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The Beef Farmers of Ontario is fully committed to research and its importance in driving competitiveness and innovation in the Ontario beef sector. The overall goal of the BFO Research Program is to increase the development, adaptation, assessment, and easy adoption of on-farm technologies that help beef farmers respond to changing demands. Benefiting both farmer and consumer, research is crucial in the development of methods and technologies that can identify better and more efficient methods of producing high quality beef and beef cattle.
The BFO Research Committee, comprised of producers, researchers and staff of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, meet in the spring of each year to identify priorities which provide funding direction for research projects in the coming year. If funding becomes available the committee will submit a call for proposals, review the proposals and approve for completion.
BFO also works closely with the following organizations to achieve success in its research priorities:
Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC)
LRIC is made up of Ontario livestock and poultry organizations that strongly believe agriculture will continue to underpin the prosperity of Ontario for many years to come and that well designed and directed research will drive and enable that prosperity.
Launched in 2014, the BFO Research Investment Strategy was developed in collaboration with LRIC to serve as a roadmap for investment to help BFO target its research dollars toward projects that have the greatest potential to make a positive impact on the industry without duplicating the efforts of others.
LRIC provides a single portal through which collective investment in livestock and poultry research conducted in Ontario is able to generate the best possible outcomes and return on investment for our sector and the province.
The LRIC Research Advisory Committee is comprised of Canadian and international experts who provide expert advice on a wide range of global challenges and livestock and poultry research and extension systems designed to address those challenges.
Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC)
BCRC is Canada’s national industry-led funding agency for beef research. The BCRC is funded through a portion of a producer-paid national levy as well as government funding, and is directed by a committee of beef producers from across the country.
The BCRC’s mandate is to determine research and development priorities for the Canadian beef cattle industry and to administer national check-off funds allocated to research.
As the only national beef cattle industry research agency, the BCRC plays an important role in identifying the industry’s research and development priorities and subsequently influencing public sector investment in beef cattle research.
If you have specific questions pertaining to research and the BFO Research Committee, please direct them to the BFO office.