Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

I was sorry to hear that the University of Guelph is planning to close the two agriculture colleges.

I thought agriculture enrollment was increasing.

Were these colleges losing money?  Would seem to be the rationale for closing them?

Any information?

 

Views: 593

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

U of G Consolidating Regional Campus Programs

March 12, 2014 - News Release

The University of Guelph will consolidate the academic and research programs delivered at its Kemptville and Alfred campuses in order to improve efficiency, ensure quality and best serve the agri-food sector, said U of G president Alastair Summerlee.

“We are operating in an era of scarce resources,” Summerlee said. “We must make difficult decisions together with changes that minimize duplication and preserve programs that are unique and central to our mission.”

The University also has an important responsibility to help sustain the productivity and vitality of Ontario’s agriculture and food industry, Summerlee said. “This requires us to respond to current and future challenges while meeting the needs of an evolving sector.”

As part of the consolidation plan, intake to academic programs at the Alfred and Kemptville campuses will be suspended for the fall 2014 semester. The University’s Ridgetown Campus will remain open.

Delivery of academic programs at the two campuses will cease by the end of 2015. Currently registered students at both campuses will be able to complete their programs.

The University is working with other Francophone institutions in the area as well as various Ontario government ministries to explore opportunities to offer similar programs for Ontario students who have applied for fall admission in Eastern Ontario.

Research projects at Alfred and Kemptville will be completed or relocated to Guelph or Ridgetown by the end of 2015.

The University is expected to continue to manage field crops research facilities at Alfred and Kemptville. Programs delivered through the New Liskeard Agricultural Research Station will remain unaffected for the immediate future.

Improved efficiencies will allow the University to reinvest in strategic areas that further support Ontario’s agri-food sector, including new research appointments at the Guelph campus, Summerlee said.

U of G has managed research and education programs and related facilities at Alfred and Kemptville since 1997.

Despite efforts over the past several years to introduce new revenue-generating educational programs and attract new students, enrolment at both campuses remains stagnant while operating costs have increased. Costs per full-time equivalent student are substantially higher at these campuses, Summerlee said.

Only 61 students are registered at the Alfred campus, with approximately half coming from outside Ontario.

At Kemptville, 128 students are enrolled in the mandated two-year associate diploma programs. Its largest program is the associate diploma in agriculture; the same program is offered at Ridgetown.

Another 51 Kemptville-based students are enrolled in the four-year bachelor of bio-resource management (BBRM) equine management degree. Those students spend two years at Kemptville and two years at Guelph.

“There are opportunities to strengthen the core of the program by centralizing it at Guelph,” Summerlee said. A similar Ridgetown BBRM program will also be moved to the Guelph campus.

Currently, it costs about $4.6 million a year to support teaching, research, operations and maintenance at Kemptville, and nearly $2.3 million at Alfred. There are also substantial indirect costs for things such as animal care, student support services and health and safety. “Clearly, this is not sustainable,” Summerlee said.

Consolidating the regional campus programs will eliminate upwards of 37 full-time positions at Alfred and 75 at Kemptville, as well as a number of part-time and casual workers.

“We regret that valued employees will be affected by this decision,” Summerlee said. “This action is in no way a reflection on the importance of their past contributions. These are difficult decisions but ones that are necessary and unavoidable.”

He said the University will work closely with employee group leaders to provide relocation counselling, severance allowances and other assistance to support laid-off employees.

There will be a few opportunities for transfers to Guelph or Ridgetown to support the consolidated teaching and research efforts of the University.

Decisions about programs that may be transferred to Guelph or Ridgetown, or continued in another format, will be made in the near future.

“Our focus must continue to be on providing training that best supports the province’s priorities for agri-food research, education and outreach,” Summerlee said.

 

 

Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

APG Seeks Advisors in All Zones to Grow Pulse Industry

Pulse producers who want to grow the province’s pulse industry while developing their own leadership skills are invited to let their names stand for election as an Alberta Pulse Growers (APG) Advisor at their zone meeting this fall. “Any interested pulse farmers are strongly encouraged to join the APG team,” APG Chair Shane Strydhorst said. “I began as an Advisor like most APG Directors, and the experience has been more rewarding than I imagined. Becoming an Advisor is a great way to get involved in the industry. Each of our five zones has available positions and it’s a good introduction to the organization, working on committees, and making things happen for Alberta pulse farmers.” A team of Advisors leads extension activities specific to each of APG’s five zones. Directors on APG’s provincial board often serve as Advisors first. Producers must have sold pulses and paid service charges since August 1, 2023 to be eligible as an Advisor. Anyone interested in letting their name stand

Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Launches Enhanced Pulse Variety Hub: New website delivers advanced tools and data for pulse crop producers

Saskatchewan Pulse Growers is pleased to announce the launch of the new and improved Pulse Variety Hub (https://rvt.saskpulse.com/), a comprehensive digital platform that helps pulse crop producers select the best varieties for their specific growing conditions and locations across Western Canada. The Pulse Variety Hub serves as a central resource where farmers can access detailed variety information, compare performance data across different regions, and make informed decisions about which pulse crops—including lentil, pea, chickpea, faba bean, and dry bean—will perform best in their specific geographic areas and growing environments. The enhanced platform represents a significant advancement in agricultural technology, building upon the proven foundation of the previous tool while delivering substantial improvements across all aspects of user experience and functionality. Key Features and Enhancements The new Pulse Variety Hub delivers enhanced value through several significant imp

Manitoba farmers racing to finish harvest

Rain and strong winds in Manitoba’s eastern and Interlake regions and snow in the Northwest slowed the harvest. In its weekly crop report, Manitoba Agriculture Cereal Crop Specialist Ann Kirk said roughly 93 per cent of the crop is harvested, and farmers are getting close to wrapping things up. “Over the past week, we did have fairly good harvest conditions. We did have rain and then snow which put a pause on harvest over the weekend and the beginning of this week,” Kirk said. Harvesting of spring cereals are basically complete and canola is very close to finished. The dry beans are about 96 per cent complete. Soybeans are also very close at about 90 per cent. “What’s left is about 25 per cent of the flax crop, 80 per cent of the sunflowers and about 60 per cent of the grain corn , so we have made good progress, and it’s just those remaining later season crops to come off,” Kirk added. Spring cereals had a very long harvest season, and as a result, some of the crops are of poorer

Agriculture innovation part of TIME’s list of best inventions

An agriculture innovation from a Winkler, Man. based company has been named to TIME’s list of the Best Inventions of 2025. Thunderstruck Ag was recognized for its Razors Edge Concaves. Thunderstruck Founder and CEO Jeremy Matuszewski said the concaves were designed to minimize harvest loss, maximize machine efficiency, and simplify operations across multiple crops. The system’s patented variable bar spacing tightens where impact is greatest and opens where flow matters most delivering a cleaner thresh, reduced equipment overload, and higher yields, all without cover plates or hardware swaps.

Halloween characters suitable for farmwork

Farmers can use all the help they can get these days

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service