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

December 1: LRIC Horizon Series webinar "Livestock & Plastic Use", with Dr. Erica Pensini, Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Guelph. She will discuss the relationship between livestock and plastic use and how Ontario's animal agriculture industry can make positive changes.

Register here

Funding opportunities

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

• Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands
• 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
• Honey Bee Health Management

Sector-specific innovation highlights

Poultry: Re-using litter can boost broiler immune systems

Researchers at the University of Georgia and the U.S. National Poultry Research Centre have found that "good" bacteria in used poultry litter helped strengthen the immune systems of broiler chickens. Re-using litter also reduce the prevalence of multi-drug-resistant strains of Salmonella, a finding that could have important global implications for human and bird health. 

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Swine: Fertility analysis platform nears commercialization

A global platform that provides livestock fertility analysis is inching closer to being available on the market. Analysis by Fertile-EyezTM predicts ovulation phase and sperm quality, which helps producers and breeders accelerate reproductive performance. Improving sperm analysis and ovulation detection for animal breeding are the to most important ways to meet the critical need for more edible meat protein, says the company's co-founder and CEO. 

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Dairy: Sector is ripe for innovaiton to meet consumer demands

Eight key consumer trends across human, animal and pet nutrition will help shape the dairy industry, says ADM Vice President of Marketing Brad Schwan. These include: expanded protein choices, balanced wellness, proactive personalization, trust and traceability, social impact, earth-friendly production and expertiential eating. 

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Beef: Vaccine research targets lumpy skin disease

Scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia are developing a protein-based vaccine to protect the nation's beef industry from lumpy skin disease. The highly contagious viral disease that causes scabby skin nodules and swellling in cattle and buffalo could cause severe economic and animal welfare impacts, including widespread culling of affected animals, if it spreads to Australia.

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Aquaculture: On-shore algae farms could feed the world sustainably

Nutritous and protein-dense micro-algae grown in on-shore, seawater-fed aquaculture systems could be solution to the world's future nutritional demands, without impacting environmental sustainability. This is according to a paper published in a recent edition of Oceanography, which describes a circular economy approach to the future of marine aquaculture. 

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Cross-sector innovation highlights

Cattle: Improving breeding programs with technology

Researchers from the Technical University of Denmark are using artificial intelligence, bioinformatiocs and gene sequencing to improve breeding prorams using embryo transplantation in cows. Until now, selecting suitable cows for an embryo transplant program has been based mainly on observation of physical characteristics. Bringing precision technologies like biomarkers to the process removes uncertainty and strengthens breeding programs. 

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Genomic tools: Developing new pinkeye treatments for livestock

Scientists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the USDA Agricultural Research Service have sequenced and compared the genomes of two variants of Moraxella bovis, a bacterium known to cause pinkeye in cattle. The research revelaned DNA differences between the variants, including different version of the toxin the bacterium uses to penetrate the eye, which will help in the development of new treatments for this disease.

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Cattle: The growing appeal of the grass-fed claim

A UK report suggests that as pressure towards farming and the environment intensifies, there are opporutnities to present grass-fed beef, lamb and dairy products as a positive and unique selling point for producers. Interestingly, food and drink-related Google searches for "grass-fed" are higher than for "sustainable" or "plant-based", suggesting that wording matters. 

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On the horizon

Gene edited crops are coming to Europe

The growing pressures of climate change eventually be what convinces skeptical European regulators to allow gene edited crops into the European Union, suggest industry observers. The European Commission is mulling a new regulatory framework for gene-edited crops, expected in 2023. 

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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.