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CEO Commentary: New beginnings
CEO Commentary: This fall is ushering in some big changes for me and LRIC alike. As I step into the role of CEO of this organization, I am invigorated by the tremendous work LRIC has undertaken and the excitement of projects to come.
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Study delves into centralized transfer options for Ontario deadstock collection
Milk Producer, August 2024: A follow up study taking a deeper look into finding solutions to the Ontario livestock industry deadstock management challenges has identified developing additional holding or transfer capacity as a way to reduce costs for both collectors and farmers.
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News release: Kelly Somerville appointed as new CEO at Livestock Research Innovation Corporation
August 30, 2024: Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) is promoting from within with the appointment of the organization’s newest CEO. Industry Services Manager Kelly Somerville will assume the role effective September 3, replacing retiring CEO Mike McMorris.
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Protecting yourself against cyber security threats on the farm
Ontario Beef, August 2024: High profile cyberattacks are increasingly making headlines in Canada as criminals target retailers, municipalities, health care providers and critical infrastructure. The agri-food sector is not immune from such attacks and its vulnerability is increasing the more it becomes digitized and increases its reliance on sensors, data collection and online connectivity.
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How the livestock industry can implement better disease surveillance
Farmtario, August 21, 2024: The more you learn about viral and bacterial threats to livestock, the more you wonder how we can effectively protect sector. When preparing for a recent presentation, I looked up pandemics that have happened since 1960. I was shocked to discover that there have been eight pandemics in my lifetime.
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University of Guelph, August 8, 2024: Research Excellence Awards recognize significant research achievements,
Three recipients (Jennifer Ellis, Charlotte Winder, Huiyan Li) are past participants in LRIC’s early career faculty mentorship program.
Click here to read the article:
https://news.uoguelph.ca/2024/08/2024-research-excellence-awards-recognize-significant-research-achievements/
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Coming events
November 14, Elora ON: Join LRIC on a journey to improve Getting Research Into Practice
Learn more here: https://www.livestockresearch.ca/events
Mentorship program
September 25, Guelph ON: LRIC is accepting applications for its 2024-25 Mentorship Program for early career faculty. Learn more here: https://www.livestockresearch.ca/early_faculty_mentorship_program
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Funding opportunities
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Ontario Pork open call for Research Letters of Intent, Ontario Pork, closing October 14, 2024
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Rapid Response for Business Development: Grand River Agricultural Society, closing December 31, 2024
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Cyber Security Preparedness Initiative: Governments of Canada and Ontario, closing January 20, 2025
Visit LRIC's website for more information on the funding opportunities:
https://livestockresearch.ca/call_for_research_proposals
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Sector-specific innovation highlights*
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Poultry: Poultry: Boosting broiler gut health with water soluble supplement
Adding a water soluble metallo-antimicrobial supplement to broiler rations was found to significantly improve bird performance even when birds are heat stressed, a new study shows. The research team, involving scientists from Alltech, Dublin City University and University of Kentucky, noted beneficial effects on performance, microbial composition and intestinal health.
Read more:
https://www.feednavigator.com/Article/2024/09/03/Study-Water-soluble-supplement-boosts-bird-gut-health
Swine: PRRS losses costly for U.S. swine industry
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is responsible for costly losses in the U.S. swine industry, according to new analysis by Iowa State University. Between 2016 and 2020, there was an 80% increase in production losses compared to a decade earlier, at an estimated $1.2 billion USD annually. It is the most economically damaging disease for hog producers, and controlling it is an ongoing challenge – the RNA virus causing it evolves frequently and vaccines have limited effectiveness.
Read more:
https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2024/07/29/prrscost
Beef: DNA testing to improve breeding efficiency in Canadian beef
Funding has been announced to support genomic testing of Canadian beef cattle. Over the next four years, Livestock Gentec will DNA test 40,000 cattle to provide producers with reports that will rank animals based on desirable traits such as fertility, lifetime productivity, feed efficiency and carcass quality. The goal is to give producers tools to breed cattle that produce less methane while also consuming less feed – boosting both sustainability and profitability.
Read more: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/agriculture-life-environment-sciences/news/2024/july/dna-technology-helps-breed-cattle-to-benefit-earth-and-beef-industry.html
Dairy: Dietary changes could slash methane emissions from dairy cattle
A professor of dairy nutrition at Pennsylvania State University believes that enteric methane emissions from U.S. dairy cattle could be lowered by up to 60% simply by adjusting forage practices and using feed additives. Dr. Alexander Hristov says incorporating legumes in place of grass silage could lower methane emissions, as could replacing alfalfa haylage with corn silage. Similarly, including concentrate feeds and increasing starch concentrations could lower methane yield and density.
Read more:
https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2024/08/20/us-dairy-can-cut-enteric-methane-by-60-through-diet-changes
Small ruminants: Controlling flystrike without chemicals
According to research coming out of Australia’s University of Queensland, a chemical-free control method for flystrike in sheep is closer to becoming a reality. The research team is using innovative RNA interference technology to affect the way the insect grows and develops. Work is now focused on particle-based delivery platforms that will help the control be rolled out effectively in commercial, real world settings.
Read more:
https://qaafi.uq.edu.au/article/2024/06/chemical-free-way-control-flystrike-sheep
Aquaculture: Collaborating on the welfare of caught fish
Aquaculture stakeholders from around the world are working together for the first time on consultations to improve the welfare of fish that are caught. The Catch Welfare Platform wants to find ways to reduce stress and injury to fish caught. Run by Wageningen University Research, the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research and the Nofima Institute (also in Norway), the platform has attracted more than 60 representatives from the fishing industry to find practical solutions for catches and processing on board fishing boats.
Read more:
https://www.wur.nl/en/news-wur/show-1/collaborating-on-fish-welfare.htm
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Cross-sector innovation highlights*
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Animal health: Breakthrough vaccine protects cattle against devastating tick-borne disease
University of Missouri scientists have created a first-ever vaccine proven to protect cattle against bovine anaplasmosis, a devastating tick-borne disease that causes almost $1 billion US in global losses annually. To create the new vaccine, researchers genetically modified the pathogen that causes bovine anaplasmosis by deleting a specific gene. Once injected into cattle, the animals were successfully immunized.
Read more:
https://www.bovinevetonline.com/news/veterinary-education/new-vaccine-protects-cattle-deadly-tick-borne-disease
Byproducts: Waste leather could boost soil health
Researchers from China have found that adding biochar made from waste leather to farmland could increase soil health. Waste leather-based biochar would not only reduce disposal costs and environmental impact, but also create a valuable product that enhances soil health and carbon sequestration, the researchers said.
Read more:
https://farmingfuturefood.com/leather-waste-could-offer-valuable-boost-to-soil-health/
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Methane must be measured properly if we want to reduce its impact
Methane mitigation is critical for reaching meaningful short-term climate targets and also buying much-needed time for achieving mid- and long-term goals. One notable short-term target is the Global Methane Pledge, which commits its signatories (155 countries and counting) to collectively reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030 – just six years from now. However, methane action in agrifood systems is lagging. One way that we can advance better climate outcomes in agrifood is by measuring the impact of methane emissions more accurately.
Read more:
https://agfundernews.com/guest-article-to-reduce-methanes-impact-across-agrifood-systems-we-must-measure-it-properly
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*Articles in this newsletter are selected for relevance and interest to the livestock sector. LRIC does not verify claims made by the article authors and we recognize that not all data is specific to Ontario. The intent is to select articles that will expose readers to issues, perceptions and developments that have the potential to impact livestock production.
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.
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The Livestock Innovation Corporation is funded in part by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
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