Introducing the Alliance Case Study Series on Risk Management

The disease outbreak that never spreads. The crop losses that never occur. The emerging threat that is detected and managed before it can disrupt farms, food supply chains or markets.

Success in risk management is often invisible.

Through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, investments in research, talent and infrastructure help ensure Ontario has the expertise and capacity to identify risks early and respond effectively.

The stories below demonstrate how long-term investments in research are building a more resilient Ontario—supporting farmers, protecting food production and strengthening the sector's ability to adapt.

Protecting the Harvest: Herbicide-Resistant Weeds

Weeds have always been a part of farming. Herbicide-resistant weeds changed the stakes.

Thanks to investment through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, Ontario farmers were not facing the challenge alone.

Through decades of Alliance-supported research, Dr. Peter Sikkema, professor emeritus in the Department of Plant Agriculture, Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus, helped Ontario agriculture stay ahead of an evolving threat. His work provided practical, science-based solutions that helped growers control herbicide resistant weeds, minimize yield losses, and safeguard profitability before the issue became a much larger crisis.

Read the full story: Protecting the Harvest: How Research Helped Ontario Farmers Stay Ahead of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds

The Ontario Interactive Animal Pathogen Dashboards

Emerging and existing animal diseases remain one of the most costly and disruptive threats to Ontario’s agri-food sector—triggering culling, trade restrictions, supply chain shocks and long-term economic damage, which also have implications for farmer mental health and animal welfare.

Today, that reality is changing.

The Ontario Interactive Animal Pathogen Dashboards (OIAPD) give veterinarians, industry leaders and policymakers near real-time visibility into disease trends, transforming how risks are detected, understood and managed.

Read the full story: From Slow Signals to Real-Time Defence: How Data is Transforming Disease Response in Ontario’s Livestock Sector

Herbicide-Resistant Weeds and The Interactive Animal Pathogen Dashboards are the first two topics in this Alliance Impact Case Study series, with additional stories to follow in the coming months.