Stark helped negotiate the first formal partnership between U of G and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) — a collaboration between government and academia that continues to advance high-impact research today through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance.
Read the story on U of G News: Dr. Deb Stark Appointed Chair of U of G’s Board of Governors
Developed by the University of Guelph staff at the Ontario Crops Research Centre - New Liskeard SPUD Unit, the seed lines showed a consistent yield advantage in trials led by OMAFA vegetable crops specialist Travis Cranmer.
The University of Guelph has once again ranked sixth among Canada’s 15 comprehensive universities, a reflection of its academic excellence, robust research programming and campus community. The ranking, from Maclean’s 2026 evaluation of the country’s post-secondary institutions, is based on a five-metric system that includes students, faculty, resources, student support and reputation.
Dr. Mike Dixon, professor emeritus in the School of Environmental Sciences (SES), Ontario Agricultural College and director of the University’s Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility, and colleagues Drs. Youbin Zheng and Thomas Graham, SES, have received the NSERC Synergy Award for Innovation.
At U of G’s exhibit, attendees can engage with the University’s full continuum of discoveries and valuable partnerships with the agriculture industry.
From new inventions to research successes in plant breeding, animal care, honey bee health, food security and everything in between, visitors can learn how U of G researchers are protecting our trees, for instance, or taking care of pollinators.
Other highlights include made-in-Guelph inventions that are building a more resilient agriculture system and ensuring that every Canadian has access to safe and healthy food.
One U of G bean breeder grows nearly 100,000 plants each year at the Ontario Crops Research Centre in Elora. But, only a few thousand of those plants are needed for U of G’s breeding programs.
In this Fort Frances Times story, University of Guelph professor Dr. Rozita Dara explains some of the hurdles agriculture is facing with respect to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Read the story: Researchers look to help farmers with the adoption of AI
Harsher winters, a shorter growing season and variable frost are some of the reasons that data sourced locally important for Northern Ontario farmers. Melinda Drummond, cropping systems research technician at the Ontario Crops Research Centre in New Liskeard, explains the importance of local data from the site to Northern Ontario Business.
The Homegrown Innovation Challenge, sponsored by the Weston Family Foundation. has a goal of making Canada more food resilient.
The University of Guelph team is working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers on a hybrid greenhouse-vertical farm system that can grow strawberries all year long while producing zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr. Claudia Wagner-Riddle, professor in U of G’s Ontario Agricultural College, is leading the project, which compares grazed and ungrazed cover crops within a cash crop rotation while looking to enhance soil health and reduce the need for inputs. With the project in the early stages, Wagner-Riddle she says her team is looking towards a long-term goal of developing “new practical knowledge that will help the dairy sector to move towards net-zero goals while also being a thriving sector.”