Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Annual Mike Wilson Swine Research day provides updates and networking opportunities

Traceability and predicting future research areas were two of the topics on the agenda at the recent Mike Wilson Swine Research Day at the University of Guelph.

The annual Swine Research Day provides updates on current research as well as networking opportunities with faculty, grad students, industry representatives and keynote speakers. Wilson was a faculty member in OVC’s Population Medicine department from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s.

The research day provides an opportunity to share information, but it is also a valuable opportunity to connect with others in the industry, said Dr. Robert Friendship, Population Medicine, who organized the annual event.

The day’s first keynote speaker, Tim Nelson, Livestock Research Innovation Corporation, outlined LRIC’s role in determining research priorities, as well as some perspectives on determining what kind of research will be needed in the future.

“To predict correctly, we have to pay attention to everyone who is trying to shape the outcome,” he said, including industry, researchers, the processing industry, retailers and consumers. 

From the mid to late 20th century, production was the driving force in research, he added. Genetics, disease management and nutrition were the things that drove production.

Now consumers are looking for more variety, nutritional attributes, added value, and paying close attention to environmental and welfare concerns, he added.

Keynote speaker Dr. Dan Hurnik, University of Prince Edward Island, outlined gains in pig movement and traceability. “Traceability gives consumers trust in the production system,” he said, and allows the industry “to do much better problem-solving and mitigation of risk areas.” Movement data can be used to build predictive models to help mitigate the spread of disease, he added.

Additional presentations included research surrounding swine influenza, anemia in weaned piglets, and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea, as well as more than a dozen poster presentations from masters and PhD students.

Views: 118

Comments are closed for this blog post

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Neo-P causes PEI strawberry grower to close U-pick patch

A relatively new disease, neopestalotiopsis, or Neo-P, is causing economic damage to strawberry growers. The fungal pathogen was first reported in Ontario in 2020, but it is now threatening growers as far afield as Prince Edward Island. 

Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser to headline GGO 40th Celebrity Luncheon

The Grape Growers of Ontario’s (GGO)

CanAgPlus AGM to be held Dec 3 in Calgary

The 2025 Annual General Meeting for CanAgPlus, the not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates the CanadaGAP Program, will be held on December 3, 2025 at the Westin Hotel in downtown Calgary, Alberta.

Ontario projects announced for food safety and traceability funding

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $4.4 million under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to help small businesses in the agri-food industry grow their businesses and enhance their food safety and traceability systems. This funding will support 90 projects across the province through Ontario’s Food Safety and Growth Initiative. 

Dispute Resolution Corporation re-elects three board members

The Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) successfully convened its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, May 29, 2025. The meeting was held both in person and virtually, bringing together DRC members, staff, and Board Directors to discuss the corporation’s progress and future direction.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service