Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Research event highlights ongoing dairy research

A recent dairy research event at the University of Guelph provided research updates to Dairy Farmers of Ontario board members and staff, as well as local dairy producers and industry partners.

“It is highly important and rewarding to share research results with the end users, such as dairy producers and dairy advisors,” says Dr. Todd Duffield, a professor in the Population Medicine Department at the Ontario Veterinary College. “If our dairy research results are to be adopted and truly utilized and applied in the field, they need to be shared with the dairy producers and dairy advisors of the province. The Dairy Research Communication and Extension event is an excellent forum to highlight our broad dairy research program to the Dairy Farmers of Ontario board members, executive and producer committee members.”

The day-long event highlighted ongoing UofG research in dairy food science, economics, production and health management, including: impact of environment and management on somatic cells counts; diagnostic accuracy of on-farm methods for detection of ketosis in dairy cattle; survey of management of reproduction on Canadian dairy farms; the effect of prepartum housing on metabolic and reproductive health in dairy cows; and incidence of hoof lesions in dairy cattle classified as high, average or low immune responders.

The research day wrapped up with Charlie Arnot, Center for Food Integrity, speaking about “Values Trust and Science - Building Trust in an Age of Radical Transparency.”

“The dairy industry in Ontario has been highly supportive of dairy research programs at the University of Guelph and this event is an opportunity to showcase the fruits of their support,” adds Duffield. The annual event as it exists now was first started in 2004 by Dr. Ken Leslie.

The dairy farmer organization funds the Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) Chair in Dairy Cattle Health at the Ontario Veterinary College, as well as the DFO Professorship in Dairy Microbiology in the Ontario Agricultural College’s Department of Food Science. DFO has also contributed significantly to the new state-of-the-art Dairy Innovation Centre currently under construction adjacent to the Elora Research Station.

 

Views: 115

Comments are closed for this blog post

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

10% of the Cows, Half the Beef Exported: How Canada Punches Above Its Weight

With just under 3.5 million beef cows and a fed kill shy of 3 million head, Canada raises a fraction of North America’s cattle — but exports roughly half of what it produces as live cattle or beef. Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) General Manager Ryder Lee says Alberta–Saskatchewan cow country, Ontario and Alberta feeding hubs, and U.S. packing plants in Washington, Utah and Pennsylvania are tightly interlinked, making border access and science-based trade rules non-negotiable for producers on both sides. Raised on a commercial cow-calf operation in southern Saskatchewan — just 20 miles north of Montana — Lee grew up in what he describes as “cattle country.” After earning an animal science degree, he spent six years in agricultural sales with Dow AgroSciences before stumbling into cattle industry association work. He spent a decade in Ottawa doing policy lobbying, then served seven years as CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association before joining CCA as General Manager three y

Agricultural giant at centre of urban-rural housing divide in Ontario border city

It's been all about building as many new homes as possible in Ontario recently, but now a big corporation wants to stop housing projects in the Sarnia area — something that’s pitting rural and urban communities against one another. Cargill wants the provincial government to utilize its Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) for the opposite reason it was originally intended. The tool has become increasingly common as Ontario pushes to build 1.5 million homes by 2031. An MZO allows the housing minister to override the local planning process and make decisions directly. Usually, that means speeding up development. But in Sarnia, Cargill wants Minister of Municipal Affairs of Housing Rob Flack to step in and block new homes from being built near its property. The company is one of the biggest agricultural corporations in the world, and it operates a large grain terminal at Sarnia Harbour. This is where farmers truck their corn, soybeans and wheat at harvest time. Some of the product also comes

KIOTI entering mini excavator market

On June 2 the manufacturer announced the release of the MX Series mini excavators

CFIA Reports Show Strong Canadian Food Safety Compliance Across National Testing Programs

New CFIA testing results show consistently high compliance across Canada’s food supply, supporting consumer confidence and trade credibility.

: Ontario Crops Show Strong Start Despite Weather Challenges

Ontario crops show steady progress with near-complete planting, early growth challenges, and rising weed and disease concerns across corn, soybean, and wheat fields.

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service