Innovative agri-food research gets $7.2 million boost

A $7.2 million investment in Ontario-led research and innovation will increase agriculture and food sector competitiveness.

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The funding is through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaborative effort between the province, Agriculture Research and Innovation Ontario (ARIO) and the University of Guelph.

“Through this investment, we are helping to create an environment where farmers and agri-businesses can leverage the latest research advancements, products and innovations,” said Rob Flack, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA). “This will strengthen their operations and position the entire agriculture and food sector for growth and economic success.”

Why it matters: OMAFA has several ambitious goals for the industry, and research and innovation play a critical role in achieving them.

The 44 approved projects focused on animal and plant health, the growth of sustainable and competitive production systems, environmental sustainability will happen in labs and fields across the province, including Ontario’s agri-food research centres, a network of 13 U of G-managed sites to provide state-of-the-art testing ground for agri-food research and innovators.

“The University of Guelph brings unparalleled expertise to deliver solutions for Ontario’s agri-food sector,” said Rene Van Acker, University of Guelph vice president (Research and Innovation). “With this investment, we will continue to train the next generation of agri-food leaders while supporting a safe and healthy food supply for Ontarians.”

Ray Lu’s team will benefit animal health and welfare by researching a genome-wide screen for key cellular factors in African swine fever virus entry and their potential applications. Other projects will explore dairy calf resilience to heat stress, sow mortality, and the kinetics and biology of mucosal immunity to gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep.

Sustainable and competitive production systems research and innovation will delve into cost-effective carbon capture and re-use systems for sustainable farming, carbon-neutral packaging alternatives from agri-food resources to reduce single-use plastic reliance, a provincial legacy database for phosphorous and potassium research in corn and soybean and optimizing fertilizer management in winter wheat and vegetable crops.

“It is innovative research like this that positions the agri-food industry to stay on the cutting edge of best production practices and implement new technologies and techniques that will increase the competitiveness and sustainability of the agri-food sector,” said Lorne Hepworth, ARIO chair.