Research

New University of Guelph research has been shown to improve existing surveillance measures for preventing Salmonella outbreaks.

In 2020, U of G researchers conducted a study to find out if and how the province's Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario’s Prime Agricultural Areas publication was being implemented. 

The software was originally used to identify and monitor Twitter posts about avian influenza, a viral infection that can kill chickens and cause severe economic losses for the poultry industry.

Like people using fitness trackers, more and more dairy farmers are using automated activity monitors as an important part of herd reproductive management. Dr. Stephen LeBlanc, a professor at the Ontario Veterinary College, and PhD candidate and Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) doctoral scholar Tony Bruinjé studied more than 1,300 cows in two commercial dairy herds to investigate the link between a cow’s post-partum health and the likelihood of detecting estrus by activity monitors for first breeding.

In a study of calves at the Ontario Dairy Research Centre, Dr. Charlotte Winder and PhD candidate Cassandra Reedman, both in the Department of Population Medicine, found that administering local anesthesia with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) pain relievers is the most beneficial combination to reduce pain caused by caustic paste disbudding in young calves.

Read the Farmtario story.

Protecting human and poultry health is the goal of University of Guelph researchers developing an artificial intelligence (AI) system to predict early outbreaks of avian influenza.

Dr. Rozita Dara, a professor in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, is working with Dr. Shayan Sharif and Dr. Zvonimir Poljak, professors in the Ontario Veterinary College, and postdoctoral scholar Samira Yousefinaghani to build a surveillance system that can predict the occurrence of avian influenza in a region.

A University of Guelph study of COVID-19 in small and rural communities emphasizes that government policy needs to include the pandemic experiences of those communities.

Dr. Leith Deacon, a professor in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) at the Ontario Agricultural College, conducted a large-scale quantitative survey in nine Ontario counties. He and his team examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted those living in small and rural communities to help governments develop more informed policy.

Melissa Williams, a U of G animal biosciences doctoral candidate, is investigating yeast as a substitute for antimicrobial use in feed for beef cattle. Her results suggest that yeast has the potential for similar average daily weight gain in beef cattle as traditional additives.

Read the whole story about this research, which is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance.

An interdisciplinary research team at the University of Guelph aims to expand and diversify the local craft cider industry.

The team, led by Dr. George van der Merwe, a professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, plans to help increase local cider production and expand markets in Ontario.

The Precision Feed Facility is the latest addition to a world-class platform at the Elora Research Station.

Look inside the facility and hear how it's making a difference to research at the Ontario Dairy Research Centre and the Ontario Beef Research Centre.