Your 2023 guide to chasing fall foliage across Quebec

Across Quebec, we're already seeing leaves start to transition from bright summery greens to the burnished, coppery hues of Fall—but the changes aren’t happening because the days are chillier.

Sports Logging: She'd never touched an axe before coming to McGill University

Even though she grew up on a farm, Stéphanie Naud had never touched an axe or saw before studying at McGill's Mac campus. As a natural athlete who loved the outdoors and working with her hands, when she heard about our unique inter-university lumberjack club, she was intrigued, she recently told Le journal de Montréal. 

Oh my gourd! Giant pumpkins in Lennoxville, QC

With fall officially here, it's time for Lennoxville, Quebec's annual Giant Pumpkin Festival, where people can see pumpkins that weigh as much as 680 kilograms.

The festival — which is taking place at the Amédée Beaudoin community centre Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — is a family event with bouncy castles, a petting zoo, a farmers' market, music and even horse-drawn carriages.

How can the use of plastics in agriculture become more sustainable?

It is impossible to imagine modern agriculture without plastics—12 million tons are used every year. But what about the environmental consequences?

The Impact of Wildfires on Birds in Canada

This was the worst year for Canadian wildfires on record and though fire season is not yet over, we can already start to see and look at some of the impact of fires on our ecosystems across the country. One population particularly affected by the fires this summer is birds. Dr.

Nationwide tracking sought for rare disease that is spread by canines, fatal if untreated

As cases creep upward of a rare disease that spreads to humans from wild canines and dogs, medical experts say it's important to get a better understanding of its incidence across the country.

Will California floods impact Quebec's food availability and price?

“In Quebec, it hasn't been good this year either. We lose California, there's still Florida, there's still Mexico. We hope that it goes well somewhere because we will pay for it, one day," McGill University agronomist and economist Pascal Thériault told 98.5fm host Luc Ferrandez. 

Quebec imports fruits, vegetables, and wine from California.

Climate change made weather conditions that powered Quebec fires twice as likely, scientists say

The record-setting wildfires that ripped through Quebec this summer were made more likely and more intense by human-caused climate change, according to a new analysis conducted by 16 researchers within the World Weather Attribution group, from universities and meteorological agencies in Canada, the Netherlands, the U.K.

‘Modernizing agriculture an imperative need for food production’

Modernization of agriculture is imperative for food production, Vijaya Raghavan, Distinguished James McGill Professor from Canada, said on Tuesday while inaugurating the Eighth Agricultural Graduate Students’ Conference at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

Canada’s devastating wildfire season prompts calls for new approach

The wildfires that ravaged Canada this summer have some experts calling for a more aggressive approach than the country has applied in the past. 

This year, nearly 30 million acres have burned across Canada. In eastern provinces such as Quebec, where blazes are less common, wildfire agencies that are equipped to fight fewer and smaller fires were largely unprepared for the circumstances.

Take a look inside this Montreal restaurant's basement farm

A restaurant in Montreal's Southwest borough is taking a more direct interpretation of "farm to table," growing much of their produce in the basement, refurbished with cooling, lighting, and humidity systems.

Montreal looks to boost lagging participation in food waste collection

All residential buildings in Montreal with under nine units now have brown bins—but only 63 per cent actually sort out their food waste, according to a 2021 survey conducted by the city. Meanwhile, the Lachenaie landfill in Terrebonne—the only landfill in the Montreal area—is set to reach its capacity in 2029.

The city says a large-scale food waste awareness campaign will launch later this year to try to boost citizens' participation in separating out organics. 

Palm oil plantations and deforestation in Guatemala: Certifying products as 'sustainable' is no panacea

Palm oil, which can be found in roughly half of all packaged supermarket products, is notorious for causing deforestation and biodiversity loss. Efforts to curtail the damage have largely focused on voluntary environmental certification programs that label qualifying palm-oil sources as "sustainable."

Natural structures can give rise to stronger, lighter systems

In a recent multidisciplinary study published in Advanced Science, researchers build upon the principles of biomimicry by drawing inspiration from the wing of a dragonfly to redesign that of a Boeing 777.

Sollio, McGill join forces on novel coated fertilizer study; PurYield is being marketed as a nutrient uptake enhancer

Sollio Agriculture has partnered with McGill University to test the benefits of PurYield, a new coated fertilizer which enhances nutrient uptake by plants. Researchers will compare it to commonly used uncoated urea fertilizer to assess its impact on corn grain growth, yield, and quality, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Previous trials showed a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.