Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Thai Agri-Tourism

Today we left the big city lights of Bangkok for the countryside. How refreshing to step out of the bus onto Baan Susan Chamchoen Farm and meet the owner Mr Somsak and his wife. With great passion and enthusiasm he toured us through his mixed fruit farm, combining agro tourism with fruit production and 20 value-added products. The King, a great supporter of agriculture, had advised all farmers to diversify. As such, Mr Somsak has a unique intercropping system combining  banana, coconut and mango trees along with ducks, chickens and goats.

In scenic (and very hot and humid) surroundings, the trees grow on rows of mounded soil separated by a continuous canal system. These canals are used to irrigate and to collect crops while controlling ants and raising fish which links directly to the main 32 km canal leading to the city markets.  

Mr Somsak exemplifies diversification and added value with guest rooms and a restaurant for Thai tourists. The variety of retail products made from his crops include sugar, butter and oil from coconut. He's a third generation farmer having retired from teaching eight years ago. Some of his coconut trees grow to be 100 years old. He was so very excited to show us his farm as AALP Class 16 were the first international tour ever to visit his farm. His innovation, adaptability and resourcefulness was certainly inspiring and all agreed this stop was our Thai highlight.

Mr Somsak insisted that each classmate take a bottle of his coconut oil, posed for pictures in his new Ag More Than Ever Tshirt we gave him and bid us farewell with a left-handed handshake, teaching us that the right hand is used for killing but the left is for peace.  

After a light lunch at a nearby restaurant along one of the main canals, we drove to the Nonthaphum orphanage for children with disabilities. There we were met by a worker and former student who told us how the the 390 residents receive education, vocational training, rehabilitation and social services support. We watched as lunch was served to many of the clients. The school depends on government support and donations to provide fulsome care. The class donated all our excess snacks and, having passed the hat, a $431 US donation to help them carry on their important work. Later we spent time discussing how blessed we are to be healthy and Canadian. We also discussed the act of giving and how it is incumbent upon us all to use our leadership skills and talents to give back to our organizations in our communities. 

Views: 443

Comment

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

Join Ontario Agriculture

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

Replenish Nutrients Announces Steven Glover as Special Advisor to the Board and Director Nominee

Replenish Nutrients Holding Corp. (CSE: ERTH) (OTC: VVIVF) ("Replenish" or the "Company"), a leader in regenerative agriculture solutions, is pleased to announce that Steven Glover, FCPA, FCA, will join the Company as a Special Advisor to the Board of Directors, effective April 7, 2026. Mr. Glover will be nominated for election to the Company's Board of Directors at its upcoming Annual General Meeting on June 19, 2026. Mr. Glover is an independent director nominee. Upon election, it is anticipated that he will serve as the Company's audit committee chair. Mr. Glover brings nearly five decades of experience in accounting, financial oversight, and public-company governance, with a career spanning senior executive roles, regulatory and professional leadership, and extensive board and audit committee service. Mr. Glover currently serves as Lead Director and Audit Committee Chair of Genesis Land Development Corp. (TSX: GDC), where he provides oversight of financial reporting, enterprise r

Government of Canada invests in low-carbon agrichemicals to advance sustainability in agriculture

Canada's agricultural sector is at the forefront of building a greener future and ensuring Canadians have access to sustainable, homegrown solutions. Supporting leading-edge technology is critical to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fortifying Canada's food systems for generations to come. Today, Wade Chang, Member of Parliament for Burnaby Central, on behalf of the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced an investment of up to $1,236,310 for Anodyne Chemistries Inc. through the AgriScience Program - Projects Component, under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. This investment will support Anodyne Chemistries in developing and demonstrating an innovative bio-electric process that converts carbon dioxide and water into high-quality, low-carbon formic acid and hydrogen peroxide, resulting in significant GHG reductions and reduced reliance on petrochemical feedstocks for Canada's agricultural sector. Formic acid and hydrogen

Canada's two major railways see slight improvement in grain deliveries in week 34: Ag Transport Coalition

The Ag Transport Coalition reports week 34 saw system performance improve notably, with CN and CPKC Rail combined, supplying 80% of hopper cars ordered. That's an improvement from the 65% performance seen in week 33, and the best performance seen since week 25 in mid-January. System performance remains below the 90% performance threshold for a tenth consecutive week, but returns to the 80% threshold for the first time in nine weeks. In supplying 85% of cars ordered by shippers in week 34, CN saw performance improve from the 79% order fulfillment performance seen in week 33. This marks the best performance seen from CN in the last five weeks, but CN performance remains below the 90% threshold for a tenth straight week. Meanwhile, in supplying 75% of shipper orders, CPKC saw performance improve dramatically from the 52% order fulfillment performance seen in week 33, with the railway posting their best performance in eight weeks. CPKC performance remains below the 90% performance th

Crop input retailer happy United Farmers of Alberta bought AgraCity

A competitor is pleased with United Farmers of Alberta’s purchase of the AgraCity Group of companies. Farmers Business Network thinks the deal is good news for farmers. “The work that AgraCity did to build their portfolio of products and labels will still be available to farmers going forward,” said Breen Neeser, FBN’s general manager for Canada.“They have some really good products.” He is happy that the AgraCity assets are staying in the hands of an established western Canadian company that has been in the agriculture business for a long time. “They know farming,” he said. “They’re partners with farmers.” Neeser believes UFA was keen on expanding their footprint in Saskatchewan. “I think that was part of the play,” he said. He is pleased that the assets did not end up in the hands of a foreign entity. “UFA is part of the fabric of western Canadian farming, especially Alberta and in some ways Saskatchewan now,” he said. “I’m glad it’s in the hands of somebody who sees the bus

Greenbelt Seen as Key to Ontario Food Security and Agri-Food Growth

Ontario’s Greenbelt should be treated as a strategic pillar of food security and economic growth, according to a new report released by the Greenbelt Foundation.  

Switch to the Mobile Optimized View

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service