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Welcoming farmers, government agencies, supply chain managers, investors and more, the mission of the workshop was to inspire meaningful collaboration.

Rural businesses are finding it more difficult since the pandemic to attract and retain workers, with some sectors--like food services-- experiecing the most difficulty.

These are some of the key findings emerging from an Alliance-funded University of Guelph survey, which is part of a multi-year research initiative examining labour shortages in rural communities called Addressing Labour Shortages through Newcomer Attraction in Rural Ontario. 

These self-driving, weed-cutting robots will "transform the future of farming," says Dr. Mary Ruth McDonald, professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture within the Ontario Agricultural College.

Food Day Canada honours the work of farmers, fishers, chefs, researchers and home cooks across the food system. 

In early 2024, an outbreak of avian influenza virus (AIV) in U.S. dairy cattle prompted a burst of alarming news headlines and calls for action in the scientific community.

Up to this point, nobody knew the H5N1 strain of influenza could spread to cattle—though it had already devastated poultry flocks around the world and was known to circulate among hundreds of avian species and about 50 species of mammals.

The new initiative from the U of G School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) will build bridges between graduate students, rural economic development officers, and rural community leaders to connect knowledge, ideas, and networks. The project focuses on creating an in-person forum for facilitating these connections, creating a series of new knowledge outputs, and training/mentorship.

The outcome will create new knowledge outputs, new training and new networks to support agricultural and rural communities throughout Ontario.

A U of G robotics lab led by professor Dr. Medhat Moussa in the School of Engineering developed the robot as part of the Guelph Intelligent Greenhouse Automation System (GIGAS). 

It is set to begin sustained long-term field testing this summer with three partners in Leamington and Guelph.

Dr. Josh Nasielski, a professor in U of G's Ontario Agricultural College, said the study is to look specifically at winter canola, which is usually planted in late August and harvested the following summer.

Learn more about the upcoming 20-variety trial: Study could benefit canola growers - TBNewsWatch.com

A demonstration of automation and ag robotics attracted about 170 fruit and vegetable growers to the Ontario Crops Research Centre – Simcoe in early July. 

“The day was a chance to showcase new technologies that solve problems in the ag industry,” said Torin Boyle, site manager at the centre. “It’s a partnership between the Ag Robotics Working Group, Western Fair District, and the University of Guelph.”

Autonomous robot cultivators to free up workers, digital soil diagnostics to mitigate carbon emissions, and machine learning to help pinpoint plant genetics: these are a few of the new technologies that U of G researchers are moving from the laboratory into the field.

Read more about how technological innovation will help ensure a successful and sustainable future for the Ontario agri-food sector: U of G Propelling a Tech-Driven Agri-Food Future