The Rural Voice, 1987-11, Page 31RESEARCH, cont'd:
similar pattern within the bounds of
the province. The Ministry of Agri-
culture and Food in Ontario has an
education and research division which
operates a Horticulture Research
Institute. There are three research
stations within that institute: The
Muck Research Station at Kettleby,
and two horticultural experimental
stations at Vineland and Simcoe. The
work of these stations includes the
development of new crop varieties.
The colleges of agricultural and food
technology conduct research for the
ministry on all aspects of agriculture.
Agricultural research is also con-
ducted by private companies, but they
concentrate on improving and devel-
oping products to sell to the agricul-
tural industry. Chemical companies
that make pesticides, fertilizers, and
drugs for farm use are major private
researchers. But research is an ex-
pensive proposition, and its results
often have little value in terms of a
marketable product that would recover
the cost of research. This is why
much agricultural research, as a ser-
vice to the farm population, is govern-
ment -funded. For while a more effi-
cient monitoring system or spray
program for any given pest is of great
importance to a farmer, it is not
something that can be sold. Private
firms will not do this type of research,
as it has no possibility for profit.
The results of agricultural research
are easily accessible to farmers; any-
one can get them from a provincial
agricultural office or news releases.
The factors that generated the results,
however, are what will determine
whether the research is useful and
relevant, misleading, or incomprehen-
sible. Some of these factors are: the
politics of research, fraud and errors,
luck versus skill in obtaining results,
and the distinction between pure and
applied research. It is hoped that this
series of articles will allow farmers to
think more critically about the science
that affects their lives.0
Ian Wylie-Toal holds a Bachelor
of Science in Agriculture and worked
for seven years at the Agriculture
Canada Research Station in Winnipeg
before moving to Flesherton with his
wife and two boys in 1986.
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NOVEMBER 1987 29