Livestock industry tackles how to get research into practice
By Lilian Schaer for Livestock Research Innovation Corporation
For the past almost two years, Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) has been involved in an initiative to improve how the livestock sector can get research into practice. There is agreement across industry, academia and government that more needs to be done to help research outcomes make the jump from the lab to the farm – it’s the who, what, how and why that are now being worked on.
Decades ago, it was the Ontario government that took charge of extension – also known as technology transfer, getting research into practice (GRIP), knowledge mobilization or knowledge translation and transfer (KTT). That all changed in the 1990s when provincial governments dramatically reduced funding for these types of activities.
In the livestock industry, the gaps were filled by a variety of businesses and organizations, including veterinarians, nutrition companies and commodity groups, leading to discrepancy of service levels between sectors.
“We have a tremendous opportunity in the livestock sector however, because we have the University of Guelph, which is dedicated to agriculture and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs that has invested $100 million and counting into new livestock research facilities in our province over the last decade,” said LRIC CEO Mike McMorris during a GRIP-focused industry meeting this spring.
Overall, although a lot of people are involved in GRIP, there is a lack of coordinated planning and execution, and there is consensus that industry, government and academia need to collaborate on both research priorities and sharing research outcomes.
“We are positioned well where research is concerned,” he added. “Effective GRIP must consider differences in sectors and geography. It’s not a simple thing.”
Effective outreach and knowledge transfer also must take into consideration what will motivate change and how researchers can do a better job at engaging with farmers and making research outcomes applicable on farms.
That’s been the subject of considerable research by Dr. Steven Roche of Acer Consulting, who believes it ultimately comes down to people, relationships, and understanding the needs and mindsets of livestock farmers and their supply chains.
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