Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Chapman's Dairy fire in Markdale

Heard on the news this morning about another sad loss to the Grey County area. A few weeks ago millions of dollars of damage occurred from a tornado. Now the local ice cream plant has burned to the ground. We usually buy Chapmans Premium Ice Cream because it is made in Ontario and the first ingredient is "Cream" - therefore they get to use the "little blue cow" logo.
On one hand I want to say go out and buy a 2L tub (Plastic container) of Chapmans Ice Cream because it is on sale this week at Zehr's. On the other hand I do not want to tell you that because I need to stock up my freezer since there will probably be limited supply in a few weeks.
Full news report at CKNX websites:
http://am920.ca/news.php?area=details&cat_id=4&art_id=6364
http://www.1017theone.ca/news.php?area=details&art_id=6364
Photos by Kirk Scott

Views: 696

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joe Dales on September 6, 2009 at 3:55am
Hi Wayne: Have you heard if they plan to rebuild or not? How many employees work there...tough situation in a small town like Markdale...

Joe
Permalink Reply by Wayne Black on September 6, 2009 at 5:21am
Yes they plan to re-build in Markdale. They are pretty dedicated to the town since they are the largest employer with 400 employees. Another reason to support this business: David Chapman said "they will continue to pay their 400 employees for however long it takes" at a news conference Sunday Sept. 6th.
for more information on the company: http://www.chapmans.ca/

Joe Dales said:
Hi Wayne: Have you heard if they plan to rebuild or not? How many employees work there...tough situation in a small town like Markdale...

Joe
Permalink Reply by Andrew Campbell on September 7, 2009 at 12:16am
This is amazing. I can't think of one other company that has continue to pay employees while they rebuild. This is what every small town in Ontario needs, a company that will support it through the good and bad. One more reason I'll buy Chapman's.

Wayne Black said:
Yes they plan to re-build in Markdale. They are pretty dedicated to the town since they are the largest employer with 400 employees. Another reason to support this business: David Chapman said "they will continue to pay their 400 employees for however long it takes" at a news conference Sunday Sept. 6th.
for more information on the company: http://www.chapmans.ca/

Joe Dales said:
Hi Wayne: Have you heard if they plan to rebuild or not? How many employees work there...tough situation in a small town like Markdale...

Joe
Permalink Reply by Wayne Black on September 8, 2009 at 6:21am
I knew this would happen.
As soon as I said - better stock up on Chapman's Ice Cream - everyone must have also. My wife cleaned out the last remaining 2 L Chapman's Premium Ice Cream in Zehr's in Goderich. No more.
I wonder where the next closest store would be.... and with this heat wave... :-(

Wayne Black
Permalink Reply by John Beardsley on September 8, 2009 at 10:30am
if they want to maintain their contracts with major food distributors they will need to have someone copack their ice cream for them. I wonder how many companies they were co packing for?

Andrew Campbell said:
This is amazing. I can't think of one other company that has continue to pay employees while they rebuild. This is what every small town in Ontario needs, a company that will support it through the good and bad. One more reason I'll buy Chapman's.

Wayne Black said:
Yes they plan to re-build in Markdale. They are pretty dedicated to the town since they are the largest employer with 400 employees. Another reason to support this business: David Chapman said "they will continue to pay their 400 employees for however long it takes" at a news conference Sunday Sept. 6th.
for more information on the company: http://www.chapmans.ca/

Joe Dales said:
Hi Wayne: Have you heard if they plan to rebuild or not? How many employees work there...tough situation in a small town like Markdale...

Joe
Permalink Reply by John Beardsley on September 8, 2009 at 10:33am
I wonder how many consumers know that if it doesn't have the blue cow it isn't a) cream or B) canadian cream. chapman's also make a bargain brand out of dairy solids or some other euphemism for out of country sugar/milk concoction made to pole vault the import regultions of supply management..

