Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Collaboration a key theme of poultry research day

Connections and collaboration were a key theme during the Poultry Health Research Network (PHRN) Research Day at the University of Guelph last week.

The research day brought together representatives from government, industry and academia to provide updates on current research and prompt discussion for future collaborations.

“The whole intent was to ensure that our industry partners and our researchers, either from academia or the government agencies that work with us, have a chance to mingle and talk about their research needs and what we can do to address those research needs,” said Dr. Shayan Sharif, an immunologist in the Ontario Veterinary College’s Department of Pathobiology and leader of the PHRN.

The University of Guelph has had a long-standing commitment to innovation in animal health and production, with one of the largest groups of poultry scientists and poultry experts in North America. The Poultry Health Research Network has been steadily expanding since its inception in 2012 and now includes more than 60 members from across the UofG campus, as well as industry and government researchers. 

Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph, addressed the group during lunch, pointing out how important it is to work together to “share resources and specific expertise to solve global problems.”

Bringing everyone together in the room is where it needs to start, he added. “We’ve got researchers from the government here, we’ve got researchers from university, we’ve got industry and that’s really the chemistry we need to drive forward.”

Photo, from left: Dr. Malcolm Campbell, VP Research, University of Guelph; Lloyd Longfield, MP for Guelph; Dr. Jeff Wichtel, Dean, OVC; Dr. Wayne Caldwell, Interim Dean, Ontario Agricultural College; Dr. Shayan Sharif, OVC.

“Here at the University of Guelph we have an unprecedented and unique gathering of expertise in support of the poultry industry,” said OVC Dean Jeff Wichtel, in addressing the group. “It involves upwards of five of our seven colleges and spans the breadth from poultry welfare right through to vaccine development and molecular basis for immunity to disease.”

During the day, UofG researchers, including MSc, PhD students and post-doctoral researchers, outlined current research in a variety of areas, including poultry welfare, biosecurity, vaccine development, nutrition, and antimicrobial resistance. Afternoon presentations with industry representatives, including pharmaceutical, feed, genetics and equipment companies, and researchers provided a forum to explore areas of mutual interest for future collaborations.

Sharif recognized funding from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for part of the research day and also acknowledged the Poultry Industry Council, Canadian Poultry Research Council, Livestock Research Innovation Corporation and the Ontario Veterinary College for their ongoing support for PHRN’s work.

Follow PHRN on Twitter  @PHRN_

Follow OVC on Twitter @OntVetCollege

 

Views: 172

Comments are closed for this blog post

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

Steady Ontario Planting Progress

Ontario producers continued to make steady planting progress over the past week, although intermittent rainfall and uneven field conditions are still creating a patchwork of advancement across the province. Corn planting reached 86% complete as of Wednesday, according to Grain Farmers of Ontario’s weekly field observations report on Thursday. That is up from 74% a week earlier. Progress varies widely by region, with some areas wrapping up seeding while others remain delayed due to rainfall differences, heavier soils, and lingering wet field conditions. Corn development remains in its early stages, ranging from emergence to the two-leaf stage, but warm temperatures forecast this week are expected to support rapid crop growth. As planting windows narrow, some producers are beginning to shift intended corn acres into soybeans, the report said. Soybean planting also accelerated during the week, reaching 61% complete compared to 39% previously. However, heavy-clay regions remain behin

Canadian Farm Debt Rises in 2025, but at Slower Pace

Canadian farm debt continued to increase in 2025, although at a slower pace. A Statistics Canada farm income report released earlier this week pegged total nationwide farm debt at the end of last year at $179.1 billion. That is still a 7.5% increase from the previous year but well down from the 14.1% increase in debt that farmers took on in 2024 compared to 2023. Meanwhile, StatsCan data shows farm interest expenses reached $9.19 billion in 2025, up $90.99 million from $9.1 billion in 2024, representing a modest year-over-year increase of about 1%. The increase in 2025 interest expenses followed a much steeper jump in 2024, when annual farm interest expenses surged by roughly $2.02 billion to $9.1 billion — an increase of 28.6%. That sharp rise in 2024 interest expenses reflected the impact of higher interest rates across the economy, which significantly increased borrowing costs for producers at a time when many farms were already facing elevated expenses for inputs, machinery,

Chicago Close: Weaker into Weekend as Crude Falls

Losses in crude oil weighed on crop futures Friday, as easing geopolitical tensions and improving crop prospects combined to pressured into the weekend. Wheat led the declines as traders removed weather and geopolitical risk premium from the market. Benchmark Chicago wheat fell for the sixth time in seven sessions amid improving weather conditions across key production regions. Losses in crude oil, due to growing expectations the U.S. and Iran could move closer to a peace agreement, added to the downside. July Chicago dropped 13 ½ cents to $6.10 ½, and July Kansas City dropped 15 ½ cents to $6.49 ¾. July Hard Red Spring tumbled 36 ½ cents to $6.72 ¼, and July Minneapolis lost 13 ½ cents to $6.63 ¾. Corn futures also moved lower as traders reduced risk exposure ahead of the weekend. Export demand offered limited support, with USDA reporting 1.015 million tonnes of old-crop export sales for 2025-26, near the lower end of expectations and down sharply from the previous week. However,

At Olds College Smart Farm, everything is new

If you take Alberta’s Highway 2 south from Edmonton toward Calgary, the landscape is pure prairie. The highway bisects fields that unfold endlessly toward a horizon that most evenings is a pastel blend of mauve and sherbet orange. There’s little else along this stretch of rural paradise, save for rest stops and the occasional lonely highway casino, their parking lots full of F-150s. Driving this route between Alberta’s major cities can become so routine that the only way to tell you’re actually moving is to count the passing farms that dot the landscape. One of those farms is distinctly not like the others. Just 45 minutes shy of Red Deer, in Olds, Alta., sits the Olds College Smart Farm. The 3,300 acres on which this part of a century-old post-secondary institution sits look like most other farms in the area. The fields rotate with the seasons between green, canola yellow, and gold. Its herd of purebred Red Angus cattle and flocks of sheep graze leisurely in the feedlot. But l

Lamb 'too costly' for some Muslims in Manitoba ahead of Eid al-Adha celebrations

A halal grocery store owner in Winnipeg says the rising cost of lamb has made it difficult for some Muslims to buy the animal or meat ahead of Eid al-Adha on Wednesday. The Festival of Sacrifice is an Islamic holiday that celebrates the prophet Ibrahim's obedience and loyalty to Allah, reminding Muslims of community and to practise gratitude and selflessness. On this day, it's traditional to have a lamb slaughtered — a practice known as Qurbani — and share its meat with family, friends and those in need. Khaldoun Majani said the price of lamb has nearly doubled to $28.50 per kilogram at his store since he started running Alsham Food Market in Winnipeg more than a decade ago. A lot of people want to buy lamb for Eid al-Adha, "but at the same time, they feel like it's out of budget," he said. "That makes it [a] little bit hard for some people." The Manitoba Islamic Association expects some community members, especially newcomers, to find alternatives to slaughtering a lamb themselv

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service