Tara L. Moreau

I am half way through my two year program here at the NSAC and I still wonder how it came to be that I ended up in Agriculture. Growing up in the East End of Toronto, I was oblivious to the process of how the food on my plate came to be there. Although a city-kid, I was fortunate to spend much of my summers at an environmental children's camp in Northern Ontario. It was here that I was introduced to the fascinating world of vermicomposting, ecology and the environment.

My interest in the natural world, lead me to Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec. There I obtained a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biology and minoring in Environmental Science. After four great years, I decided to try my luck in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

As luck would have it, jobs in my field were limited and so I pursued international endeavors in hopes of broadening my experiences. With great excitement, I traveled to Panama, Central America to the Institute of Tropical Ecology and Conservation (ITEC). I spent three months exploring the Neotropical rainforest of Bocas del Toro. During my first month there, I participated in a general rainforest ecology course. Following the course, I stayed on as the research assistant for a reforestation project, aimed at reintroducing native species.

Upon my return to Nova Scotia, I stumbled across the Nova Scotia Agricultural College where I realized the extent of their graduate student program. Through a series of events, I was ended up working on my Master's degree through the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada. My graduate research has been based on investigating alternative pesticides for the Colorado potato beetle. The aim is to assess and compare various organic controls, in order to increase the options for organic potato growers. In particular I have been exploring companion planting and the spraying of plant extracts.

Please note: Tara has now completed her research, which is described in Companion Planting and Colorado Potato Beetle