Collaboration necessary to move research from the lab to the farm

By Lilian Schaer for Livestock Research Innovation Corporation

There’s no shortage of research in the livestock industry in Canada and around the world, and the swine industry is no different. Some discoveries ultimately end up being implemented by farmers and others in the industry, but a lot of research never makes it into practical use.

Improving that conversion rate and spurring more adoption of research outcomes is an issue for the entire livestock industry. Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC), an umbrella organization for livestock research and innovation in Ontario, is working on improving not just how research results get to producers but also how to encourage change on the farm and in the industry.

“For the Ontario livestock sector to be competitive and sustainable, farmers need a system that makes research results accessible in a way that encourages them to make effective decisions for their businesses,” says LRIC CEO Mike McMorris.  

LRIC has been working with Prof. Ataharul Chowdhury of the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development to understand the issue better and find ways to improve advisory services for Ontario’s livestock sector.

Since the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs dramatically reduced its involvement with extension - the term traditionally used to describe getting research results to farmers - in the 1990s, that responsibility has shifted to researchers, industry organizations and farm advisors. A similar transition across North America has created a patchwork of regional, provincial and sector-focused efforts.

Working with graduate students Ezekiel Martin and André Melrose, Chowdhury’s research has found that livestock advisory services in Ontario lack coordination and a unified approach.

There are significant differences between what is available for supply-managed and non-supply managed sectors, and fee-for-service and product-linked advice has become far more prominent in the Ontario industry.

Dr. Steven Roche of ACER Consulting presented an LRIC Horizon Series webinar earlier this year and co-authored a white paper on the issue. He says there are particular challenges with underserved areas of the province where farmers don’t have the same access to advisors like veterinarians, agronomists, nutritionists and geneticists.

“If the government is relying on advisors to educate and work closely with producers, there is a significant reliance on these advisors to have the right information-seeking behaviour and deliver it consistently across the province,” Roche noted during his webinar.

It’s about more than just access to knowledge, he added. To get farmers to adopt new practices, those delivering the information have to understand their audience, make their message relevant, and tailor their approach to fit farmers’ needs.

Chowdhury’s research showed, for example, that although various advisory methods and tools are used, including more digital services and online media, those that are most effective focus on one-on-one, interactive communication with farmers.

Roche suggests three things the industry must think about for what’s next with getting research into practice:
1.    Improve and enhance capacity, including training, scholarships and investments.
2.    Better collaboration between industry, academia, government and non-profit sectors.
3.    More coordination through a centre or structure to help guide activities and motivate change.

Tara Terpstra, a hog farmer from Huron County and director with Ontario Pork, believes increased collaboration to better bridge the gap between research and the farm is key to the future of livestock research.

She brings a unique perspective to the issue as she also sits on the board of directors for both LRIC and the Prairie Swine Centre. As chair of Ontario Pork’s research committee, she also serves on the board of Swine Innovation Porc, Canada’s national pork research cluster.

“I’m starting to look at the big picture of swine research across the country and where we need to go. That includes not just economic and production research but also societal trends and how it all affects climate change,” Terpstra explains. “I see collaboration as absolutely necessary moving forward and bridging that gap between industry and academia.”

That will also help get research results into the hands of farmers so it can be adapted and implemented on-farm. Terpstra herself makes a point of regularly attending industry events like the London Swine Conference or the Shakespeare Swine Seminar for research updates and to glean new ideas about changes she could be making on her own farm.

COVID-19 has cancelled most of those events in 2020 and 2021 - and many will still be virtual in 2022 - but she’s hopeful that a return to in-person learning and networking lies on the horizon.

Another boost to swine research in Canada will be the new Ontario Swine Research Centre currently under construction in Elora. The $18 million facility - funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Ontario Pork - is slated for completion in mid-2023.

“As Ontario Pork, we’re trying to maintain a competitive environment for farmers, and the new centre will be a wonderful step forward in being able to work better with academia,” Terpstra adds.

Read LRIC’s Getting Research Into Practice white paper or watch the Horizon Series webinar with Dr. Steven Roche. For more information on Dr. Ataharul Chowdhury’s research into livestock advisory services in Ontario, please contact LRIC at info@livestockresearch.ca or call 519-766-5464 (Mike McMorris) or 519-767-8583 (Jean Howden).

This article was originally published in the February 2022 edition of Ontario Hog Farmer.