Research

In her exploration of farmer mental health, Dr.

Ontario farmers rely on tile drainage to manage stormwater and improve productivity on cropland. But as pressure mounts on agriculture from population growth, climate-driven water scarcity and a general strain on food systems, University of Guelph researcher Dr.

University of Guelph researchers are collaborating with Corteva Agrisciences and the University of Waterloo to evaluate the feasibility of using drones to broadcast winter wheat into standing soybeans, addressing a key Eastern Ontario challenge where optimal wheat seeding dates often conflict with soybean harvest timing. Read the story: Could Drone Seeding Solve a Key Ontario Crop Rotation Challenge?

Researchers at the University of Guelph aim to streamline the use of milk processing byproducts through inclusion in ruminant diets, helping close the loop in dairy production. A multidisciplinary committee of engineers, food scientists and animal nutritionists has been developing strategies to make SNF (byproducts classified as solids-non-fat, such as whey, skim milk and buttermilk) dewatering simpler and more affordable by first removing the proteins with sodium bentonite clay.

Traditional feeding strategies often rely on a gestation diet until sows are moved into the farrowing room. However, this approach may not fully meet the increased and dynamic nutrient and amino acid demands of the transition period, which can affect sow body condition, milk production and ultimately piglet performance. To address this concern, Dr. Nicole Gregory and colleagues from the lab of Dr.

University of Guelph researchers are continuing to explore how an Indigenous planting practice called the “Three Sisters” could contribute to future small-scale, sustainable farming and community-driven research. 

University of Guelph researcher Dr. Rebecca Hallett has been trapping, testing and quantifying canola flower midge (CFM) populations since 2021. Hallett spoke to members of the Ontario Canola Growers during the annual general meeting about her work determining where swede midge and CFM are feeding in this province.

Ontario wheat growers are constantly on guard against fusarium head blight (FHB). In Eastern Canada, FHB is the wheat disease that affects profitability the most.

The aquaculture industry relies on wild-caught fish as the main source of protein and fat in fish feeds. In a trial at the Ontario Aquaculture Research Centre, a U of G research team led by Dr. David Huyben, researcher in the Department of Animal Biosciences, investigated insects as substitutes for wild-caught fish used in fish feed, fishmeal and fish oil.

With support from the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, Dr. Rafael Santos, a chemical engineer and researcher in the U of G College of Engineering, has been studying wollastonite’s ability to improve soil and tackle greenhouse gas emissions. He’s digging into questions about how much to apply, which crops benefit the most and how much carbon the calcium-silicate mineral can sequester.