2024 Honorees
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Cindy Denoncourt Université Laval |
Jean-Dominic Côté Université Laval |
Cindy Denoncourt, Recipient of CSSS Travel Award to Attend International Conference
I have been involved in agriculture since childhood, whether on my family’s dairy farm, in horticultural and vegetable production, with agri-environmental advisory groups, and through my own small farm of rustic pigs. Over time, I developed a strong interest in soils and holistic farming. After earning a bachelor’s degree in agronomy at Université Laval, I completed a master’s with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on the nitrogen legacy of animal manure. I am now pursuing a PhD focused on validating a global conceptual model of soil organic matter formation and stabilization in agricultural soils, based on operational fractions, with a particular emphasis on the role of animal manure in carbon storage and nitrogen supply capacity.
Jean Dominic Côté, Recipient of CSSS Travel Award to Attend International Conference
My name is Jean-Dominic Côté and I recently completed my Master’s degree under the supervision of Professor Lotfi Khiari at Laval University in Québec City. My thesis focused on evaluating the agronomic performance of eight fertilizing residual materials on corn (both silage and grain), assessing their effects on yield and nutrient balance across two growing seasons and contrasting field sites. In September, I will begin my PhD studies at Laval University, this time under the supervision of Professor Jean-Pascal Matteau. My doctoral research will investigate the use of biostimulants to improve potato yield and resilience to water stress, with the overarching goal of reducing irrigation requirements without compromising productivity. My research interests lie primarily in field crop production, with a strong focus on precision agriculture. This summer, I’m involved in over fifteen field trials, including fertilization and genetic studies. I’m particularly interested in applying multispectral imagery and decision-support tools to optimize fertilizer use, reduce production costs, and enhance the sustainability of Canadian agriculture. In September 2025, I will attend EuroSoil 2025 to present the results of my Master’s research. I would like to sincerely thank the Canadian Society of Soil Science for supporting this opportunity.