A collaboration between OMAFRA and the University of Guelph |
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Stories of the Alliance people, places and programs generating impact in the agri-food sector in Ontario and around the world. |
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In this issue:
- Province invests in U of G agri-food innovation
- Showcasing U of G research at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show
- Scientists one step closer to a sustainable bale wrap
- Special Initiatives Research Program seeking Expressions of Interest
- REMINDER: Alliance Tier 1 Research Program Call for Proposals
- Skills for Research Impact Workshop Series
- Alliance staff celebrated for exemplary service
- Alliance people, places and programs in the media
- Upcoming events
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Province invests in U of G agri-food innovation |
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Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Lisa Thompson with
U of G president Dr. Charlotte Yates, Dr. Malcolm Campbell, vice-president (research),
Dr. Loong-Tak Lim (left) and several U of G student researchers
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The Government of Ontario is investing $7.25 million in University of Guelph research to help advance a competitive and sustainable agri-food sector in Ontario and around the world.
The 50 projects funded through the Ontario Agri-Food innovation Alliance focus on a range of topics, from new packaging to lengthen the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables to supplements that improve cattle gut health and performance to research that looks at climate change, mental health and gender.
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Guelph Turfgrass Institute celebrates 35 years with new state-of-the-art facility |
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Grand opening of the new G.M. Frost Research and Information Centre on September 16, 2022. |
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A new turfgrass centre has opened at the University of Guelph that will foster research and teaching to support Canada’s multibillion-dollar sports, golf and residential turf industry.
The new G.M. Frost Research and Information Centre will be the centrepiece of the recently relocated Guelph Turfgrass Institute (GTI), which marks its 35th anniversary as a national leader in research, extension work and professional development for the study of turf.
Its development was funded largely by the Government of Ontario through the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO).
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GTI staff members cut the grand opening ribbon with Dr. Eric Lyons, director of the GTI, Dr. Lorne Hepworth, chair of the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario, Dr. Malcolm Campbell, U of G vice-president (research), and Dr. Rene Van Acker, dean, Ontario Agriculture College,
U of G.
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Showcasing U of G research at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show |
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Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Lisa Thompson with two
U of G staff members.
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Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show was back in-person this year and the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance was excited to participate.
Our theme this year was Breeding the Future of Food Together. Our table featured crop varieties developed by U of G researchers with support from OMAFRA through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance.
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Two Alliance-funded researchers were also featured as part of the Innovation Pavilion hosted by OMAFRA.
Dr. Erica Pensini displayed her prefabricated bio-based bale wrap plastic and Dr. Wael Ahmed featured his energy-efficient pumping technology for sustainable food production systems.
Both Drs. Pensini and Ahmed were finalists in the 2022 Innovations Program.
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Scientists one step closer to a sustainable bale wrap |
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Samples of bio-based plastics and their ingredients. |
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University of Guelph researchers have reached the “holy bale” in their quest to create a biodegradable alternative to about 3,500 tonnes of petroleum-based plastic hay bale and silage wrap used in Ontario each year.
Dr. Erica Pensini, an engineering professor in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, and Dr. Alejandro Marangoni, a food science professor in the Ontario Agricultural College, have worked with local farmers since 2021 to field-test spray-on and prefabricated silage films they developed from corn proteins.
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Support from the Alliance |
Dr. Erica Pensini uses the following Alliance resources to conduct her research.
Tier 1: Research project operating funding
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Special Initiatives Research Program seeking expressions of interest |
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The Ontario Agri-food Innovation Alliance Special Initiatives Research Program is seeking Expressions of Interest for projects focused on climate change and food security.
The desired outcome of this Special Initiatives call is to understand and address the impacts of climate change on agricultural/natural systems or biodiversity within agroecosystems that directly impact food security, food safety and plant/animal disease. The proposed work should clearly demonstrate the complex interconnectedness of the elements within the system in response to climate change.
This call will support one or more large, collaborative project(s) that will bring a One Health approach to explore climate change impacts, opportunities and solutions related to human, animal, plant and environmental systems. Projects are expected to be transdisciplinary and lead to multi-sector outcomes.
- Project budget: up to $1 million
- Project length: 3 years
- Expressions of Interest due November 22, 2022
An information session will take place Tuesday, October 11 at 11:00 a.m. in ANNU 141 (Animal Science and Nutrition building).
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REMINDER: Alliance Tier 1 Research Program call for proposals |
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The Alliance Research Program funds research projects that support strong rural communities, help keep our food safe and develop a prosperous, environmentally sustainable agri-food sector in Ontario.
The single-stage call for proposals for project operating funding is open until 1 p.m. on Monday, November 7, with an intent process deadline of Friday, October 14.
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Project proposals must align with OMAFRA Research Priorities 2022-23 and address a specific research question.
Eligible U of G researchers interested in applying for research project operating funding may do so through the Tier 1 Research Program Call for Proposals. If you have questions, email rescoord@uoguelph.ca.
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Skills for Research Impact Workshop Series |
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Faculty, research staff and graduate students interested in enhancing the impact of their research will learn how to successfully plan, execute and evaluate knowledge mobilization activities. Sessions will cover key topics relating to effective research communications and engagement of non-academic audiences.
