University of Guelph, Office of Research

Greetings from Canada’s Food University, the University of Guelph! We are delighted to be together again with our friends and partners at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, even in this somewhat different format this year as the show goes digital. As always, we are here to showcase our latest innovations – innovations that we are sure will make a profound difference for the agricultural community we serve – supporting the fantastic agri-food sector in our province, bolstering profitability and future success, providing our fellow Canadians with safe, affordable and nutritious food, and all the while protecting the environment.

Even though it’s a different venue this year, we will still be showcasing the impact of University of Guelph’s phenomenal, world-class research and development. We are extremely excited to share with you the tremendous discoveries we have made and reveal how we are converting these discoveries into applications that address real-world needs and priorities in the agri-food sector.

This year’s University of Guelph R&D showcase is particularly special in that it celebrates the impact and importance of our long-term crop rotation and soil health research, and the importance of the research stations we manage in realizing the tangible outcomes in that R&D. For decades we have deeply examined the productivity and sustainability – the pros and cons – of different cropping practices making use of world-class field research sites we manage. Using the discoveries that emerge from these sites, University of Guelph researchers have devised new solutions and innovations that ensure crop operations reap maximum benefit – ensuring their productivity and sustenance well into the future. At University of Guelph we are incredibly proud of the fact that these profoundly beneficial local solutions have impacts that resonate the world over – our work truly has global impact.

The “secret ingredient” behind the successes we are sharing with you here is not so secret actually – we are able to achieve such incredible, real-world outcomes on account of our powerful partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). That relationship is embodied in the Ontario Agri-Food innovation Alliance – an R&D platform of high global repute. This R&D platform generates discoveries and fuels innovations that both address the priorities of Ontario’s $48 billion agri-food sector, and, in doing so, creates solutions that truly benefit all Canadians. OMAFRA’s $70-million investment in the Ontario Agri-food Innovation Alliance supports people, places, and R&D programs that generate a return on investment of approximately $1.15 billion per year. More importantly, because of this support, University of Guelph researchers can address the needs and the concerns of the agriculture community today while providing them with innovations and a highly skilled talent pool that will power the agri-food sector for the foreseeable future. All told, it enables we at University of Guelph to fulfil our ambition to improve life – for Ontarians, for Canadians, and for the world.

In this University of Guelph showcase, you’ll also see other ways we’re improving life – including our world-class dairy research for example – and you’ll have the opportunity to view webinars some of our experts participated in to answer questions about food and agriculture during COVID-19.

So, whether your interests lie in crops, livestock or soil; whether you are a food producer or food consumer (or both!); or whether you would like to join us as a student, a researcher or a partner in our aim to improve life, we believe there’s something here that is going to excite you. Enjoy!

Malcolm Campbell, Vice-President (Research)
University of Guelph