Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Heading home

As we pack up the bus for the last time open, we begin to prepare for the long ride home. Many are excited to see their family and friends, to share their experiences during our NAST and to get back to normal life.

We start off our journey with off the cuff (impromptu) speaking, responding to questions about our thoughts regarding specific speakers and stops along our travels. We hear members reflect on the importance of the relationship between Canada and the USA, our differences and members’ greatest takeaways. We continue our reflections with a whole group discussion on our key takeaways from our time spent with RULE class 16. Thank you again RULE 16 for welcoming us to Pennsylvania and for making us feel right at home.

After a morning of reflection, we stop at our last tour of the trip, Niagara Landing Wine Cellars. They are a third-generation farm producing premium grapes. They offer a variety of award-winning wines, one of their top sellers is their unique HOT (pepper) wine that is habanero infused, starts sweet and finishes off with some heat. It was also great to hear about their marketing – they use unique labels that convince the consumer to pick up the bottle and the high-quality wine product keeps consumers loyal. We get to sample 12 different wines, ranging from dry to sweet, from red to white, all very flavourful and good. We say our thank yous and goodbyes, and head to the border and closer to home.

As we get closer to home, we hear a moving speech from one of our daily coordinators, Nikki, who shares memories from our time on NAST and leaves us with lots to reflect upon. She summed up our trip best, when she said “Most of all, we’ve grown together. Both as individuals and as a family – the family that is AALP class 16.”

With many hugs, tears and tired bodies we say goodbye to our classmates, knowing memories made on our journey will last forever.

Thank you to our readers for following our journey, to our bus driver, Nancy, who made our trip, and to all our speakers, tour guides and tour locations. This truly was the trip of a lifetime.

-Class 16

Views: 171

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

U of G Researcher Receives Funding to Develop More Sustainable Wheat

A University of Guelph researcher has received government funding to help Canadian farmers grow wheat using fertilizer more efficiently while strengthening soil health and the wheat microbiome.  

Will the Iran War Make Already High Food Prices Worse? | OPINION

Food prices in Canada have been rising at a faster rate than overall inflation for the past several years. In fact, food prices are 30 per cent higher than they were a decade ago.

Prairie Swine Centre celebrates 35 years of driving innovation

Over that time, the centre has evolved into one of Canada's premier swine research facilities, delivering practical, industry-focused research that strengthens the financial position of pork producers while advancing animal welfare and environmental sustainability across the Saskatchewan and Canadian pork industries. A foundation built on industry partnership The PSC story began in 1980 when the University of Saskatchewan (USask) built the facility for its swine research and teaching program. The original operation consisted of two 100-sow and one 50-sow farrow-to-wean units, a 240-head feeder barn, and a small office and service building. However, it was in 1991 that PSC transformed into the organization it is today. In 1987, USask and the Saskatchewan Hog Marketing Commission partnered to review the centre’s operations. An advisory board including industry representatives from across Western Canada identified two critical needs: increased emphasis on grower-finisher research, and

Investing in Canada: Why Gate Matters

Canada’s cereals sector has earned a global reputation for quality, consistency, and reliability. That reputation was built over generations by farmers, researchers, exporters, and value chain partners working together to deliver premium grains to international markets. But, as global competition intensifies, maintaining Canada’s leadership requires more than tradition; it requires strategic investment. That’s where the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate) comes in. In our latest video, Gate Capital Campaign member David Hansen explains why Gate is essential to Canada’s future in global grain markets. Gate will provide the modern infrastructure and technical support that global customers expect, giving them the data, unbiased advice, and confidence they need to continue choosing Canadian cereals. Gate connects global buyers directly with Canadian expertise, showcasing the science, innovation, and collaboration behind our wheat and other cereals. By strengthening technical e

Making Every Pound Count: Nutrient Management in Corn

Fertility starts with the soil and the variables that make nutrients available to a growing crop. Know Your Soil Texture Clay – very fine, soils with >50% clay Silt – rock & mineral particles that are larger than clay and smaller than sand. Soils with >87% silt Sand – very coarse, soils with >70% sand Loam – a balanced mixture of clay, silt and sand (approximately 20-40-40) Soil texture determines a soil’s water holding capacity. Sand has low capacity to hold water and low water content at permanent wilting point (~10-15% v/v). Clay loam has a higher capacity to hold water, therefore has a higher water content at permanent wilting point (~15-20% v/v). Nutrient Balance Nutrient balance is vital to soil fertility and crop production. Nitrogen is most commonly the first and most limiting nutrient for non-legume crops, but without an adequate fertility blend with other nutrients, nitrogen use efficiency is not “maxed out” and suffers. A poorly fertilized corn crop uses just a little l

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service