Ont. government invests in U of G

Oct 19, 2020

The provincial government is providing $6.5 million to help with construction of a new Field Crop Services building

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

The provincial government is helping one of the country’s top ag schools provide more opportunities to its students.

Randy Pettapiece, parliamentary assistant to Ernie Hardeman, Ontario’s minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, announced today that Ontario is providing $6.5 million through the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario to the University of Guelph’s (U of G) campus in Ridgetown.

The funding will help with the construction of a new 12,000 square-foot (3,600 square-metre) Field Crop Services building. Construction crews broke ground on the project in September and expect to complete the building by spring 2022.

Scientists will use the space to conduct research on crops including vegetables, corn, soybeans and wheat. Work will also be done on subjects like pest management and nutrient inputs.

The building will also have cold storage, drying spaces, labs and analysis rooms.

In addition, the new building consolidates resources and researchers from the Agronomy Building, built in 1961.

Projects like the new Field Crop Services building are important to maintain Ontario’s reputation as a leader in food production and the U of G’s standing as a premier place to receive an ag education and perform industry work.

“If we’re going to be a leader in agriculture, we need to keep up with research projects and technology,” Pettapiece told Farms.com. “We export food all over the world and we have some of the safest food in the world; that’s why our products are in demand and we need to keep this up.”

“Investments in infrastructure ensure researchers have the tools they need to make profoundly important discoveries that fuel innovation and ensure crop production remains economically competitive and a mainstay of safe, dependable, sustainable and nutritious food,” Malcolm Campbell, U of G’s vice-president of research, said in a statement.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.