Wynne Makes Pitch in China to Alibaba to Sell Ontario Agri-Food Products. Is there anything Ontario farmers or the ag industry can do to help?

Premier Kathleen Wynne is in China on a one-week trade mission and is keen to sell more agri-food items. Officials met with senior executives at Alibaba, aiming to convince the Chinese online shopping giant to carry Ontario made products.

In this Toronto Star article the interest by the company sounds very positive: http://www.thestar.com/business/2014/10/29/wynne_woos_alibaba_in_ch...

Is there anything Ontario farmers or the ag industry can do to help?

What else can Kathleen Wynne do to help the agri-food industry in Ontario?

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by OntAG Admin on November 2, 2014 at 5:06am

The government is investing $713,000 to Martin’s Family Fruit Farm to adapt their processing equipment for the slicing and dehydration of fresh vegetables into chips.

“This type of innovation is key to creating jobs and increasing profitability for farmers,” said MP Harold Albrecht, who made the announcement on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz.

The company already makes apple chips at their processing facility in Elmira. They will work to develop a dehydration method for potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. Martin’s will also design and install processing equipment for large-scale production.

“This project will help create jobs and increase demand for vegetables leading to increased opportunities and greater profitability for farmers,” Albrecht said.

The money comes from the AgriInnovation program. Albrecht said the goal of the program is for Canadian producers to benefit from cutting edge science and technology while boosting the economy.

“When we think about innovation in Waterloo Region, we think about computers and digital media, but Martin’s Family Fruit Farm are a shining example of the innovation occurring at the farm gate,” Albrecht said.

“It’s exciting to see the growth from where we came from, from the first hundred apple trees that my father planted in ’71 to where we are now,” said Kevin Martin, the President of Martin’s Family Fruit Farm.

▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

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

Crop Undercount Raises Questions About Reliability of U.S.D.A. Data

The Agriculture Department projected last July that farmers would harvest 86.8 million acres of corn in autumn. The projection was repeatedly revised upward until, in January, the department found 1.3 million more acres of corn — an area larger than Delaware — and concluded that the final amount harvested was 91.3 million acres. “It was a miss. No other way to call it,” said Seth Meyer, who served as the department’s chief economist until leaving in December. The 5 percent undercount may seem small, but it was the department’s worst projection in recent memory. It came as the Trump administration was cutting staff at the Agriculture Department and as President Trump’s trade war raised prices for equipment and hurt exports. Some people in agriculture have become increasingly worried about the reliability of department data. That skepticism could lead to a breakdown of the historically close relationship between the department and farmers it serves, they said. “U.S.D.A. always had a

Weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time. “April will go down as one of the wettest on record, and that moisture has helped ease drought conditions for the majority of the state,” said Secretary Naig. “Looking ahead, the forecast trends a bit cooler and drier through the first few weeks of May, which should give farmers a longer window to keep the planters running.” Crop Report There were 4.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 3, 2026, which is 1.0 day more than last year. Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 9 percent short, 81 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 13 percent short, 78 percent ade

Ten years of Canadian agricultural innovation through EMILI

This year marks the tenth anniversary of EMILI (Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative), the culmination of a group of community leaders working towards a common goal: to grow Canada’s economy, with a specific focus on advancing agtech in the Prairies. Jacqueline Keena, Managing Director, explained that EMILI “is an industry-led non-profit committed to driving agriculture innovation, partnership, and engagement. We provide innovators access to leading-edge equipment, technology, and production practices to increase productivity, sustainability, and profitability across the agriculture and agri-food sector.” At the heart of it all are the partnerships that EMILI cultivates between producers, industry leaders, investors and innovators. These stakeholders work together “to grow a sustainable, economically resilient digital agriculture industry.” This work is done in a number of ways. “We know that Canadian agriculture can lead the world through transformative innovati

This is Agriculture: Field Trial Modernization Scientist

As a field trial modernization scientist at Corteva Agriscience, Dr. Kevin Falk is dedicated to improving the way field scientists work. The lead on Corteva Agriscience’s spray drone trials taking place at EMILI’s Innovation Farms, Falk holds an M.Sc from the University of Manitoba, a Ph.D in Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Agronomy from Iowa State University, and an Advanced RPAS Pilot Certificate from Transport Canada. Here, Falk shares his path to becoming a field scientist, the importance of relationships in building his career, and some keen observations about the digital agriculture industry. Describe your job or product in one sentence. I build digital tools and workflows that help agricultural scientists work faster, smarter, and with better data, including AI models, drone systems, and automation platforms. Where did you grow up? Was it an agriculture or urban environment? I grew up in Carman, Manitoba, a town of about 3,000 people that punches way above its weight as an agric

Grain Bin Emergencies Turn Deadly in Seconds, but Training Can Save Lives

Grain entrapment kills within seconds, but a decade-long partnership between CASA and G3 is helping farmers and first responders prevent fatal accidents.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service