July 2016                                                                                                       
                   

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Welcome to the latest happenings in the OMAFRA - U of G Partnership:
Research, Veterinary Clinical Education, Agriculture & Food Lab, and Animal Health Lab programs.
    Fun Partnership Facts: Test Your Knowledge

  1. U of G researcher John Dutcher has developed nanoparticles from Ontar io  sweet corn, with the support of the Gryphon's LAAIR research commercialization program. These non-toxic, water-binding particles are of great interest to industry for uses ranging from food ingredients to pharmaceuticals.

 Question:  In what personal care products will the corn nanoparticles be found next year?
 
 2. OMAFRA and U of G have a long history of sharing research knowledge with producers, veterinarians, consumers and others who will benefit. Much like 'extension', the aim is to maximize the return on public investment in research.

 Question: w hat is the new name for this knowledge sharing activity?
 
3. U of G has more capacity in dairy research - both in terms of expertise and  facilities - than any other university in Canada. The new dairy research facility at Elora is an excellent example. Guelph is truly 'Canada's Dairy University' .

 Question: How many U of G faculty work in dairy-related research? 
 
 Answers to questions at the Bottom
U of G: Canada's Dairy University
 
The University of Guelph's world-class dairy research capacity has a new look thanks to the May 19 launch of 'Dairy at Guelph' , a researcher-led initiative marking U of G as Canada's dairy university. The event, which showcased Guelph's capacity in all aspects of the dairy value chain, attracted dairy industry representatives, investors, researchers and government dairy specialists.

More than 65 researchers from 12 departments and 5 colleges work across the dairy value chain at U of G. 

"Our state-of-the-art research facilities such as the new dairy research centre at Elora, and long history of dairy research truly make Guelph Canada's dairy university." said Prof. David Kelton, Dairy Farmers of Ontario Chair in Dairy Cattle Health.

In This Issue
Partnership Research Moves to Market
 
Some of the university's most innovative research technologies were profiled to industry representatives and investors at the Gryphons LAAIR* Showcase on Friday, June 10.  Technologies that had moved to market with the help of the Gryphon's LAAIR research commercialization program included: 

New lines of highly nutritious Ontario-grown quinoa are now commercially available.

$ High Immune Response genetic selection tool for dairy cattle (also being considered for beef cattle)

$ Novel, local strains of brewers' yeast

$ New lines of highly nutritious Ontario quinoa

$ Rapid fruit tree propagation techniques

$ Nanoparticles from Ontario sweet corn

$ High efficiency pump for aquaculture operations


 

Prof. George van der Merwe and grad students (l-r) Angus Ross & Richard Preiss have developed local brewers' yeast to help Ontario craft breweries be more competitive.



Gryphon's LAAIR helped U of G researchers with potentially marketable technologies to bridge the gap between 
research and product development, and 
to explore market costs and opportunities.

(* Leading to Accelerated Adoption of Innovative Research)
 
  Mobilizing Research Results
 
Seven new Knowledge Transfer and Translation (KTT) Research Program grants were awarded to U of G researchers to accelerate the impact of their work. Here's what the projects will accomplish:

Share the latest knowledge in sheep and beef genetics with farmers, through field days, workshops and videos

Demonstrate soil health measures at interpretive centre field days

Develop shared solutions to sustainable food systems through discussions with participants from across the agri-food sector

Build an Ontario swine KTT network in partnership with other livestock organizations

Determine the most effective delivery of animal care assessment programs by veterinarians, using a Focus Farms approach

Disseminate the results of the 'Measuring Farmland Loss' report to municipalities and farmers

Review and consolidate the scientific literature on swine influenza interventions and make treatment recommendations for veterinarians 
Developing Highly Qualified Personnel

HQP scholars Rebecca Egan and  Latasha Ludwig (l-r) are investigating intestinal immune response of calves to Johne's Disease. The infectious disease can be of significant economic consequence to livestock producers.

  
 
The OMAFRA-U of G Partnership is developing HQP graduates from across campus.  The  annual HQP scholarship program draws students from OAC, OVC, CBS and other colleges to address research challenges in OMAFRA's priority areas, and hone their business acumen through specialized agri-business curriculum.  

To-date, the program has trained 78 masters and 59 doctoral students . It's a win-win-win for the students, OMAFRA and Ontario agri-food industries, as they bring advanced knowledge and skills to the job when they graduate.

 Answers to Fun Partnership Facts Bottom

1 . Ontario sweet corn nanoparticles will initially be used in skin moisturizers because of their extraordinary water-binding properties.

2. Knowledge sharing 'extension' work that aims to bridge the gap between researchers and end users is known as 'knowledge translation and transfer' (KTT), or 'knowledge exchange' (KE).

3.  U of G has more researchers working in all areas of the dairy value chain than any other Canadian university - 65 researchers in fact, from 12 departments in five colleges across campus.