Livestock Innovation

LRIC in the news 

Funding opportunities

• Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance call for proposals:  open, deadline 1 pm ET, November 7, 2023
• Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative: opens November 2, 2023; Information
• Rapid Response for Business Development: ongoing

Please visit LRIC's website for more information on the funding opportunities.

Sector-specific innovation highlights*

Poultry: Making birds resistant to avian influenza

Rsearchers in the UK are making progress on breeding poultry that is resistant to avian influenza, one of the industry's biggest challenges. Using the molecular scissors CRISPR/Cas 9, scientists made two small changes to a gene in chickens so it could no longer interact with avian flu viruses. In subsequent trials, only some of the modified birds still became sick; researchers note that because avian influenza is a zoonotic disease affecting multiple species, the goal is to achieve complete resistance.

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Swine: Preparing for African Swine Fever

With African Swine Fever (ASF) continuing to spread globally, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s National Institute of Food and Agriculture is funding eight different research projects to help protect the U.S. swine herd. These include development of portable electronic ASF-specfic antibody sensors, using nanosensors for disease surveillance, better detection of ASF virus in imported feed ingredients, and work that supports development of effective ASF vaccines. 

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Beef: Artificial intelligence can drive genetic change

Learning how to ask the right questions when it comes to beef genetics will be where farmers and ranchers will see the greatest return from artificial intelligence in the beef industry. According to Lee Leachman of Leachman Cattle Co., the real benefit will come from data acquisition and assessment.

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Dairy: Using tech to track dairy cow health

A start-up in Alberta is using artificial intelligence, images and video to track dairy cattle welfare, including being able to detect or even predict lameness earlier. A system called iClassifier measures and interprets as many as 25 different traits, inlcuidng udder texture and depth, bone quality and height and rump angle, to predict lameness. Lameness is a leading problem for the dairy industry, impacting both animal welfare and milk production. 

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Aquaculture: Regulatory constraints driving coming seafood shortage

With global fish and seafood consumption on the rise and wild-caught seafood unable to keep pace, plant-based and cultivated seafood products could be a way to meet consumer demand. However, there are yet to be any cultivated seafood products approved for consumer sale anywhere in the world. Research and innovation in the sector are still fairly new and unproven, slowing their path to market. 

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Cross-sector innovation highlights*

Automation:  Automating meat processing takes time

Change in the form of robotics and automation has been slow to take hold in the meat processing sector, despite ongoing labour shortages. That's because no two animals are the same, and it's hard to replicate the human eye and touch needed for precision cutting and on-the-spot decision-making. 

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Climate change: What happens if the world is too hot for livestock?

In North America and Europe, the livestock industry can deal with rising temperatures through breeding in traits from tropical and sub-tropical livestock breeds. However, the world will need to consider what to do if animals in those regions reach their natural temperature-humidity tolerance levels.   

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Carbon: Researchers explore how Canada's grasslands could store more carbon

A team of researchers from the University of Alberta is using genomic tools to understand how grazing managment influences carbon cycling and to measure indicators of changing emissions in cattle and soil. The goal is to store 32.5 mega tonnes of carbon in the ground through grazing management techniques and genomic tools. 

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On the horizon*

Six decisions for a new perspective on agriculture

In the Netherlands, societal debate and nature revolves around topics like cutting the livestock population in half to meet nitrogen targets by 2030 or 2035. There is also debate, however, over whether these are the right issues to focus on. A team of researchers at Wageningen University has identified six issues that they believe are critical to the future of farming and nature in the Netherlands - it's time for a long-term perspective, researchers say.

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Farmers tentatively embracing artificial intelligence

A small but growing group of farmers is using artificial intelligence for help with daily tasks, like drafting employee evaluations to finding information on government initiatives and are generally impressed with the quality of information they are given. They're more reluctant, however, to use it for answers related to farming as it tends to produce answers that don't match with farmer personal beliefs or are blatantly false. Instances of misinformation are called hallucinations. Earlier this year, Farmers Business Network launched an ag-specific AI called Norm in an effort to help farmers avoid hallucinations when using AI.

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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.

The Livestock Innovation Corporation is funded in part by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative.