Student chefs explore farm-to-fork production at the Ontario Beef Research Centre
Culinary students from across Canada gained first-hand experience with Canada’s world-class beef production system through a unique field trip this past October to the Ontario Beef Research Centre in Elora, Ont.
The excursion, which was also attended by selected online food influencers, a collaborative venture among the University of Guelph, Agricultural Research and Innovation Ontario (ARIO), Canada Beef, Taste Canada and Canadian Food Focus. Students, coaches and beef sector partners attended as part of Taste Canadas Cooks the Books student cooking competition presented by Canada Beef.
They joined Dr. Katie Wood, a professor in U of G’s Department of Animal Biosciences, to learn about beef cattle production and technology and tour the facility, which is owned by the Government of Ontario through its agency, Agricultural Research and Innovation Ontario, and managed by U of G through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance.
Posted: Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Lead photo: The Ontario Beef Research Centre’s managed pasture is used for rotational grazing and research into sustainable beef production, soil health and productivity.
Wood answered students’ questions and shared current research intended to improve welfare, the environment, meat quality and beef production.
“I hope that by dispelling some common myths about beef production, I could increase these chefs' confidence in Canadian beef,” she said.
“Anyone interested in food needs to appreciate how it gets to our tables,” said Joyce Parslow, executive director of consumer marketing at Canada Beef. “The Research Centre tour provided some amazing information about both the science and the craft of raising beef cattle in Canada.”
“Information gleaned from the tour will help these chefs and culinary experts feature beef with pride in their work,” she said.
Troy Lymburner, a Red Seal-endorsed culinary arts and professional food studies instructor at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), attended with the silver medal-winning NAIT team. “It was really amazing to see the fantastic research being done at the Ontario Beef Research Centre to provide the best information to farmers and producers,” Lymburner said. “This work continues to promote and support Canadian beef as some of the best in the world, not only from the perspective of product quality but also in terms of animal welfare and sustainability.”
The research centre and on-campus facilities give U of G researchers a unique ability to perform farm-to-fork research from cattle management to food science and meat quality. Project information and results are posted on Beef@Guelph, the central portal for U of G beef research and knowledge exchange.
Get a taste for the tour
Supporting the Ontario beef sector
Research at the Ontario Beef Research Centre supports new innovations and technologies, improves cattle growth and efficiency and creates productive, healthy herds. It also helps producers meet evolving consumer demands around sustainability and welfare.
Specific areas of study include animal health and welfare, feed, nutrition, genetics and genomics, management and technology, reproduction and behaviour.
Besides touring a barn, visitors took in the research centre’s managed pasture, used for rotational grazing and for research into sustainable beef production, pasture management strategies and soil health.
For more information about beef research and expertise at the University of Guelph, and how the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance -- a collaboration among the Government of Ontario, the University of Guelph and ARIO -- supports the Ontario beef sector, visit:
- Current research studies at the Ontario Beef Research Centre
- Virtual tour of the Ontario Beef Research Centre, including the pasture
- Beef@Guelph, a one-stop shop for putting U of G beef research into action
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