Livestock sector joins forces to make better use of research funds

Thursday, May 2, 2013

The province's major livestock groups are pooling their research resources in an effort to target them more effectively and ensure the results go to the right people

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario livestock groups have joined forces so they can identify research priorities more effectively, in the hope that it could lead to a faster return on farmers' investments.

The groups came together last year to form the Livestock Research Innovation Corporation. The founding members are: Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Pork, Ontario Cattlemen's Association and Poultry Industry Council, which is representing Egg Farmers of Ontario, Chicken Farmers of Ontario, Turkey Farmers of Ontario and the Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission, says corporation CEO Tim Nelson.

There is still a lot of research being done that goes nowhere, he explains. "We're going to try and make sure that, at least in the livestock sector in Ontario, if they (farmers) have funded research, then that research gets picked up and utilized."

Ralph Dietrich, Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) representative and corporation chair, says DFO joined the group because it believes in research and in making the best use of research dollars.

Dairy farmers pay five cents a hectolitre for research and that raises about $1.25 million a year. DFO's research committee recommends how the funds are used, but a big chunk is tied up in funding programs and ongoing projects along with the dairy science and animal health research chairs at the University of Guelph. In addition, some of the dairy farmers' $1.40 a hectolitre promotion check-off that goes to Dairy Farmers of Canada is used for research in production, human health and nutrition.

Nelson says the groups are paying $40,000 a year for three years as start-up money for the corporation. Funding also came from the Ontario agriculture ministry and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Adaptation Council.

The corporation wants to attract more members and "provide some services that will generate some revenue," he says. Currently, it's developing a governance structure and policies for the organization, along with recruiting more board members.

Nelson says the corporation will act as a common Ontario livestock and poultry industry voice on research matters to government and research institutions. In particular, the corporation will work to ensure "each of the industries has an objective, outcome-driven research strategy."

Nelson notes that the corporation will develop research priorities that are inclusive of the entire value chain. It is also involved in research infrastructure development, such as the new dairy barn being built in Elora.

The corporation will also ensure that research results are utilized "in the most efficient manner that we possibly can," he explains. "That means that we will be looking to take the results of research and make sure that they are put in front of the right people."

As it is, there's a disconnection between researchers and extension workers in industries, governments and universities. "It's nobody's fault," he explains. It's just that there hasn't been someone to act as a conduit to "the right door."

The big issues facing agriculture are water, air quality and biosecurity along with the price of energy and protein. All livestock industries have those in common, so the corporation plans to organize joint research projects where the costs are shared and everybody benefits from the work, he says.

Ontario Pork spokesperson Keith Robbins says that, of the $1 per head service fee pork farmers pay, 10 cents goes to research in a number of areas. He says Ontario Pork did a number of reviews of how research is co-ordinated and funded in Ontario and saw a lot of duplication.

"We thought that, if there was one central agency, we could reduce some of the activities that were being duplicated in each of the different commodities," he says. But each group will still being doing its own projects, too.

Joe Hill, the Ontario Cattlemen's representative on the corporation board, says each commodity "will still have the ability to define it's own research needs and priorities."

One of the reasons Cattlemen's joined is because it saw this as a way to fill a vacancy in the team of beef researchers at the University of Guelph. The beef nutrition researcher position there has been empty for three years. Another reason is that "we saw this as an opportunity to build a stronger voice for livestock and beef research," he says.

Beef producers pay a mandatory $3 per head check-off to the Ontario Cattlemen's and about 10 per cent of that money is earmarked for provincial and national research.

Robbins says the groups are achieving "the best utilization of funds that are dedicated for research. You're just making sure that all your administration costs are minimized, so you just have one administration charge." BF