Farmers with livestock should take some of the same precautions that they are taking with people in order to make sure they don’t transmit the coronavirus COVID-19 to their animals. Prof. Scott Weese, who works in infectious diseases at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, says it’s not yet known which animals […] Read more
Tag Archives University of Guelph — page 10
Sick with COVID-19? Stay away from animals if possible
There’s not much yet known about transfer to animals, but pigs are at largest risk
Resistance management is of utmost importance for cucurbit downy mildew
Changes in fungicide regulations have reduced the available treatments
Management of cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) requires more diligence with limited fungicide options. Recent changes in fungicide regulations leaves fewer options for farmers to control CDM, economically the most important disease for cucumbers. Why it matters: Re-evaluation of chlorothalonil has reduced the number of applications for cucurbit growers from seven to two. CDM has become […] Read more
Study looks at once-per-day milking of ketotic cows
Economic analysis remains to be done on the idea that shows promise in treating ketotic cows
Two weeks of once-per-day milking can clear up a high proportion of ketosis cases —although researchers are holding off on recommending the strategy pending further analysis of the financial drawbacks. Dr. Stephen LeBlanc of the University of Guelph’s Dairy at Guelph research cluster provided an update about ongoing research at the recent South Western Ontario […] Read more
Could Ontario agriculture be a carbon sink?
Professor says it could be done today – if enough imagination and will is employed
Could agriculture be a net-zero carbon emitter, or even a carbon sink? According to Vern Osborne, professor of animal biosciences at the University of Guelph, the answer is yes — and it could be done today, with current technology. During a presentation at the Farms.com Precision Agriculture Conference in London, Osborne detailed the future of […] Read more
Economics around variable-rate fertilizer challenging
The reasons variable-rate application has had lower adoption is a lesson for new ag technologies
There are good financial reasons that variable-rate application of nutrients hasn’t taken off like automated guidance. Guidance systems for farm equipment ensure complete coverage without overlap, University of Guelph Professor Alfons Weersink told the 2020 FarmSmart Conference recently at the university. That means savings of $8 per acre for planting. That’s enough to make it […] Read more
Clarifying data ownership for higher ROI
Researchers says greater ownership of data could help bring down barriers
University of Guelph researchers say farmers and agribusiness people need greater clarity on data ownership issues when it comes to the adoption of precision technologies. Sarah Marquis and Emily Duncan, a masters and PhD student at the school, presented this thesis at the recent Precision Agriculture Conference and Technology Showcase in London. Why it matters: […] Read more
The next step for cover crops
Researchers with long-term trials looking at productivity benefits
Long-term cover crop research is moving beyond the basics to more complex interactions between covers and row crops. Projects are now looking at how cover crops affect yield over several years, have an impact on crop quality and the value they could have if farmers get credit for reducing atmospheric carbon. Why it matters: Economically […] Read more
Making non-family business transition work
These two families found a way to make a dairy farm transition succeed
Most farm transitions today happen through succession planning between families, but there are growing examples of how non-farmers are making it work with existing farmers and on their own. FarmSmart, held at the University of Guelph on Jan. 18, presented opportunities for young individuals who don’t come from a farm to be successful in running […] Read more
Beef sustainability program expands across the sector
National program gains more traction in Ontario beef value chain
The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef’s program will soon be coming to Ontario’s largest beef processing plant — creating more opportunities for beef farmers here to sell their beef at a premium. Gurneesh Bhandal, Cargill Protein’s senior sustainability manager, told the Beef Symposium at FarmSmart recently that the company expects the audit allowing the Cargill […] Read more
Editorial: Still lots to know about mechanisms of soil health
The maintenance of soil health has come into much greater prominence in the past five to 10 years. That’s an important step — our soils are the basis of civilization and those that have not understood that have had civilizations collapse. Check out the Nile River delta today. We’re a long way from the lack […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
