Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

AALP Class 14 North American Study Tour - July 7, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Ithaca to New York City (via Scranton, PA)

AALP Class 14 woke up in Ithaca, NY to a much more comfortable ambient temperature than we experienced the previous day. With some clouds in the sky, we headed down the road to Cayuta where we met Tom Gerow at Wagner Hardwoods. Wagner's business focusses on oak, maple, ash, walnut and cherry woods for use in flooring, cabinets, and furniture.  A large percentage of their product is sold to overseas markets, particularly South East Asia. Tom is Head of Procurement at Wagner and a graduate of NY LEAD Class 12. Tom provided a very detailed, and enthusiastic, explanation of the hardwood industry in New York state. AALP class members questioned Tom about supply and demand, marketing, sustainability, waste management, regulation and leadership in the lumber industry. The class toured the facility and saw all aspects of the mill from stacks of logs. to the debarker, planer, drying yard, and kilns (180 degrees, yikes!).  The hardwood lumber industry in New York is thriving thanks to good cooperation and management between land owners, foresters and lumber companies such as Wagner's and good leadership and vision. 

From Cayuta, the bus headed west to Scranton, Pennsylvania (yes, home of The Office). In Scranton, we continued the theme of primary industry with a tour of Lackawanna Coal Mine. Our tour guide Zack took us on a cable car ride down into the mine which has been abandoned since 1966. The ride down was slightly scary for some! We learned about how important anthracite mining was to the region since the late 1800's. Today however, only 20 anthracite mines are still in operation in Pennsylvania. The mines posed dangerous work for men and boys as young as five, with risks of explosions, falling rock, and gasses. Back in 1902, a standard work day was 10 hours, six days a week for a mere 21 cents per hour.  The parents in the group shuttered at the thought of our children working in such harsh conditions and considered other parts of the world that today still profit from child labour. A theme that may be explored again when we visit India next winter.

After the mine tour, we picked up some necessities from a nearby Walmart and headed on our road trip to Jersey, our home for the next three nights.  Some were looking forward to an exciting evening in Manhattan!

Will Heeman, Tammy Hickling, Stacey Smith - Class 14

Views: 245

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

I’m switching my wheat variety; do I need to change my seeding rate?

The short answer is yes; you will most likely need to change your seeding rate, but this is not just because you are planting a different wheat variety. Rather, seeding rates should be adjusted annually to reflect seed source characteristics (germination, thousand kernel weight [TKW]) and the environment the seed is being planted into, to ensure you can achieve your target plant population.   Let’s dig into why this is. For spring wheat, provincial target plant population recommendations are between 23-28 pl/ft2, with many producers targeting the upper end of this recommendation. Achieving your target plant stands sets your crops up for success, as crop uniformity is improved, weed pressure is combatted and resources are optimized.  Seeding rates should be calculated to achieve your target plant stand, which means accounting for germination percentage, expected mortality and, importantly, your TKW. TKW changes year-to-year and from variety to variety. Let’s consider an example to ill

How much 10-34-0 can be applied with my corn seed?

Oddly, I have had this conversation more this winter/spring than ever before. On paper, there is a finite answer. Anecdotally, there are a few different options and it is all dependent on soil type and soil conditions, moisture, etc. First of all, side-banding any type of fertilizer is much safer than placing it with the seed. Some fertilizers are safe in certain quantities with the seed, but very few. Side-banding is much safer and provides quick access to the roots. Midrow banding is the safest method, but roots take that much longer to access the fertilizer row, which negates the “starter” effect. The other factor that indicates the level of safety is soil moisture; the drier the soil, the more risky it is to place any fertilizer with or near the seed. I’m guilty of thinking that fertilizer toxicity to the seed is mainly due to the nitrogen content and a result of ammonia burn. Salt injury is actually more common and affects germination and early season growth, so applying fertili

AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. Announces Date for Q1 2026 Results and Conference Call

AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. (TSX: AGTF) ("AGT" or the "Company") announces the release of its Q1 2026 results on May 12, 2026 after market close and has scheduled a conference call at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on May 13, 2026. To join the conference, please dial 1-833-821-0163 (toll free from Canada & the U.S.) or +1-647-846-7232 (from outside Canada & the U.S.). An audio replay of the conference call will be available on AGT's website after the call by visiting www.agtfoods.com. The financial statements and notes thereto for the three months ended March 31, 2026, as well as the related management's discussion and analysis will be filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com and will also be available on the AGT website at www.agtfoods.com prior to the conference call. About AGT AGT is a globally diversified food company that produces high-quality, nutritious products for everyday consumption. Our products reach consumers in 127 countries, and our global footprint consists of 39 state-of-the

Rising Waters on the Canadian Prairies and Beyond

With flooding affecting several Canadian provinces, farmers are being urged to act quickly to protect crops, animals, infrastructure, and long-term soil health.

Is Your Bull Ready? A Year-Round Approach to Bull Management

Every cow-calf producer has either lived it or knows someone who has. Breeding season wraps up and everything looks fine, until fall preg-checks tell a different story: open cows, late calvers and a breeding window that slipped wider than planned. While cow nutrition, body condition and management are frequently evaluated, one critical factor is often underestimated—the bull. Most frustrating is that there are often no obvious warning signs during breeding. The bull was turned out, was covering cows and looked the part. On the surface, everything appeared normal. That’s exactly why a bull breeding soundness evaluation (BBSE) matters more than many producers realize. It is one of the few opportunities to take some guesswork out of bull performance. On a cow-calf operation, bulls get a lot of attention for a couple of months out of the year and very little once breeding season wraps up. The reality is that a bull’s value doesn’t start on turnout day, and it definitely doesn’t end when

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service