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Stanford Blade
 
 
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Dr. Stan Blade currently serves as Executive Director of the Alberta Agricultural Research Institute (Government of Alberta
Alberta

Alberta is one of Canada Canadian Prairies Provinces and territories of Canada. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S....
).He was previously employed as the Deputy Director General (Research) for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture was established in 1967 as a non profit organization to find solutions for hunger and poverty through research for development activities....
 (IITA) which is is a research organization that is part of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research was originally created at the initiative of the Rockefeller Foundation, which had sponsored international meetings of agronomists at its Bellagio Conference Center in Lake Como, Italy, from 1968 onwards....
.

Blade was born in Alberta, Canada where he was raised on a dairy and grain farm.






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Dr. Stan Blade currently serves as Executive Director of the Alberta Agricultural Research Institute (Government of Alberta
Alberta

Alberta is one of Canada Canadian Prairies Provinces and territories of Canada. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S....
).He was previously employed as the Deputy Director General (Research) for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture was established in 1967 as a non profit organization to find solutions for hunger and poverty through research for development activities....
 (IITA) which is is a research organization that is part of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research was originally created at the initiative of the Rockefeller Foundation, which had sponsored international meetings of agronomists at its Bellagio Conference Center in Lake Como, Italy, from 1968 onwards....
.

Early life and education

Dr. Blade was born in Alberta, Canada where he was raised on a dairy and grain farm. He attended the University of Alberta
University of Alberta

The University of Alberta is a Public university research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the top universities in Canada....
 for his first degree (B.Sc.) in genetics. He obtained his M.Sc. (Crop Science) from the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan

The University of Saskatchewan is a coeducational public university research university located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, founded over 100 years ago in 1907....
 for a breeding/physiology study on wheat
Wheat

Wheat , is a worldwide cultivated Poaceae from the Levant region of the Middle East. Globally, after maize, wheat is the second most-produced food among the cereal just above rice....
. Dr. Blade’s doctorate was awarded by McGill University
McGill University

McGill University is a Public university#Canada located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university....
 (Montreal, Canada) for work done at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture was established in 1967 as a non profit organization to find solutions for hunger and poverty through research for development activities....
 on a Canadian International Development Agency Ph.D. Scholarship. The thesis topic was a plant breeding/farming systems approach to improving an indigenous grain legume (Vigna unguiculata L.) for use within the complex cereal-legume cropping systems of the West African savanna
Savanna

A savanna, or savannah, is a tropical, subtropical or temperate woodland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the Canopy does not close....
.

Career

Dr. Blade has served in a number of leadership roles in Canada, such as the Director of the Crop Division of Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (AAFRD), and Research Director of the Alberta Barley
Barley

Barley is an annual plant cereal grain derived from the grass Hordeum vulgare. It serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food, as well as the making of alcoholic beverages beer and whisky....
 Commission. Dr. Blade provided direction for 200 staff people and four major research centers, as well as working with universities and the private sector to develop innovative technologies. Dr. Blade has also worked in the private sector as Research Director for the Alberta Barley Commission.

Stan has had significant success with resource mobilization, including a $35 million allocation by the Government of Alberta to be used by a consortium of research organizations to deliver on the vision of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Alberta. Stan served as the AAFRD leader on the initiative. Stan has also played a role in the sourcing of approximately $20 million for his various research groups over the past ten years.

Research

Dr. Blade’s own research successes have included the development and release of the high-performing Cutlass field pea. Dr. Blade has participated in the release of several field pea
Pea

A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the legume Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Although treated as a vegetable in cooking, it is botanically a fruit....
, lentil
Lentil

The lentil or daal or pulse is a bushy annual plant of the Fabaceae family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about 15 inches tall and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each....
, cowpea
Cowpea

The Cowpea is one of several species of the widely cultivated genus Vigna. Four cultivated subspecies are recognised:*Vigna unguiculata subsp....
 and fenugreek lines. In addition, his research activities in crop diversification, such as his pioneering work on several new crops (low-THC hemp
Hemp

File:Industrialhemp.jpgHemp is the common name for plants of the entire genus Cannabis, although the term is often used to refer only to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial use....
, medicinal plants, industrial crops, grain legumes) has created demand for Dr. Blade to serve as a global consultant and speaker. Dr. Blade has been invited to speak on crop diversification across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Scotland, Germany, Poland, Sri Lanka, Australia, Libya and several other countries.

Publications

Dr. Blade has published 70+ research articles, ten book chapters, 120+ conference abstracts and has edited four books. He has been the winner of several awards from the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America. Dr. Blade is a member of several professional societies and international committees, as well as serving on the editorial boards of journals such as Agriculture, Environment and Ecosystems.

Travels


His work and travel have taken him to 80+ countries and territories:

North America - Canada, United States, Mexico Caribbean and Latin America - Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Brazil, Argentina, Chile Europe - England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Germany (including former East Germany), Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Yugoslavia (present Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina), Italy, Greece, Vatican Asia - Turkey, Syria, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Abu Dhabi, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Japan Oceania - Australia, New Zealand Africa - Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, The Gambia, Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania (including Zanzibar), Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea

Dr. Blade is currently a Trustee of the Edmonton Public Library
Edmonton Public Library

The Edmonton Public Library is a publicly funded library in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, available for use by any member of the public....
. Dr. Blade has served as an elected member of the University of Alberta
University of Alberta

The University of Alberta is a Public university research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the top universities in Canada....
 Senate, and participated as a senior judge at both the Canadian and Alberta Science Fairs.