Upcoming livestock symposium focuses on engineering a better farm

Guelph ON, – Farmers, researchers and automation industry experts will tackle the topic of engineering a better farm at the annual Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) symposium on June 20. Dr. Mary Wells, Dean of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, will headline a panel that explores how research from outside the agriculture sector could be used for the benefit of the livestock industry.

Wells will be joined on the panel by Drumbo-area dairy producer Chris McLaren, University of Guelph Interim President of Research Dr. Rene Van Acker, and Darrell Petras, CEO of the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network.

“The big issues facing the livestock industry today require solutions that go beyond what we’ve traditionally thought of as agricultural research and we need to approach these issues with new perspectives,” says LRIC CEO Mike McMorris. “To arrive at solutions to challenges like animal disease, climate change or emergency preparedness, as well as opportunities such as data and artificial intelligence, we need to involve experts from automation, engineering, computer science and other fields and use their skills and knowledge to support the betterment of the livestock sector.”

The 2024 Early Career Research Award will also be presented at the event. Up to $110,000 is available to faculty from the University of Guelph who are participants in LRIC’s Early Career Mentorship Program and involved with a research project or program that will foster and build knowledge and capacity in the Ontario livestock sector. Particular emphasis is placed on cross sector research.

Launched in 2022, the award is funded by LRIC, Grand River Agricultural Society (GRAS), Western Fair Association (WFA), Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) and Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). Previous award winners include Dr. Jennifer Ellis from the Department of Animal Bioscience at the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), Dr. Nicole Ricker, Dr. Sam Workenhe and Dr. Emma Borkowski from the Department of Pathobiology at OVC.

The program will also include a recognition of McMorris, who will be retiring at the end of June, for his service to LRIC and the Ontario livestock industry. McMorris joined LRIC as its CEO in 2019, having previously worked with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (now Beef Farmers of Ontario), Agricorp and BIO (now AgSights).

The symposium take place June 20 at The Grandway Events Centre in Elora, from 9 am to noon. Lunch will be provided. Registration is available at www.livestockresearch.ca/events.

Livestock Research Innovation Corporation was established in 2012 with support from Ontario’s beef, pork, dairy and poultry sector organizations and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. LRIC’s mission is driving innovation, and the organization takes a value chain approach to research and innovation by providing leadership in research priority setting, coordination and process; identifying and communicating emerging issues; and strengthening networks across the sector. LRIC is funded in part by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative.