Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Ag-Venture Tour to Australia

Event Details

Ag-Venture Tour to Australia

Time: November 8, 2012 to November 23, 2012
Location: Australia
Website or Map: http://www.rwthomastours.com
Phone: 519 633 2390
Event Type: agricultural, travel
Organized By: Bob Thomas
Latest Activity: Jul 17, 2012

Export to Outlook or iCal (.ics)

Event Description

It’s the BEST time to see Australia……Spring will be blooming when you arrive in Sydney and check out famous Bondi Beach, the historic “Rocks” area, cruise Sydney harbour, the Opera House and go shopping at gracious Queen Victoria Building. Then depart by coach through the Blue Mountains for Cowra with an overview of Aussie agriculture, culture, history and development en route. We farmstay overnight with hosts producing cattle, lamb, wheat or canola.  Next day, it’s northwest to visit the weekly cattle auction at Forbs before heading through the Lachlan River Valley and a stop at the NSW “Farmer of the Year” in the wheat belt also noted for wool, sheep and mixed farming. Then on to Dubbo in the Macquarie Valley with large irrigated areas of wheat, barley, cotton, sorghum, corn and sunflowers, and into the Breeza Plains.  Discussion with environmentally conscious farmers from Landcare and an informal barbeque with local farmers & agbusiness people will be informative.  Merino sheep, Polled Hereford cattle and Dairy will keep you busy in Walcha district. “Breedplan” is a genetic evaluation system developed by U of New England that is used by a leading Angus breeder near Guyra.  And the seven properties spanning 360 km will tell us how they minimize risk in cotton, grain and cattle operations. Family farming in Gwydir Valley will be a contrast, and we’ll also tour Coop, and a private irrigation operation on the Maintyre River.   Darling Downs has the best soils for grain on the continent and we’ll discuss their fertilizer methodology.  The “Carnival of Flowers” in Toowoomba should be a highlight as well as historic Jondaryan Woolshed illustrating pioneering methods.  And another farmstay. In Gympie district we’ll experience Queensland’s largest fish farm as well as pineapple acreages before heading for two nights on the Sunshine Coast for some R&R before departing from Brisbane.

But wait……you’ve come a long way………why not add-on Alice Springs, Anzac Hill, Ayers Rock and aboriginal folklore based at the Outback Pioneer Hotel?  Then fly to Cairns for a cruise to Marlin Jetty and the Great Barrier Reef for coral viewing and snorkelling or optional scuba diving. Then take the heritage train through pristine rainforests to Kuranda Range.  The award winning Tjapukai Cultural Centre will be a highlight as well as the new Skyrail trip for an unvettered view of the rainforest before returning to Cairns. It’s 6 more days that you won’t forget!

Comment Wall

Comment

RSVP for Ag-Venture Tour to Australia to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Attending (1)

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

Above Average Yields for Saskatchewan

Crops were above average this year in Saskatchewan, with yields topping the 10-year provincial average and beating the Statistics Canada model-based estimates released in September.  The province released its latest yield estimates in its final crop report for the 2025 growing season on Thursday.  The average oat and barley yields were pegged by the province at 94.4 and 70 bu/acre, respectively, compared to the StatsCan estimates of 90.2  and 67.9 bu/acre. The province pegged the average Hard Spring wheat yield at 51.5 bu/acre, and other spring wheat at 55.5 bu/acre, versus StatsCan’s single spring wheat estimate of 49.2 bu. The average provincial durum yield of 39.4 bu/acre was 2.5 bu above the StatsCan estimate.  At 42.4 bu/acre, the average Saskatchewan canola yield was 1.8 bu higher than StatsCan, while soybeans were a hefty 14.8 bu above at 39.6 bu. The average flax yield was pegged at 26.6 bu/acre, above StatsCan’s 23.1 bu.  Peas were reported by the province at 40.8 bu/acre,

Breaking the silence: Understanding stigma in farming and mental health

The narrative in agriculture is evolving. Caring for the land, animals, and equipment has always come first; now farmer well-being belongs on that list. For centuries, the culture in agriculture has valued resilience, self-reliance, and hard work. These are important qualities that have built our farms and fed our world. Yet these same values have, unintentionally, helped create one of the biggest barriers to farmer mental health: stigma. Stigma shows up as silence, hesitation, fear and shame, making farmers feel they must carry their struggles alone rather than reach out for support. Decades in the making The roots of those feelings – fear and shame towards mental health in agriculture stretch back decades, woven into the history of rural life. Farmers have been expected to endure hardship quietly, whether it was a drought, market crash, or a barn fire. Generations grew up hearing phrases like “tough it out” or “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” Asking for help, especially for

Filiz Koksel, associate professor, University of Manitoba

Filiz Koksel is an associate professor in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences (FHNS) at the University of Manitoba (UM). She was appointed Manitoba Strategic Research Chair in Sustainable Protein in July this year. Born in Winnipeg while her father was completing graduate studies at UM, Koksel grew up in Turkey, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food engineering from Middle East Technical University in Ankara. She later returned to Winnipeg to complete her PhD in food science at UM and joined the Department of FHNS as a faculty member in 2017. She lives in Winnipeg with her husband and their five-year-old daughter. Tell us a bit about what you’re working on at UM. My research focuses on food processing, transforming ingredients, both plant- and animal-based, into nutritious, appealing foods. These processes range from mixing or milling for bakery applications, to extrusion cooking, which is a process used for making puffed snacks like Cheeto

Canadian Beef Producers Request Termination of the Canada-UK Continuity Agreement

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) calls for the Government of Canada to initiate the termination of the Canada-UK Continuity Agreement, following the tabling of the UK Accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) legislation. In July 2023, the Government of Canada announced the accession of the UK to the CPTPP agreement. CCA, our provincial members, and beef producers across the country urged Canada to “say no to a bad deal”. Since then, the UK has not made any effort to address the non-tariff barriers that are keeping Canadian beef out of the UK market. At the same time, UK beef imports into the Canadian market have increased from $16.6 million in 2023 to $42.5 million in 2024. “We are calling on all Parliamentarians to stand up for Canadian beef producers,” said Tyler Fulton, President of CCA. “In these uncertain geopolitical times, we need every opportunity to diversify our markets.” Given the Government’s recent tabling of th

Jaclyn Prystupa powers precision automation at GIFS at USask

Jaclyn Prystupa is an Automation Specialist at the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). It’s a dynamic role in which she leads the development, optimization, and troubleshooting of automated workflows and laboratory equipment within GIFS’ Omics and Precision Analytics Laboratory (OPAL). Put more simply, she works with robots to expand the capabilities and throughput of GIFS’ genomics offerings. Every day, she programs, operates, and maintains a growing number of automated liquid handlers, each one capable of executing complex laboratory tasks with speed and precision. This work is central to OPAL — a PacBio Certified Service Provider and one of Canada’s largest sequencing and genotyping facilities. There, Prystupa combines genomics and computer science to accomplish big things in small timeframes. How big is big? Think thousands of plant, animal, and microbial samples. By leveraging automation, these samples are efficiently prepared,

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service