Dr. Michael Steele and his research team will contribute to the Dairy Alliance, a new U of G led-initiative bringing together experts across OAC and OVC to improve the quality of Canadian dairy products.

The 5-year project is supported by both government (NSERC) and industry (Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Novalait Inc., Lactalis Canada and Lallemand Inc.) and focuses on four key themes to improve human, animal and environmental health: dairy farm sustainability, animal health and welfare, milk composition, quality and safety and dairy in human nutrition and health. Steele, an expert in calf nutritional management, will be collaboarting with Dairy Alliance researchers on themes 2 and 3. 

"I look forward to collaborating with Gisele's lab in the Department of Food Science on this important intiative. Even though we study different models, our research is very similar and has the shared goal of improving animal and human health", said Steele.  

More information on the Diary Alliance can be found here [1].

Steele is an associate professor in the Department of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph, NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Dairy Cattle Nutrition and Past-President of the Canadian Society of Animal Science (CSAS). He completed his Ph.D. at U of G and worked for Nutreco Canada Agresearch for two years prior to returning to academia at the University of Alberta and Guelph as an NSERC Industrial Research Chair. He was recently awarded the CSAS Young Scientist Award, the Cargill Young Animal Nutritionist Award, the ASAS Early Career Research Award and the Lallemand Award for Excellence in Dairy Nutrition Research. His current research focuses on the mechanisms that control gastrointestinal health and development in cattle and has published over 70 manuscripts.