University of Guelph faculty members belong to dozens of communities of research interest. The specialized publications you see here reflect the many activities underway to improve the lives of people everywhere.
Strategically Themed Newsletters
The University of Guelph’s Department of Food Science has been at the forefront of innovation for 50 years, since the School of Dairy Science was renamed in 1968 and its scope transformed and broadened.
Today, researchers in the department are engaged in a broad range of topics and issues spanning food safety, processing and product development. They integrate physics, chemistry and biology to uncover the basics of food science and new advancements pertinent to agricultural commodities at home and abroad.
As a result of their efforts, the University of Guelph has risen to be one of the world’s leading food research institutions, developing technologies and techniques that are used everywhere. They have been instrumental in helping U of G become widely recognized as Canada’s Food University.
This newsletter highlights major research achievements that have emerged from the University of Guelph’s Department of Food Science and gives a glimpse into new directions that influence how we create and consume food.
Canada is entering a new phase in its relationship with its 1.5 million Indigenous people. After centuries of adversity, the country is reconciling with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in ways it has not done before. This reconciliation requires a much deeper understanding of the languages, beliefs and cultures that distinguish Indigenous people — an understanding that effective research can help nurture.
Success depends on building relationships, consulting with communities and accepting traditional knowledge. University of Guelph researchers recognize the importance of Indigenous knowledge of land, animals and people, particularly regarding environmental sustainability, wildlife protection and mental health and well-being.
Guelph researchers collaborate with Indigenous communities and their leaders to ensure studies are pertinent, respectful and illuminating. Merging or overlaying traditional practices and wisdom with modern scientific methods breaks new ground. It brings unprecedented value — and excitement — to research findings.
This publication touches on various collaborative projects and partnerships between the University of Guelph and Indigenous communities across Canada and around the world.
Canada’s dairy sector is vital to the nation’s health, sustainability and economy, and to the University of Guelph.
Canadian dairy products meet the highest standards, and come from cows that are productive, healthy and well cared-for. Modern Canadian dairy farmers and processors invest in new technology and equipment, and support research at Guelph to ensure continuous
improvement in animal welfare, genetics, product quality and sustainable productivity.
That’s where Dairy at Guelph comes in. As a network of more than 60 faculty members and other researchers, Dairy at Guelph fosters collaboration and synergies in discovery, development and implementation. This global leadership has earned us the title of Canada’s Dairy
University.
Dairy at Guelph strives to increase awareness of the tremendous dairy research capacity and output at the University of Guelph. The following pages outline that expertise.
The Elora Research Station is one of the largest agricultural research farms in Canada, covering 2,310 acres. It’s designed to support intensive research in crops, soils, beef and dairy.
The Dairy Facility at the Elora Research Station is a state-of-the-art dairy research facility, drawing visitors from around the globe. Since January 2016, the facility has enabled world-class research that helps keep the Ontario and Canadian dairy sectors innovative, competitive and sustainable.
The facility’s unique design allows researchers to conduct a wide range of research projects with adaptable, leading-edge technologies, while supporting education and training. Research at the facility includes optimal weaning strategies,
genetics of feed-efficient cows and reduced methane emissions, and best management practices for new technologies such as automated milk feeders for calves.
The $25-million, 175,000-square-foot facility, completed in May 2015, is a joint project of the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO), the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), the University of Guelph and the Ontario dairy industry represented by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario. The Dairy Facility is managed by the University of Guelph through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration with OMAFRA.
Innovation fuels economic development, job creation, and trade across the agri-food sector. A world-class network of field stations, managed by the University of Guelph, powers this innovation in the Province of Ontario.
A huge $15.5-million facelift is underway at the Elora Research Station, with the construction of a new cow-calf research centre, a facility owned by the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario and managed by the University of Guelph under the OMAFRA-U of G Agreement.
A separate project will repurpose 200 acres of land to create pasture at the station and almost double the capacity for livestock on site.
Many farmers in developing countries around the globe can lose up to half of their produce after harvest. Much of it tends to spoil before it gets to the market, resulting in food waste and economic loss. Now, a solution has been developed: hexanal, a natural compound found in all plants, that helps prevent spoilage. This publication explores how using hexanal also has many other social and environmental benefits.
In Canada, food is big business. It’s our secondlargest industry, with one in five jobs being food-related. And the University of Guelph is Canada’s food university. So it follows that food-related research at the University’s College of Business and Economics is leading the nation in food-related research.
Immigration and growing diversity bring significant economic and social rewards to Canada, and offer opportunities both domestically and internationally. These trends also raise questions and create tensions as we strive to adapt to our changing world.
From family studies to economics and agriculture, University of Guelph researchers bring multidisciplinary perspectives to help us understand the contexts and challenges of immigration.
Precision agriculture is shaping the future of Canadian agriculture. And researchers at the University of Guelph — Canada’s food university — are at the forefront of the field.