Threats to Ontario’s food supply from tariffs, climate change, cyberattacks and diseases have farmers and agribusinesses on their toes. Through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, the Government of Ontario, Agricultural Research and Innovation Ontario and the University of Guelph come together to protect Ontario’s food system and make it stronger, safer and more sustainable.
Headed by soil and environmental microbiology professor Dr. Kari Dunfield, a University of Guelph research team leveraged long-running crop trials at the Ontario Crops Research Centre sites in Elora and Ridgetown to map what microbial communities look like in different agricultural soils in southern Ontario. Findings suggest reduced tillage, higher crop diversity (such as winter wheat and cover crops), and more active cropping rotations are a win for bacteria and fungi beneficial to crop production.
Through a series of interviews with 36 Ontario farmers, PhD candidate Rochelle Thompson has been able to learn about farmers’ experiences first-hand. Thompson interviewed the farmers between March 2023 and May 2024. All had experienced some sort of catastrophic event associated with climate change, including prolonged droughts, barn collapses in a natural disaster and disease outbreaks. Thompson hopes to publish the results of her work in 2026.
This is not the first time University of Guelph researchers have explored the mental health of Canadian farmers.
For the third year in a row, U of G has ranked in the top 150 in the world for life sciences, placing 126–150 out of more than 1,200 institutions in this category. The life sciences subject area includes the core disciplines of agriculture and forestry, veterinary science, biological sciences, biology, biochemistry and sport science. Read the story on U of G News: U of G Ranks Fifth in Canada for Life Sciences, Top 150 Worldwide
Working with U of G professor and food safety expert Dr. Keith Warriner, Ontario-based company Clean Works commercialized Warriner's three- component sanitation process for food. Now, that technology is being applied to crops that are still growing, like grapes, to protect them from mildew and other threats. Aside from cost savings for growers, the technology is sustinable, producing only water and having no negative impacts on pollinators, water sources, or soil.
Dr. Bonnie Mallard's award-winning research is high-immune response (HIR™) technology, a test to find animals that can pass down their naturally strong immune response genetics. The technology, licensed to Semex in Guelph, has led to the creation of Immunity+® semen.
U of G scientist Dr. Youbin Zheng thrives on solving practical problems. How do you produce fresh vegetables in the dead of a Canadian winter? How do you ensure cannabis grown for medical use is safe, consistent, and sustainable? His answers have led to breakthroughs in plant lighting, rootzone management, and even the use of AI to optimize production.
Dr. Mike von Massow, professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics and Alliance research program director, spoke to CTV News Channel and
There’s now a solid line that unites the University of Guelph’s president’s office and the farm community, writes journalist Owen Roberts in Ontario Grain Farmer Magazine. "Van Acker’s grassroots upbringing, along with his strong academic foundation in agriculture, has struck a resounding chord."
Read the story: From Burford to top brass
The U of G Office of Research, Agri-Food Partnership team wishes you, and those near and dear to you, happy holidays and best wishes for 2026.
The University of Guelph will be closed from Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, to Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, and will re-open on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026.