Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

AALP's Blog – July 2012 Archive (9)

AALP Class 14 North American Study Tour - July 14, 2012

It’s hard to believe that we are at the end of our AALP Class 14 North American Study Tour today.

Our way home north started with a stop in…

Continue

Added by AALP on July 16, 2012 at 3:12am — No Comments

AALP Class 14 North American Study Tour - July 13, 2012

Friday the 13th, Day 8

Will and Marian led us to the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC for a briefing from the Counsellor (Agriculture), Economic and Trade Policy. Arriving at the Embassy was much like crossing the border – a security screening and random passport check, all very pleasant, no issues. Dressed in our…

Continue

Added by AALP on July 13, 2012 at 3:00pm — No Comments

AALP Class 14 North American Study Tour - July 11, 2012

Not far from the Liberty Bell in the heart of Philadelphia is the Reading Terminal Market.

Rich in history, this “urban farmers' market” is home to 77 owner-operated businesses that provide a wide variety of food products ranging from local produce to meat, dairy, fish and baked goods.  As well…

Continue

Added by AALP on July 12, 2012 at 4:39pm — No Comments

AALP Class 14 North American Study Tour - July 12, 2012

We were off to a comfortable start this morning, with Dave the bus driver ready to roll at 8:30 headed for the Wye research station. Once there we met Dr. Russell Brinsfield and Ken Staver who briefed us on the watershed issues surrounding the Chesapeake estuary, the body of fresh water with the largest land to water…

Continue

Added by AALP on July 12, 2012 at 4:30pm — No Comments

AALP Class 14 North American Study Tour - July 10, 2012

We welcome a lost sheep back to the fold

Michel Dignard, who could not be with us for the first three days of the tour met us in Newark and we are all very happy he did make it for the balance of the program.  Our bus left Newark this morning with a full schedule of visits to a number of organic and sustainable agricultural operations in…

Continue

Added by AALP on July 10, 2012 at 2:16pm — 1 Comment

AALP Class 14 North American Study Tour - July 9, 2012

After an exciting evening in Soho for some and the musical Chicago on Broadway for others, the group set out to experience the Bronx. Our first stop was to meet with Myra Gordon, the Executive Director of the Hunts Point Produce Market. The Hunts Point Produce Market sits on 113 acres of land and…

Continue

Added by AALP on July 9, 2012 at 5:00pm — No Comments

AALP Class 14 North American Study Tour - July 8, 2012

AALP loves NY!

After passing through…

Continue

Added by AALP on July 8, 2012 at 2:52pm — No Comments

AALP Class 14 North American Study Tour - July 7, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Ithaca to New York City (via Scranton, PA)

AALP Class 14 woke up in Ithaca, NY to a much more comfortable ambient temperature than we experienced the previous…

Continue

Added by AALP on July 8, 2012 at 1:06am — No Comments

AALP Class 14 North American Study Tour - July 6, 2012

AALP Class 14's North American Study Tour began at the Rural Ontario Institute office, at the  EastGen facility Guelph where we boarded our bus. After a quick stop to pick up some of our remaining classmates in Niagara-on-the-Lake we were back on the…

Continue

Added by AALP on July 6, 2012 at 11:00pm — 1 Comment

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

How University of Iowa dropouts built a global ag tech company

Matthew Rooda began working in the swine industry at a young age. First, he helped his grandfather on a family farm, and later he worked with his father, who managed a commercial farm in Iowa. When it was time for college, he enrolled at the University of Iowa with plans to study genetics and biotechnology, and eventually planned to go to medical school to become an obstetrician. When Rooda met with the medical school admissions committee at the University of Iowa, he was told that he had to be different to stand out. He thought back to the experiences he had working on farms. Rooda told the committee he had experience with vaccinations, birthing assistance and management on farms. “They said, ‘That's exactly what we're looking for,’” he said. His junior and senior years of college, Rooda worked at nursing homes and he noticed more connections between farming and health care. He saw how nursing homes used technology and management practices to weed out inefficiencies in their car

MU Extension tackles persistent labor shortages in hog production

University of Missouri Extension specialists are working with the swine industry and temporary visa holders to help recruit, retain and develop agriculture professionals needed to address ongoing farm labor shortages. The TN visa program was established in 1994 under the North American Free Trade Agreement. The “TN” designation, short for Treaty NAFTA, refers to a professional nonimmigrant classification now governed by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. TN visas allow U.S. employers to hire specialized agriculture professionals from Mexico and Canada. Unlike programs such as H-2A, which focus on seasonal farm labor, the TN visa program supports year-round professional positions. That’s an important advantage for swine operations that require consistent staffing, says Magdiel Lopez, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension who leads the project funded through checkoff dollars from the National Pork Board. TN visa holders typically meet specific educationa

Swine fever deaths surge in Spain amid fears of new virus strain

Spain has recorded a surge in the deadly African swine fever sweeping Catalonia as authorities bring in drones and helicopters to help contain the outbreak. The region’s department of agriculture announced on Monday that a further 18 wild boar have died from the highly contagious disease near Cerdanyola del Valles, bringing the tally up to a total of 47. The ministry said that the rise was due to wider testing in hard-to-reach areas, explored by air over the Christmas holidays. It emphasised that it was an “accumulation” of cases reported, and not a “sudden” spike. Spain ramped up containment efforts in December, bringing in sniffer dogs and the military to help track the spread. More than 620 boars have been analysed in recent weeks, with around eight per cent testing positive for the virus. Researchers believe the ‘Bellaterra’ variant could be a new mutation, after it failed to match with any samples held locally. The local government has downplayed the theory that it could have

Swine Innovation Porc unveils 4 Advancing Swine Research projects

Swine Innovation Porc is pleased to announce four research projects under its Advancing Swine Research Call for Proposals, a national initiative designed to strengthen the resiliency, sustainability and competitiveness of Canada’s pork sector. Supported by the Pork Promotion and Research Agency, the projects announced represent the first set of approved investments under a highly competitive, industry-guided research call. Additional approved projects will be announced as partner co-funding decisions are finalized. For the four projects announced, SIP will invest up to $488,347, mobilizing up to $1.18 million in total project funding to advance innovation across priority areas including housing systems, animal health, energy efficiency and product quality. “SIP is proud to lead this national research effort that channels research investments into meaningful, targeted impact for producers and processors,” said Mark Ferguson, chair of SIP. “This call delivered exceptional proposals fr

Pork producers address USDA's New World screwworm response

The National Pork Producers Council submitted comments on the USDA's draft response plan for a New orWld screwworm detection in the United States. NPPC's feedback addressed areas of the response including movement controls and movements to slaughter, treatment and physical examinations, among others. NWS is a flesh-eating parasite from female flies that lay eggs in wounds on warm-blooded animals, including pigs and people. According to USDA, animals that recently have given birth, suffered an injury, or had a surgical procedure such as tail docking or branding are most vulnerable. Even tick bites can attract NWS flies. The disease has moved from South America through Central America and into Mexico over the past few years, with a case recently being identified in cattle a few hundred miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. It is endemic in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and some South American countries. In May, USDA closed the U.S. southern border to imports of cattle from Mexi

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service