News

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!

The annual OAC Outstanding Staff Recognition Awards were presented at the OAC Welcome Back BBQ held on September 20, 2022. These staff awards recognize excellent work performance, willingness to help others, contributions toward the betterment of workplace operations, and efforts in making OAC a better place to work overall. The recipients of these awards are nominated by their colleagues. Congratulations to all recipients!

It is with sympathy that we share the passing of Freeman McEwen on September 16, 2022. Freeman was Dean of the Ontario Agricultural College from 1983 to 1990. He also served as head of the Department of Entomology from 1968 to 1971 and then as the first head of the Department of Environmental Biology from 1971 to 1983.

It is with deep sympathy we share the passing of Dr. Gopinadhan Paliyath, a professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture, on September 11, 2022.

Funding is available to support OAC students in the completion of self-directed communication projects focused on agriculture or food extension. Successful applicants will receive $1,350 to complete their project, as well as coaching and mentorship from the OAC Dean’s Office communications staff. Projects must be focused on knowledge extension in the areas of food and/or agriculture and be connected to the research/teaching activities of the Ontario Agricultural College. The projects will be student-driven under the guidance of the OAC Dean’s Office communications staff.

Growing crops more efficiently to ensure food security while keeping soils healthy are key goals of a new faculty chair funded this year at the University of Guelph.

The Martin and Denise Pick Family Chair in Sustainable Cropping Systems will be supported by a $2-million gift to the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), along with funding from OAC and an anonymous bequest.

It is with deep sympathy we share the passing of Ben McFadyen, a Master of Science (Plant Agriculture) student, on August 29, 2022. A celebration of life for Ben will take place at McIntyre & Wilkie Funeral Home in Guelph on Thursday, Sept. 8 starting at 10 a.m. Campus flags will be lowered to half-mast Sept. 8 in Ben’s honour.

What goes up must come down. That rings true for physics and for a batch of barley seeds University of Guelph scientists sent to space last year. Now that the seeds provided by The Glenlivet have returned to Earth, Dr. Mike Dixon, a professor in the School of Environmental Sciences and director of the Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility, is overseeing their germination.