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Mike Swidersky, sheep and beef farmer in Amaranth, right, answers questions from mentees on a farm visit last fall.
Livestock, News

Mentorship program helps new livestock faculty

LRIC initiative helps new Guelph researchers deepen their understanding of livestock agriculture

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Reading Time: 4 minutes Agricultural research is increasingly tackling topics that are multi-faceted and complex – think regenerative agriculture, greenhouse gas emissions or One Health – and more often that not, finding solutions requires a broad spectrum of expertise.  That means faculty from disciplines outside of animal or plant science can be working on agricultural research, but even within […] Read more
BioLiNE’s purification process isolates a fulvic acid that is very active, producing better consistency and performance for crop production. Shown here are corn ears treated with BioLiNE’s biostimulant versus untreated.
News

Fulvic acid produced from mushroom compost

Ontario company creates sustainable crop additive that boosts plant responses

By
Reading Time: 3 minutes As the focus on soil health and environmental sustainability grows, new products can help farmers improve their soil as well as boost crop nutrient and water use.  BioLiNE Corp., located near Alvinston in southwestern Ontario, is producing biostimulants — products that when applied to crops, stimulate the plants’ natural processes. It was founded in 2016 […] Read more
An Ontario company aims to reduce food waste by limiting foreign objects found in meat at the processing plant using its optical system.
News

Challenging their way to innovative food waste solutions

Competitions are becoming a popular way to encourage new technologies in agriculture and food

By
Reading Time: 3 minutes Challenge competitions are increasingly becoming popular ways to boost innovation. The idea is to harness the ideas and creativity of a broad audience of innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs in hopes of coming up with out-of-the-box solutions to tough problems.  Why it matters: A “challenge” approach to research and innovation brings new perspectives and ideas to […] Read more
Co-founder and Chief Veterinary Officer of Obi Veterinary Education, Ryan Appleby, says the winnings from the Guelph LAIRR competition will help expand its offerings.
News

New micro-learning platform for veterinarians wins pitch competition

Obi Veterinary Education helps veterinarians stay up-to-date without in-person learning

By
Reading Time: 3 minutes An online platform that makes continuing education quicker and easier for veterinarians won the 2021 University of Guelph Gryphon’s LAAIR pitch competition.  Obi Veterinary Education has created an online community where subscribers can complete required continuing education credits in short, easily digestible blocks of information. “The idea came from the challenges I faced in school […] Read more
Dave Smardon of Bioenterprise speaks at an event in 2018.
News

Bioenterprise builds a national agri-food innovation network

The Guelph-based organization is partnering with organizations with an interest in agriculture and food

By
Reading Time: 3 minutes A little over a year ago, a Guelph-based agri-food innovation accelerator set out on a somewhat ambitious quest: to build a national agriculture innovation network. Bioenterprise had a long-standing history in Ontario of helping start-ups and emerging companies in the agri-food sector along their growth paths, but there was no one-stop-shop at the national level […] Read more
The HydroGreen feed on a conveyor being moved to where it will become part of a total mixed ration.
Livestock, News

Hydroponic system offers year-round on-farm feed solution

The vertical farm system can make sense where land is expensive and dairy feed scarce

By
Reading Time: 3 minutes Imagine having a steady, fresh supply of livestock feed available daily that’s not subject to price fluctuation or unpredictable weather.  That’s the vision behind HydroGreen’s fully automated system that applies the principles of indoor vertical farming to producing livestock feed.  “In agriculture specifically, we have some very important dilemmas where farmers are being asked to […] Read more
The AGVisorPRO app allows direct connections to experts through the platform.
News

Instant expert access allows better decisions on the farm

AGVisorPRO brings diverse expertise in agriculture into one app

By
Reading Time: 3 minutes There are many experts in the agriculture sector with valuable input and advice to share, but making the connection when and where it’s needed is often difficult.  For Patrick Walther and Robert Saik, the solution is a virtual platform to bring farmers and agribusiness professionals together in real-time. The two co-founded AGvisorPRO last year in […] Read more
Soybeans have been the focus of many new products developed by students in the 25 years of Project SOY.
News

Innovation competition spurs creative product development

Soy-based anti-chafing cream one of 2021’s Project SOY winners

By
Reading Time: 3 minutes A long-running student competition at the University of Guelph that promotes creative innovation for new product development marked its 25th anniversary at the end of March with its annual awards ceremony.  The winners of Project SOY Plus 2021 included an anti-chafing cream made of soybeans, a vegan yogurt using chickpeas, and a dietary supplement infused […] Read more
There have been innovations in food used on the International Space Station, but travelling further will need new food solutions for astronauts.
News

Space agency looks for out of this world food solutions

Food innovations for space flight could also have impact on food security on Earth

By
Reading Time: 3 minutes NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are turning to Canadians for help in figuring out how to keep people alive during long future space flights to Mars and beyond.  The two organizations have come together with national food and agri-tech accelerator Bioenterprise and its Quebec counterpart ZoneAgTech to launch an exceptional call for innovation […] Read more
Some of the products marketed into retailers by Boreal Berry through FreshSpoke.
News

Online driven home delivery of local food products spells opportunity

FreshSpoke connects producers of food with local markets, home delivery and retailers

By
Reading Time: 3 minutes COVID-19 has been challenging for many businesses but for some, the pandemic has also presented new opportunities. One such company is FreshSpoke, an online Ontario wholesale marketplace for local food that has expanded into home delivery and curbside pickup in response to consumer shopping behaviour changes.  That expansion has also had positive impacts right back […] Read more

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