Reading Time: 3 minutes A soy-based dust suppressant developed by researchers at North Dakota State University (NDSU) is now being commercialized and brought to market in North America. It is sprayed onto dusty areas like gravel roads, mining operations and parking lots, but since it’s biodegradable and environmentally friendly, it could also be used on agricultural operations. Why it […] Read more
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Soybeans provide greener solution for road dust suppression
Biodegradable solution is more environmentally friendly
Automating dairy cattle health monitoring – from the inside
Ontario inventor creates dairy cattle bolus system to monitor internal metrics
Reading Time: 3 minutes A Toronto-based start-up has developed a real-time cattle monitoring system it says will help farmers increase the efficiency of their operations. Cattle Scan’s Bovine Monitoring Bolus tracks dairy cattle health 24/7 from inside the animal to provide early alerts of potential health issues before the onset of visible symptoms. Why it matters: Earlier intervention means […] Read more
Bringing Big Data to the Canadian beef industry
Drinking station also records cattle weights accessible by device
Reading Time: 3 minutes An Irish startup with a Canadian connection has developed what it says is the world’s first completely automated livestock performance and health monitoring system. StrongBó Agritech’s BovineHub collects and analyzes live data through its automated weighing system that company founder and CEO Micheál McInerney believes has the potential to reshape modern beef production. Its trials […] Read more
Agriculture technology incubators evolve during pandemic
There’s greater interest in funding food security and agriculture automation
Reading Time: 3 minutes Global farm technology investment funding hit an all-time high in 2019 of $4.9 billion U.S. According to the 2020 Farm Tech investing report by AgFunder, that’s an increase of 6.8 per cent over the year before, and a rise of 370 per cent since AgFunder first began tracking these statistics in 2012. And although the […] Read more
Regional vaccine helps manage swine influenza
The Ontario-specific vaccine is made up of strains commonly seen in the area
Reading Time: 3 minutes A preventive influenza vaccine for pigs was launched in Ontario last year. Now, new data supports anecdotal evidence from the industry that the regional vaccine is making a difference in managing an increasingly virulent disease. Piglets born to vaccinated sows showed higher average daily gain, lower mortality and fewer clinical signs of disease, according to […] Read more
Mobile genetic testing technology wins Guelph pitch competition
Harvest Genomics aims to provide on-location genetic testing of food
Reading Time: 3 minutes A Guelph-based start-up with plans to bring mobile genetic testing to agriculture was the winner of the second annual University of Guelph Gryphon’s LAAIR pitch competition, held online May 27. Harvest Genomics will use its $10,000 prize to develop and bring to market a portable DNA system that will make testing capabilities currently only available […] Read more
Beneficial bacteria found to boost crop yields, increase drought tolerance
Ontario-developed product still coming to market, will be applied as liquid
Reading Time: 3 minutes A Canadian crop nutrition company is using Trent University research into yield-boosting microbes to bring a new bioinoculant to market. Toronto-based NutriAg Ltd. and biology professor Dr. Neil Emery have received funding through a program supporting genomics-based technologies to refine and commercialize the innovation. The beneficial microbes discovered by Emery and his team have been […] Read more
Sensor technology could prevent foreign material contamination in processing plants
Contamination is detected from a distance away from the assembly line, avoiding extra cleaning and processes
Reading Time: 3 minutes A Calgary-based start-up is about to start trials on an innovation for food processing facilities it says can prevent foreign material contamination of food products. E.O.I Technologies is preparing to launch a pilot project with a major poultry processor in the southern United States that focuses on large-scale, remote monitoring and predictive analytics of conveyor […] Read more
Growth opportunities coming for oats
The crop has become a leading alternative to cow’s milk in beverages
Reading Time: 3 minutes Oats have long had a reputation as a heart-healthy cereal, but the plant-based eating trend is creating new opportunities for this crop. That includes oat-based dairy alternatives, in particular oat beverages. Nielsen data shows an almost 250 per cent increase in Canadian oat beverage sales over the last two years, and in the U.S., oat […] Read more
Livestock research evolves under COVID-19
University of Guelph research in livestock is an essential service
Reading Time: 3 minutes Livestock research is moving quickly to adjust to the COVID-19 reality. The disease also means new research opportunities at the University of Guelph. Most active livestock research at the university falls into three categories: shut down, scale back, or continuing/new, said Ontario Agriculture College Dean Dr. Rene Van Acker. “We aren’t closed as we fall […] Read more
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