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Alliance staff celebrated for exemplary service |
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Alliance recipients (back row) Holly Byker and Laurie Halfpenny-Mitchell at the U of G 2022 Exemplary Staff Awards. Absent from the photo: Ridgetown Campus Livestock Team |
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At a recent community breakfast, U of G president Dr. Charlotte Yates presented six individuals and two U of G teams with the annual President’s Awards for Exemplary Staff Service. The awards recognize U of G staff and faculty committed to excellence who have exceeded expectations.
Office of Research, Agri-food Partnership team members, Holly Byker and Laurie Halfpenny-Mitchell, were recognized for their exemplary service.
Byker is the manager of the eastern and northern Ontario Crops Research Centre sites. She received the Hidden Hero Award. She inspires staff and students with her work ethic and excellent service and has fostered an environment of collaboration and inclusiveness.
As director of the OMAFRA-U of G agreement and research programs, Halfpenny-Mitchell manages the University’s compliance with the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance’s conditions as well as its budget, which accounts for about 11 per cent of U of G’s total operations. She received the Innovative Leadership Recognition Award. Her personal integrity, her strategic leadership and mentoring skills, her commitment to building relationships and her rigorous oversight of cost-benefit data all help to ensure continuous improvement of the Alliance’s contributions to Ontario’s agri-food sector.
In addition, the Ridgetown Campus Livestock Team, which supports the Alliance, won the Wellness, Health and Safety Award. Ensuring top-notch wellness and maintenance of Ridgetown Campus’s animals and facilities used by students in the renowned experiential learning agriculture diploma is the job of the Ridgetown Campus Livestock Team of Mark Monden, George Woudenberg, Norm Tosh, Rob Reid, Dave Hogg and Christina Lockerbie-Thom. The group ensures that the livestock team has reliable and accessible use of the facilities and strives to share pertinent data, knowledge and other information. The team members have ensured prompt attention to occasional wellness, health and safety issues and even stepped in to help with livestock experiential teaching while an instructor recuperated from surgery.
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A selection of Alliance people, places and programs cited in popular and trade media. |
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CTV Northern Ontario visited the site as part of its Fields to Forks video series. CTV spoke with research centre assistant technician Melinda Drummond, senior cropping systems technician Nathan Mountain and Department of Plant Agriculture professor Dr. Joshua Nasielski about how research studies on soil fertility, nutrient management, environmental impact and pest management benefit local farms.
Just as farmers work to protect their crops and livestock from pests and disease, technology providers, governments and farmers need to recognize potential risks associated with cyberattacks and data misuse that come with ever more pervasive “smart farming” technology, said Dr. Rozita Dara, a professor in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.
“Cover crops can be good for reducing emissions but sometimes they can lead to an increase in nitrous oxide,” said Dr. Kira Borden, holder of a Banting Post-doctoral Fellowship in the Ontario Agricultural College’s School of Environmental Sciences (SES).
Sustainable features and new spaces for students at the new G.M. Frost Research and Information Centre are the focus of this article in Guelph Today.
A mental health literacy training program developed by U of G researchers for the agriculture community is one of three services offered to farmers by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).
The professors, both in the Ontario Veterinary College’s Department of Pathobiology, have been elected Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS).
Growing crops more efficiently to ensure food security while keeping soils healthy are key goals of a new faculty chair funded this year at the University of Guelph.
Farmers are diversifying land use and businesses on their farms, whether related to agriculture or not – such as a winery, wedding venue or winter retreat – to generate additional revenue and support primary production. Emily Sousa, MSc candidate and HQP Scholar, and Pam Duesling, PhD candidate, both in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD), explore the land use policy framework for on-farm diversification with the joint goals of protecting farmland and contributing to agricultural livelihoods. Their research project, led by Dr. Wayne Caldwell, is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance.
After exposure to the extreme temperatures, the seeds’ ability to germinate is the successful step Dr. Mike Dixon, a professor in the School of Environmental Sciences and director of the Controlled Environments Systems Research Facility, did not initially foresee but had hoped for.
Former PhD student Dr. Amanda Armstrong and Dr. David Kelton, Department of Population Medicine, professor and Dairy Farmers of Ontario Chair in Dairy Cattle Health, investigated hock injury healing in dairy cows.
"Farmers will benefit because they’ll know what they need to do to get free pollination services and increase their yields,” Dr. Amanda Licnzer explained, referring to knowing more about a bee's movement and how they choose which flowers they forage on.
Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) has a goal to reach net zero on carbon emissions by 2050. Dr. Claudia Wager Riddle, School of Environmental Sciences, consulted with DFC on its net-zero plans.
The U of G researcher, a professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture, says the federal government’s plan to reduce agricultural emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 would mean reducing the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers that are necessary for sustainable harvests.
On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Dr. Josh Nasielski shares what he and his collaborators are learning about the best way to minimize in-season losses using a 4R nutrient management framework — right source, rate, time and place — based on research at three Ontario Crops Research Centres sites in Ridgetown, Winchester and Elora.
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Animal Biosciences Research: Graduate Student Symposium |
NEW DATE: Thursday, October 13, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Animal Science and Nutrition Building, Room, ANNU 141 & Virtual (Zoom)
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Come learn from graduate students about the latest advances in Animal Biosciences Research at the University of Guelph! |
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Make an Alliance Connection |
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