Wayne Black said:
I knew this would happen.
As soon as I said - better stock up on Chapman's Ice Cream - everyone must have also. My wife cleaned out the last remaining 2 L Chapman's Premium Ice Cream in Zehr's in Goderich. No more.
I wonder where the next closest store would be.... and with this heat wave... :-(

Wayne Black

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

Saskatchewan produced record crop in 2025

Saskatchewan produced a record 41.9 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds in 2025, up 13.7 per cent from the previous year, the agriculture ministry said Dec. 19. The record is also 24.1 per cent above the five-year average. Agriculture minister David Marit said resilient and innovative producers were able to overcome challenges such as drought to grow this amount. Records were set for canola production, at 12.2 million tonnes, and lentils at 2.9 million tonnes. By volume for other crops, the province’s producers grew 12.7 million tonnes of spring wheat, 5.4 million tonnes of durum, 3.5 million tonnes of barley, and 1.8 million tonnes each of dry peas and oats. The ministry said Saskatchewan saw significant production growth in lentils, up 37 per cent, canola 16.7 per cent, barley 16 per cent, durum 8.5 percent and spring wheat 5.3 per cent. The estimates provided by Statistics Canada are based on a post-harvest survey of 7,198 farmers from Oct. 3 to Nov. 6. The province has a ta

Canadians called slow to embrace biofuel policy

Canadians farmers have had a hard time embracing biofuel policy the same way that producers south of the border have, says Shaun Haney, founder of RealAgriculture. He told the MNP Ag Connections Conference in Medicine Hat in November that as Canada continues to struggle to get its agriculture commodities into China, a shift of outlook is needed. At one time, scientists, agronomists and growers were extremely worried clubroot would spread across the Prairies and devastate Canada’s canola industry. “Canadian farmers have a hard time totally getting their head around and supporting it because people will often say, ‘I want the government out of stuff, I don’t want industrial policy, I don’t want nation building. We can’t create demand through government policy’,” he said. “But, that is exactly what the (Renewable Fuel Standard) is in the Untied States.” The U.S. sees 40 to 45 per cent of its corn crop going into ethanol, from which Canada has benefited. While Canada continues to focu

Team Alberta Crops Breakfast – Through the Eyes of an Intern

As the new communications intern at Alberta Canola, the Team Alberta Crops breakfast was my first time at an agriculture policy event. I come from an urban background with limited exposure to farming. Insights from presenters Milt Poirier, from QGI Consulting, and Neil Blue, a provincial Crop Market Analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, fundamentally changed my understanding of the agricultural industry. I no longer see Canadian agriculture as simply the production of farm products. Instead, I now view farming in the context of globally interconnected systems. These systems encompass the inputs that farmers rely on, the production processes, and the networks of processing and logistics. All of these systems are further shaped by external forces, including national and provincial policies, international trade rules, climate patterns, and technological innovations. Global Competition and Climate Challenge From Neil Blue’s talk, I learned that agriculture is a competit

The Future of Agriculture is Collaborative: A Vision for Stronger Partnerships

Taking on the role of Western Product Specialist at FP Genetics has been an exhilarating journey thus far. As someone passionate about agriculture since childhood, I’m excited to be part of an industry that combines science, relationships, and practical problem-solving. My primary focus will be to understand the connections between farmers, retailers, and the crops we nurture together. In my early days here, I dove into the fascinating world of epigenetics to uncover the secrets of how genetic traits impact plant performance. Each seed carries a narrative shaped by environmental factors and stress, and I’m dedicated to helping farmers understand their choices and the potential they hold. Working closely with Colin and Colette, my Saskatchewan and Alberta territory managers, has been both educational and transformative. We collaborate to first understand and then bridge the gap between our products and the retailers we support. Each retailer presents unique challenges and opportuniti

Women Farmers Drive Growth in Canadian Agriculture

Women are taking the reins in Canadian agriculture like never before. Statistics Canada reports nearly 90,000 female farm operators nationwide—up from 80,000 in 2021.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service