Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Day 8: Out with a bang! Battles, beers and baseball

The day started off early with a 6:30 departure from Alexandria, Virginia, with a two-hour drive to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Our in-flight service was compliments of Tom and Robin and consisted of snacks, moist towelettes and entertainment! There's nothing wrong with a little pampering in the morning. :) The health and wellness team got the competitive juices flowing with an adult colouring contest with our fearless bus driver Nancy serving as the judge!

Upon arriving in Gettysburg, it's clear to see that it is still a town very much steeped in history and civil war culture. Evidence of the great battle can still be seen throughout the town with bullet holes in the buildings, the cellars where the citizens waited out the battle, the preservation of historic sites and the many memorials. Great efforts are being made to return the 6,000 acre state park to the state in which it would have been found in 1863. Largely consisting of wooded sites used for firewood and agricultural land for cash crops, it was nice to hear that the state has a good working relationship with the local farming community to still actively farm the land.


We arrived at the Cyclorama Film and Museum experience where we viewed a film about the battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. It set the back drop for our day and we finished up in the Cyclorama viewing room.

It was a planetarium-like room with an oil canvas 42 feet high by 372 feet long displayed around the perimeter of the room. The display included an exhibit of props that are so well placed they appear to go into the painting bringing it to life and giving the sense that you are out on the battlefield.

We hopped back onto the bus where we met with Chris Rebmann our certified Gettysburg Battlefield guide. We spent the next 2.5 hrs with Chris immersed in the battle of Gettysburg and walked in the footsteps of the Union army as they fought in a grueling battle against the confederate army for three days from July 1st-3rd, 1863; a battle that would result in 50,000 casualties. We heard many stories of different leaders that fought in that battle and the different ways in which they led theirs troops to victory; some leading from behind and others from the front. There is something very humbling and sobering about standing on the grounds of a great battle; a battle that you know shaped history to create the world in which we are fortunate to live in today.

After hitting the streets of Gettysburg for lunch it was back on the bus to make our way to The Pennsylvania State College. Our bus ride consisted of a lively conversation about how we can apply the examples of leadership we learned about in the battle of Gettysburg to our roles in agriculture and the agricultural community as a whole. There was also the sponsor spotlight highlighting the newly launched "SeCan's growing trust" as well as group time to work on our IAP projects.

After checking into the hotel we met our Pennsylvania counterparts from the Rural-Urban Leadership (RULE) Program at a local Spikes minor league baseball game. The hospitality offered by our guests made us feel truly welcomed. The ever expanding network of agricultural leaders has never been more evident. The opportunity to connect and share in a relaxed atmosphere was second to none. The Spikes won the game and we celebrated with fireworks!

Leadership was presented today through the lens of the in battle of Gettysburg. As a class we took away that as leaders we have to be adaptable, confident and willing to accept change. We all have difficult decisions to make everyday; the true leaders accept change and lead their peers in the direction of change.

-Class 16

Views: 383

Comment

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

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by OntAG Admin on July 15, 2016 at 8:00am

It sounds like a very thoughtful and profound experiences for everyone.

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

Guinness World Record attempt to take place in St. Albert on Aug. 22

?ST. ALBERT – If you have ever wanted to witness an attempt at a Guinness World Record, then you will want to be in St. Albert, Ontario on August 22 when an attempt will be made to set a record for the most plow blades pulled simultaneously.

Why Alignment Matters: Domestic Check-Off and the Import Levy

When Canadian beef producers sell cattle, they contribute to the national beef check-off. That investment supports work that benefits the broader Canadian beef industry, including market development, consumer demand, public and stakeholder engagement, and research. When beef or beef cattle are imported into Canada, an import levy is also collected. While the structure is not identical in every detail, the principle behind it is straightforward: beef marketed in Canada should help contribute to the programs that support beef demand in Canada. The national check-off paid by producers and the import levy paid on eligible imports are two parts of a broader investment approach. Together, they help ensure that both domestic beef production and imported beef products are connected to the market development work that strengthens beef’s position with Canadian consumers. For producers, the domestic cattle check-off is collected at the point of sale and includes both national and provincial po

I’ve noticed a lot of wild oat escapes in some of my fields this year; what can I do to prevent it from getting worse next year?

Despite our best efforts, sometimes even the best laid weed control plans go wrong! The first thing to remember is that not all weed escapes are created equal. In some cases, weeds can survive because of application timing issues, challenging weather conditions or late flushes that emerge after spraying. However, when weeds aren’t controlled by herbicide applications, herbicide resistance should also be on your radar. A recent survey in Manitoba found that in fields with uncontrolled wild oats, 100 per cent of populations were resistant to Group 1 products, 82 per cent were resistant to Group 2 products, and 82 per cent were resistant to both Group 1 and 2 herbicides. Those numbers show how important it is to take a closer look at wild oat weed escapes. Identifying why your herbicide failed to control wild oats is the first step toward finding a solution. Start by scouting the field to narrow down the cause. Consider factors such as application timing, weather conditions, late flush

Is fungicide actually effective on Sclerotinia head rot in sunflower?

This is one of the most difficult questions to answer because there are many things to consider. I also don’t want to be outright negative because we do still have options for sclerotinia management in sunflowers. However, management is the operative word. First of all, sclerotinia head rot infections have an interesting pathway. Spores use dead sunflower florets, plus pollen, as the base to infect a sunflower plant. The spores grow into the receptacle, infecting and decaying the entire head after a period of time. Sclerotinia wilt (basal stalk rot) and mid-stalk rot are also infected by the same sclerotinia species, but it will be via the mycelia that grow from the sclerotia bodies in the soil for basal stalk rot. Mid-stalk rot is also infected by ascospores, but this can be earlier in the season than head rot or at the same time. So, management of sclerotinia does not start at flowering. Crop rotation is the most obvious management tool that we are familiar with in sunflowers, but

Using Water More Efficiently in Beef Packing Plants

Packing plants use a time-tested approach to clean their facilities. The first step uses high-pressure hot water to remove fat and meat scraps from equipment, floors and walls. Next, surfaces are cleaned using detergent. Finally, sanitizers are used to further reduce bacterial numbers. Processing companies want to reduce water use as part of their environmental goals and to reduce energy bills. High-pressure water and steam can produce aerosols that capture bacteria and spread them throughout the plant. They can then settle on and cross-contaminate clean surfaces long after the cleaning has been completed, which complicates efforts to effectively clean facilities. Biofilms are another problem. Biofilms are colonies of bacteria surrounded by a protective layer that firmly attaches them to surfaces and shelters the bacteria from hot water, detergents and sanitizers. Biofilms are hard to remove and are commonly found in hard-to-reach places. These researchers investigated potential cro

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service