Livestock Research Innovation Corporation

Beyond the echo chamber

CEO Commentary: Last month, Alltech hosted the first-ever Canadian screening of its documentary A World Without Cows in Guelph. The film provides an unbiased, global perspective on the relationship between cows and the environment. In a film full of compelling statistics and powerful imagery, one quote stood out: “Farmers are the world’s worst communicators.”

Change is a freight train

CEO Commentary: My predecessor, Mike McMorris, told me once that the status quo carries tremendous inertia. Change can be difficult—especially when we don’t control it—but in today’s livestock sector, driving the change we need is more critical than ever. Now is the time to challenge the status quo.

News release: New Director of Research joins Livestock Research Innovation Corporation

January 15, 2025: Stephanie Lam, Ph.D., has assumed the newly created role of Director of Research at Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC). Lam comes to LRIC from the University of Guelph, where she held a Research Associate position in the Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock and managed projects in the beef, dairy and sheep industries.

Transformation and opportunity

CEO Commentary: As we turn the calendar to 2025, it’s a fitting time to reflect on how far we’ve come and set our sights on what lies ahead in Ontario’s livestock innovation landscape. The past year has underscored the critical importance of collaboration, resilience, and forward-thinking as we navigate a rapidly changing world.

How much methane are swine barns actually producing – and how can that be reduced?

Better Pork, December 2024: A lack of ground-truthed science is often a source of frustration for farmers when policymakers set arbitrary targets or goals for the industry to work towards. In the case of methane emissions from livestock production: how much is actually being produced and how much should the reduction be? What are the most effective solutions to create that change that will also be practical and affordable to implement on farm?

GRIP roundtable: a team sport for livestock innovation

CEO Commentary: Our recent Getting Research Into Practice (GRIP) roundtable highlighted a simple but powerful truth: GRIP is a team sport.

Reducing your farm's cybersecurity risks

The agri-food sector is not immune from cybersecurity attacks and its vulnerability is increasing the more it becomes digitized and increases its reliance on sensors, data collection and online connectivity. That’s why Dr. Ali Dehghantanha, Canada Research Chair and professor in cyber security at University of Guelph, has developed a security monitoring system available to farms and farm businesses.

CEO Commentary: Bringing the international perspective to Ontario

CEO commentary: LRIC’s International Research Advisory Committee (IRAC) gathered in Guelph for two days of meetings on September 25 and 26. This was my first in-person IRAC meeting and I was struck with the vast experience and breadth of knowledge the committee members brought with them.

Engineering a Better Farm

Better Pork, October 2024: The issues facing livestock now are bigger and more complex than ever before. We need to involve experts from automation, engineering, computer science and other fields and use their skills and knowledge to support the livestock sector.