from the Agassiz station to the Summerland station. He works primarily with soil nematodes, which are microscopic roundworms, assessing the influences of alternative agricultural practices and evaluating their quality implications based on the affect on the nematodes. He looks at the diversity of nematodes, biodiversity, nitrogen mineralization and how the presence of these are sped up or slowed as practices change. He has spent much time looking at root growth and pest/pathogen development in wine, fruit trees and berries as an effect of different mulch, compost, and irrigation uses for these crops. He shared that though Denise, Gerry and he collaborate on projects, the emphasis each puts on the data collection for same sample set varies based on each person'r priority. Research priorities change with location as well. For example, in Abbotsford the aquifer is very vulnerable to contamination, which is why studies there have focuse on nitrate contamination given the local context.
Last, Gerry Neilsen explained that his research lately has involved the nitrogen content in grapes. He explained that yeast assembly is dependent on nitrogen for the wine to ferment and that they are trying topical appications (foliar sprays) to the grapes as an alternative to the soil/root applications for nitrogen uptake to mitigate nitrogen leeching.
Apparently doing work in organics is not common at the research station. Organic soil treatments and floor management practices are currently being explored, but often chemicals (such as roundup) are required to maintain the base conditions of the sample set so that an evaluation of the change can take place. Also, it was interesting to learn that there is less pest control required for the fruit trees and grape vines in the Okanagan because the weather is much more dry than most other climates; apple scab too is not as big a problem.
For grapes, the industry is still relatively young in the area and still developing problems. Major issues are urban encroachment, water supply and water use, and soil quality, though the 2/3 coarse composition and low organic matter seem to be ok for the grapes so far. Generally, growers are applying fertilizers by the book which is resulting in overapplication. There is a need to be able to relate better to locale conditions. The concept of fertigation, in which fertilizers are distributed through irrigation systems, was also introduced to me.
As I listened, I realized more and more that my interests in working in soil studies related to wine were developing. The unique atmosphere of small acreages of high value make the stakeholder group attractive as well. Apparently, as of June 7, 2012, the cross provincial trade of wines has been approved which should alter the influence of the industry.
I asked what the responsibility of the Summerland Research Station is to the agricultural industry given it is a federally funded institution. The research is generally BC-focused, but there is a responsibility for the information to be applicable accross Canada. Currently, the station is being restructured due to budget cuts, which appears to be systemic when working in the public sector scientific community. In the past, Ag Canada used to be very regionally focused. The impetus of responsibility then switched to create national research teams and develop Canada wide projects, and the current restructuring is shifting back to being more localized. Nevertheless, cross-provincial projects still exist, such as a apple breeding program currently being shared with Quebec.
I then asked, if like Brazil's embrapa, Ag Canada has many international partnerships with other countries. The answer was generally no, but partnerships are often made between individual scientists from countries abroad. In terms of outputs, Ag Canada does produce Production Guides for farmers, grower groups and develop best/beneficial management practices (BMPs).
The most important piece of information I gained from this meeting though was this: As I enter my new academic career, it is important to know that the purpose of one's master's degree is primarily to learn how to do research. A PhD is about exploring your own ideas. What this means, is that it is less important to figure out what I am going to focus my research thesis on, but be open to the collaboration opportunities that come my way and ensure that these projects allow me to gain the skills, experience and tools necessary to be a successful scientific researcher.
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