Michael Kauzlaric works as a technology scout at Vineland Research and Innovation.

New tender fruit varieties are just peachy

Harvest window, flavour and climate hardiness among most sought-after characteristics

An early ripening, yellow-flesh peach will be moving into first stage commercialization next year. It’s among several promising new tender fruit varieties from the University of Guelph and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) breeding programs that are emerging as potential winners in research under way at Vineland Research Innovation Centre (Vineland) in conjunction with Ontario […] Read more

Honeycrisp is a difficult apple to grow, but easy to market due to crispness and taste.

Cold climate apples and grapes put University of Minnesota on the map

The work on cold climate fruit will have an effect on cultivars grown in Ontario, including Honeycrisp apples

As we head into fall, the name Honeycrisp will be on many consumers’ minds. The highly sought-after apple is arguably the most popular among the 27 varieties released by the University of Minnesota apple breeding program since its inception 111 years ago. Less well known, but nonetheless starting to make an impact on tourism and […] Read more


The production system at back40growers employs towers to grow herbs.

Ontario’s first vertical farm produces local herbs

Herbs have proved more profitable for the company than growing salad greens

An unobtrusive warehouse in a commercial-industrial area of Burlington houses Ontario’s first year-round supplier of locally grown herbs. Back40growers is also Ontario’s first vertical farm. Vertical farming is an emerging production system – plants are grown entirely indoors without sunlight and everything from temperature and humidity to light, irrigation and nutrients is precisely controlled. Why […] Read more

Bonnie den Haan explains the bottling procedure at Sheldon Creek Dairy.

Diversifying dairy

Small on-farm dairies are at forefront of introducing milk with more easily-digested proteins

An Ontario dairy farm and processor is the first to bring A2 milk to Ontario customers. Sheldon Creek Dairy at Loretto, Ont. launched its A2 milk venture earlier in 2019, becoming Ontario’s first and only the second dairy in Canada to sell this type of milk. Why it matters: A2 milk was identified decades ago […] Read more

The base is a container called the We-V, designed to be picked up with one hand and featuring an easy-to-remove lid that doesn’t require the user to set down tools they are already holding, which speeds up a process called subculturing —transferring cells from a previous culture to a fresh growth medium.

Plant tissue culture growth system wins award

University of Guelph innovation simplifies plant propagation

A tissue culture growth system was recently awarded the People’s Choice Award at the first annual Gryphon’s LAAIR innovation showcase and pitch competition. We Vitro, a new company that evolved out of research at the University of Guelph’s Gosling Research Institute for Plant Preservation (GRIPP), received $5,000 to further commercialization efforts. Its growth system is […] Read more


The LifeScanner collection kit and the mobile app where results are delivered.

DNA barcoding technology identifies pest species on the go

Sampling technology and new data network creates opportunity for better pest management

It has just become easier for farmers to access rapid pest identification thanks to an innovation with roots in research at the University of Guelph. The LifeScanner Species Identification Kit uses DNA barcoding technology to identify biological organisms like insects, food, plants or animal tissue using a sampling kit and a mobile app. “What we’ve […] Read more

Pigs have high rates of chromosomal abnormalities, which means they can have fewer pigs per litter if the abnormality is carried.

Limiting abnormal chromosomes can mean more piglets per litter

University of Guelph-developed test identifies boars with abnormal chromosomes that affect fertility

Technology developed at the University of Guelph can help increase the number of piglets born by an average of three to four per litter. That’s due to Karyotekk, a Guelph start-up that can identify chromosomal abnormalities in boars that affect their fertility, resulting in fewer piglets per litter. The business is based on research by […] Read more

Motorleaf’s artificial intelligence software can accurately predict vegetable yields from greenhouse crops like these pepper plants weeks ahead of harvest.

Smart software makes greenhouse vegetable harvest predictions more precise

Artificial intelligence system also automates disease scouting for greenhouses

Big data is powering new software that can predict highly accurate greenhouse vegetable yields weeks ahead of harvest. Using growing conditions in the greenhouse, Motorleaf’s smart system is able to estimate within a few percentage points how many peppers and tomatoes a greenhouse will produce and when. According to the Quebec-based start-up, a wealth of […] Read more


University of Guelph’s Malcolm Campbell, left, who is vice-president of research, and Sherri Cox, right, executive director of research innovation and knowledge mobilization, flank pitch competition winner Sujeevan Ratnasingham, founder of LifeScanner.

DNA barcoding technology wins Guelph innovation competition

Gryphon’s LAAIR program helps bring research ideas, many connected to agriculture, to market

A food fraud detector won the top prize at the inaugural Gryphon’s LAAIR innovation showcase and pitch competition at the University of Guelph. LifeScanner was selected by an industry judging panel as the winner of the $7,500 grand prize from six corporations in the competition, all with University of Guelph research roots. It was hosted […] Read more

A barn marked with a Be Seen Be Safe notification.

Ontario technology to track poultry production systems in Alberta

The goal of Be Seen Be Safe technology is to minimize disease spread

With the threat of African swine fever hanging over the pork industry and a devastating new tomato virus just discovered in Ontario for the first time, the need for biosecurity in the agriculture sector has never been stronger. Hand in hand is the ability to quickly and easily track movement on and off farms, which […] Read more