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From the President
OMAFRA Commitment Something to Celebrate
Editor's note: President Alastair Summerlee invites comments on his column at president@uoguelph.ca.
Last week I attended an event to celebrate the University and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) renewing and improving our partnership, which began 11 years ago.
It provided an opportunity for reflection on the magnitude of what we've accomplished and the challenges that lie ahead. I came away with a fresh perspective and rejuvenated enthusiasm.
When our partnership with OMAFRA began in 1997, neither the University nor the provincial ministry knew exactly what to expect from the relationship or where it would take us. It started out as a simple idea: let the University take over the delivery of OMAFRA research, education and laboratory programs — including research stations and three agricultural colleges — and make some 500 ministry staff U of G employees. For its part, OMAFRA would provide about $50 million a year in financial support.
Fast-forward a decade and a year.
The partnership now returns more than $1.5 billion to the Ontario economy annually. It also makes many contributions that cannot be fiscally quantified, like improving the environment and creating and promoting better public health policies. That's according to an independent economic analysis conducted late last year by Deloitte and Touche LLP.
Our relationship with OMAFRA is also held up as a model of a creative, effective government/university liaison, and we celebrated this fact during the event, along with unveiling the details of the new contract.
OMAFRA has committed to continuing this relationship for another decade, investing $300 million in the next five years alone. This is on top of $56 million in one-time funding the ministry allocated to U of G in the 2008 Ontario budget.
I already mentioned how much of an economic impact the partnership has on an annual basis. This, coupled with the fact that agriculture is Ontario's second-largest industry, means the investment is guaranteed to produce a healthy financial return.
It also shows the faith the province has in U of G in terms of continuing to play a fundamental leadership role in sustaining and enhancing Canada's ever-important agri-food industry.
But more important, by making this commitment, the provincial government is investing directly in the health, well-being and prosperity of Canadians, because the research conducted at Guelph affects people living in Ontario, Canada and beyond.
The U of G/OMAFRA partnership has, for example, produced omega-3 eggs and DHA milk, has improved livestock genetics and has resulted in pesticide and herbicide reduction. It also helped spawn the Environmental Farm Plan, a voluntary education and awareness program in which farmers evaluate the state of their farms and learn about best-practice methodologies and risk.
Our researchers also discovered how to derive energy from renewable plants and animal resources, to modify plants to produce pharmaceuticals and designer proteins, and to use plants to remove heavy metals from the environment.
We also developed biodiversity “bar-coding” technology that could revolutionize food safety through simple methods of surveillance and detection.
In addition, we've tested and developed nutraceuticals and functional foods that will build better health and boost disease prevention for all Ontarians.
Outside of Canada, U of G scientists helped Chinese farmers breed new strains of wheat using Canadian parent stocks. This resulted in increased yields of 30 per cent, contributing to China's ability to feed its people.
Our researchers have also travelled to other parts of the globe, giving freely of their time and resources to help developing countries with sustainability issues. Now nations around the world rely on our scientists for guidance and help in this area.
This is just a sampling of the many ways the U of G/OMAFRA partnership has helped address multiple and complex needs related to food and agriculture.
There is so much that can and needs to be done. The agricultural sector continues to evolve and is being looked at to provide solutions to a growing number of challenges, from producing food at a low cost to making greater contributions to human health to providing industrial raw materials and biofuels.
And U of G has a central and critical role to play in agriculture's future. As Canada's oldest and largest agricultural school, we have the history and expertise to lead the understanding of how the mandate for agriculture is changing.
The renewal and improvement of our already prosperous partnership with OMAFRA will allow us to further produce innovative research and education. For example, we will lead efforts to explore new research areas that include sustainable food production, environmental sustainability and the bioeconomy.
Guelph researchers will explore the use of recyclable materials made from renewable farm crops. Crop-based materials offer great potential for use in a growing range of products, including packaging, auto parts and building materials.
Some of our leading scientists from across campus are teaming up to investigate how to turn corn husks, stalks and leaves as well as straw, switchgrass and even wood chips into usable biofuels.
There will also be activities aimed at providing improved methods for addressing emerging diseases, including surveillance and testing, as well as initiatives that address public health issues related to the transmission of diseases from animals to humans.
In addition, we will be placing greater emphasis on research that will help us understand the links between food ingredients and health.
Knowing that we can count on another 10 years of support from the provincial government gives us the assurance, financial and otherwise, that we will have the resources to continue with our pioneering activities.
It also means that all Ontarians will continue to receive the social, economic, environmental and health benefits this partnership has produced.
That is something worth celebrating.