News

What does the future of food look like?  

The University of Guelph will help answer that question and more as it takes part in the 100th anniversary of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair – the largest fair of its kind in the world. The event takes place Nov. 4-13 under the theme “A Century of Champions.” 

The fair will encourage its 300,000 visitors to discover and learn about all that is equestrian, agricultural, culinary and educational.  

Two research leaders have been appointed to chair positions within the Ontario Agricultural College to advance research programs focused on climate change adaption and resilience.

Dr. Asim Biswas, School of Environmental Sciences, has been appointed as the OAC Chair in Soils and Precision Agriculture, and Dr. Angela Cánovas, Department of Animal Biosciences, has been appointed as the OAC Chair in Phenomics and Systems Biology.

It is with sympathy that we share the passing of William (Bill) Stammers on October 18, 2022. Bill received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1954 and M.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering in 1956 from the Ontario Agricultural College. He later returned to the newly formed University of Guelph to join the School of Engineering as a faculty member. He was a professor in the School from 1964-1988. 

As interest grows in the possible therapeutic effects of psilocybin — a key active compound in so-called “magic mushrooms”– University of Guelph plant science researchers are preparing to begin research into this promising field. 

It is with sympathy that we share the passing of Michael Trant (M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics, 1976) on September 20, 2022. His obituary is available here.

It is with sympathy that we share the passing of Stephen Reynolds, a PhD student in the Department of Plant Agriculture, on September 21.

A celebration of life is planned for Thursday, Sept. 29 in Windsor. Condolences to Stephen’s family may be shared through an online memorial site. Campus flags will be lowered to half-mast on Wednesday, Sept. 28 in Stephen’s honour.

The federal government will invest more than $1.1 million in 11 University of Guelph research projects, ranging from clean energy to food spoilage to Indigenous environmental health. 

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) will fund the projects through its  John R. Evans Leaders Fund, which helps universities recruit and retain outstanding faculty and provides researchers with infrastructure required to become leaders in their fields. 

With Ottawa currently discussing a federal plan to reduce Canadian greenhouse gases, research by University of Guelph environmental scientists suggests that planting cover crops may help farmers mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from soil.

The team’s field experiments showed for the first time that planting cover crops such as red clover to protect and enrich soil over the winter can also reduce agricultural emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas.

Amid record-breaking heat waves and growing migration into cities, a University of Guelph atmospheric scientist has helped assemble a comprehensive overview of the problem of urban overheating, defining some key ways that cities can adapt as the planet warms. 

Dr. Scott Krayenhoff, a professor in the Ontario Agricultural College’s School of Environmental Sciences who studies the effects of urban development on climate, is one of two lead authors on the new paper, which appears in the journal Earth’s Future. 

The annual OAC Faculty Awards were presented at the OAC Welcome Back BBQ held on September 20, 2022. Each year, the OAC Alumni Foundation presents the G.P. McRostie Faculty Award to a faculty member who plays a significant role in education and the OAC Alumni Association chooses three faculty members who have made outstanding contributions in teaching, research or extension. Congratulations to all recipients!