Features

Despite a recent Statistics Canada census report showing the number of Canadians living in rural areas continuing to decline, a University of Guelph rural planning expert says the pandemic could cause these overall numbers to reverse.

According to the report, the number of Canadians living in rural areas has dropped for the ninth census in a row.

Dr. Wayne Caldwell, a professor at the Ontario Agricultural College, says the pandemic-driven surge in employees being able to work from home has encouraged people to leave city life for smaller towns.

Lauren Lasocha is a graduate from the turfgrass management program. She now works as a senior agronomist at the Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, California. We recently chatted with Lauren to learn more about her University of Guelph experience and her impact on the turf industry.

Anetia Camacho is a graduate from the Bachelor of Science, Animal Biology program. She is a Medical Laboratory Technician for Public Health Ontario where she contributes to COVID-19 testing and diagnostics. We recently chatted with Anetia to learn more about her role and experience at the University of Guelph.

Milk prices rose significantly last week. While the price hike had been predicted, it’s going to be a significant added burden for many families, says a University of Guelph food economist.

Dr. Michael von Massow is a professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Rural Economics in the Ontario Agricultural College whose research interests include retail and restaurant food demand and pricing.

Improving human and animal health, ensuring environmental sustainability and further strengthening Canada’s dairy industry are the goals of a newly funded, $6.1-million project headed by a University of Guelph food scientist.

Dr. Gisèle LaPointe, a professor in U of G’s Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), will lead a five-year initiative in dairy microbiology involving nearly 50 U of G researchers and students as well as five leading partners in Canada’s $20-billion dairy industry.

Helping Canada to meet current and emerging threats to its crop plants and food security is the purpose of a new report by an expert panel including a University of Guelph plant scientist.

Released Jan. 27 on the Council of Canadian Academies website, the report identifies key risks posed to Canadian crop plants by climate change, extreme weather events and pests ranging from insects to diseases to weeds. “Cultivating Diversity” also pinpoints gaps and overlaps in governance, from registration of crop protection products to communication among federal and provincial agencies.

Growing up in Hamilton, Ont., with a nurse mom and a researcher dad, Dr. Lawrence Goodridge had homegrown role models for his studies and ultimate career as a microbiologist and food scientist at the University of Guelph. But he knows many Black people lack similar backgrounds and opportunities to contemplate, let alone pursue, science careers.

It was during her studies at the University of Guelph that Dr. Roberta Bondar had to shelve one career plan and pursue another – a choice that ultimately secured her a spot aboard the NASA space shuttle Discovery in 1992 as Canada’s first woman astronaut.

As she prepares for this Saturday’s 30th anniversary of the shuttle’s lift-off, she says her U of G roots also laid the groundwork for her subsequent career back on Earth as an award-winning nature photographer and champion of environmental activism.

As Canada’s new vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers goes into effect, a University of Guelph food economist wonders whether there might be better ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19 while keeping Canada’s food supply strong.

Dr. Mike von Massow is a professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics in the Ontario Agricultural College. He researches supply chain management and food value chain structure and performance.

With many provinces imposing restrictions on who can get testing for COVID-19 amid soaring case counts, a University of Guelph researcher says monitoring wastewater for the virus is proving a critically important tool.

Dr. Lawrence Goodridge, a professor in the Ontario Agricultural College, leads wastewater testing projects on the U of G campus as well as in communities across Ontario. He says his team’s work has become one of the few ways to get an accurate picture of the scope of this latest wave of the pandemic.