May 2023

A collaboration between OMAFRA and the University of Guelph

Stories of the Alliance people, places and programs generating impact in the agri-food sector in Ontario and around the world. 

In this issue:

• Ontario investing in new poultry research centre
• New OMAFRA-U of G Agreement codifies commitment to IEDI
• Alliance advances KTT in agri-food during April events 
• Upcoming events
• Alliance people, places and programs in the media

U of G president Dr. Charlotte Yates, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson, Chair of the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario Dr. Lorne Hepworth, and representatives from the province’s four poultry industry boards.

The Ontario government is investing $13.5 million in a new, poultry research centre in Elora. The Government of Ontario, the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO), the University of Guelph, and the province’s four poultry industry boards signed a Memorandum of Understanding to invest in the new Ontario Poultry Research Centre to advance research and drive innovation for the poultry sector.

Ontario-led agri-food research conducted at this facility will support animal welfare, reproduction, and nutrition, as well as meat quality and safety. Results will be shared with poultry farmers and the broader poultry business sector to encourage the adoption of innovative, safer, healthier, and more efficient animal and on-farm production practices.

The new OMAFRA-U of G Agreement, which took effect April 1, codifies a commitment to strengthening Agreement-funded programming by removing barriers and integrating indigenization, equity, diversity, and inclusion (IEDI) into the Alliance programs.

Five key principles will guide the decision-making and delivery of Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance programs and the individual and collective behaviours of those responsible for and supporting the Alliance's goals and outcomes.

We welcome you to click the link below to read our full IEDI statement and explore our principles.

Two April events brought together local and international experts in the field of agricultural knowledge translation and transfer (KTT) to share ideas and best practices.  

The 2023 KTT Symposium saw more than 150 attendees participate online or in person to learn from an OMAFRA soil management specialist, U of G researchers and industry partners, and to hear an international perspective from Dr. Pierre Labarthe, a senior research fellow at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment in Toulouse, France.

The KTT Symposium was followed by the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE) conference. The four-day conference was opened by Lisa Thompson, provincial Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, who highlighted the importance of research and innovation in Ontario.

Agri-Food Research Data Workshop Series

Wednesdays, April to June, In-Person and Online

This series of nine data workshops will teach participants about data management plans, the new Ontario Dairy Research Centre Data Portal, strategies to document data and more. Click the link below for full details.

A selection of Alliance people, places and programs cited in popular and trade media.

Senators dig into soil at the grassroots level (May 15, Farmtario)

The Agriculture and Forestry Senate Committee goes on a fact-finding mission at the Soil Health Interpretive Centre in Elora on April 25.

Data Science: Blockchain’s role in improving food system safety and accountability (May 4, U of G Office of Research)

Blockchain—or any advanced analysis in the food system—first requires that a critical mass of food and production approaches be in place. The Alliance provides a foundation for agri-food research and innovation that is unmatched elsewhere in the country. 

Ontario Improving Access to Veterinary Care in Remote and Northern Communities (Apr. 20, U of G News)

Leveraging the existing University of Guelph Doctor of Veterinary Medicine curriculum, the new DVM program will focus on the recruitment of students from northern, rural and Indigenous communities.

Mental health tops list of COVID-related impacts in rural communities: U of G pilot study (Apr. 6, U of G News)

The study began in fall 2020 and was followed by a larger-scale project in 2021, funded in part by the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, that collected nearly 30,000 survey responses from residents in Bruce, Dufferin, Durham, Elgin, Grey, Middlesex and Oxford counties.

U of G-developed cutlery, stir sticks from biomaterials reduce plastic, CO2 emissions (April 4, U of G News)

Cutlery and stir sticks made from coffee waste material and biopolymers in a certified industrially compostable biocomposite resin recently created by researchers in U of G’s Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC).

Searching for sustainable agricultural plastic solutions (Mar. 30, Farmtario)

Dr. Erica Pensini, associate professor in environmental engineering, gives a research update on plastic alternatives to Farmtario.

Robots milking cows on almost 20 per cent of Canadian dairy farms (Mar. 28, RealAgriculture)

During his recent presentation at the South Western Ontario Dairy Symposium at Woodstock, Ont., Dr. Trevor DeVries, U of G Animal Biosciences professor and Canada Research Chair in Dairy Cattle Behaviour and Welfare, looked at key aspects of optimizing health and production on robotic dairies.

Comments? Feedback? Events or content to include? Email kttadmin@uoguelph.ca.

This newsletter is produced by the University's Office of Research. The views expressed are the views of the University and do not necessarily reflect those of OMAFRA. Questions regarding the OMAFRA-University of Guelph Agreement can be addressed to omafrago@uoguelph.ca.