Livestock Innovation

LRIC in the news

Coming events

Ongoing until March 31, 2023: Showcasing Dairy Research Excellence in Canada Webinar Series by Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Register here

January 24: LRIC Horizon Series webinar "Data. Simple answer but what's the question", with Dr. Martin Gooch and  Dr. Karen Hand who will discuss data use and applications in the livestock industry. 

Register here

January 25: Project Management Workshop for principal investigators to be more effective and satisfied with their research programs.

Register here

February 6 - 14: Ontario's manure tour. One virtual and three in-person events across Ontario on how to improve nutrient management by Ontario Professional Agri-Improvement Contractors Association.

Register here

Recordings from past LRIC events

Livestock and plastic use Horizon Series webinar with Dr. Erica Pensini

More to food than composition - comparing the A&W Beyond burger to real hamburger with Dr. Michael Rogers

Funding opportunities

Please visit LRIC's website for more information on upcoming and currently open funding opportunities, including: 

• Ontario on-farm climate action fund (intake Jan 4 - 18, 2023)
• Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (intake Mar 1 - 8, 2023)
• Climate-smart agriculture and food systems 
• FoodShift Program
• Farmland Health Check-Up for Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair Watersheds
• Rapid Response for Business Development
• Advancing Beekeeper Business Capacity

Sector-specific innovation highlights

Poultry: Antimicrobial resistance in Canadian turkeys

A new study out of the U.S. shows that using antimicrobials in feed and injecting them into embryos at the hatchery are the main causes of antimicrobial resistance in Canadian turkey flocks. The good news for the industry is that more widespread implementation of stewardship methods is leading to a reduction in resistance.

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Swine: Can pig manure be turned into pavement?

A team of researchers at the University of Illinois has received a $2.5 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to look at converting food waste and hog manure into pavement binder and transportation fuels. The team is using a hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) reactor system to turn manure into biocrude oil that they'll then separate into fuel and a biobinder that can be mixed with gravel to create asphalt for road pavement.

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Beef: Genetic tools can expand beef sustainability

Research from the University of Tennessee shows that current and developing genetic tools can be used to increase the efficiency and sustainability of forage-based cow-calf production. Greenhouse gas emissions are linked to feed efficiency, so breeding selections based on feed efficiency will both boost production and reduce emissions.

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Dairy: Methane-busting bolus could slash dairy cow emissions

The government of New Zealand is investing $7.8 million NZD (approx. $6.6 million CAD) into a technology that could reduce methane emissions from pastured dairy cows by up to 70%. The solution, which is also applicable to beef and sheep, involves placing a bolus into a cow's rumen that releases a substance that inhibits methane production. Dairy-farming in New Zealand is largely pasture-based, making methane-mitigating feed additives impractical.

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Small ruminants: App helps producers manage sheep flocks

An app developed in Ireland called Flockwatch can help sheep farmers manage their flocks on the go. Animals can be managed in groups or individually, and farmers can capture and track lambing, breeding, weighing, treatments and more in real-time from a smart phone or handheld device.

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Cross-sector innovation highlights

Antibiotic use: 9 research projects funded for beef cattle and swine

The International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture has awarded grants to nine U.S.-based research projects to develop management strategies for improving antimicrobial use in pigs and beef cattle. Six projects focus on cattle - five of which deal with liver abscesses - and three involve swine, where the focus is on mycoplasma and lamenss issues.

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Cellular agriculture: Will consumers accept cell-based meat?

Research from Wageningen University in the Netherlands shows that cell-based meat isn't yet capturing the imagination of consumers. Although perceived to be sustainable, ethical and animal-friendly, Dutch consumers also rated cell-based meat as less, healthy, natural or tasty than fish, insect and plant-based proteins.

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Alternative proteins: Anti-nutrients inhibit absorption of iron, zinc

New research out of Sweden has found that while many meat substitutes are high in micronutrients like iron, those micronutrients are often found in a form that the human body can't absorb. Researchers from Chalmers University in Sweden found that meat substitutes made from soy and pea protein, tempeh and mycoproteins (made from fungi) contained high levels of phytates that inhibit the body's ability to absorb minerals.

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On the horizon

Protein quality should be considered in environmental impact of livestock

The full nutritional value of foodstuffs needs to be full considered when calculating the environmental impact of producing different foods. This is according to new work by  Rothamsted Research in the UK, which used a measure of protein quality called the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score to represent how digestible a food item's amino acids are. Using this method, many animal-based products' environmental impacts were almost halved (e.g., dairy beef) while the impacts associated with wheat bread, for instance, increased by almost 60%.  

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Three consumer trends farmers can't afford to ignore

A food and agriculture leader at global consultancy Ernest & Young suggests farmers should monitor the following consumer trends:

• Consumers want fresh, uncomplicated foods
• Food miles and local food are becoming mainstream
• Younger generations are willing to pay more for organic or regenerately grown food.

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Thanks for reading. We'd love to hear your feedback about LRIC - both about what we're doing and what you think we should be doing! Please contact us at info@livestockresearch.ca with any questions or comments.