Ontario Agriculture

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AALP's Blog – July 2014 Archive (9)

Last day of the North American Study Tour and on the road again!

 

BrIght-eyed and bushy-tailed, Class 15 was up early and headed to Native Offerings Farms (NOF) in Little Valley, New York, an hour and a half outside of Painted Post. A few great "off the cuff" moments and a beautiful serenade by Linda made the time pass quickly.

At NOF, Deb and Stu Ritchie run a 180-acre farm and produce a variety of certified naturally-grown…

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Added by AALP on July 14, 2014 at 4:30am — No Comments

Wars, small town revitalization and checkers!

On day seven of our North American Study Tour, we visited Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to see the site of one of North America's greatest battles.It was overwhelming to see the exhibit at the Gettysburg National Military Park. The Cyclorama, which was painted in the late 1800's by Paul Philippoteaux brought the experience to life. Then, a walk through the onsite museum…

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Added by AALP on July 13, 2014 at 4:00am — No Comments

A Day of Learning about the Past, Present and Future - AALP North American Study Tour

Friday began with a meeting with Syngenta in the heart of Washington D.C. The presentation followed a recurring theme: Feeding A Growing Global Population. Syngenta's Good Growth Plan contains six areas of focus:

  1. Make crops more efficient
  2. Rescue more farmland
  3. Help biodiversity flourish
  4. Empower smallholders
  5. Help people stay…
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Added by AALP on July 12, 2014 at 3:30am — No Comments

How important is the US to Canada? And vice versa. AALP Class 15 Study Tour Continues

Wow! What a busy, exciting and informative day!



We arrived at the Canadian Embassy and are proud to announce we all cleared the security check. We listened to a variety of speakers and learned about the value and importance of the trade relationship Canada has with the United States. A couple of interesting facts: 

1) US and Canada…

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Added by AALP on July 11, 2014 at 2:26am — 2 Comments

Being inspired - a great day on AALP's North American Study Tour

The FFA Creed - as applicable now as when it was written in 1930

After staying with some terrific families in their homes, AALP Class 15 traveled to the National FFA Center in Indianapolis. For some of us, this was the first introduction to the FFA while others had a more in depth understanding of who they are. We learned that FFA goes through the…

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Added by AALP on July 10, 2014 at 2:31am — 1 Comment

Kids in the candy store!

AALP Class 15 was off to an early start as we continue our North American Study Tour adventure.  Fun fact: interstates that are odd numbered run north-south. We travelled south on I75 down through Ohio to Indianapolis, Indiana.  

We used our time on the bus effectively.  From practicing "off the cuff" to sponsor spotlights, we kept ourselves busy. We were enlightened with information on an AALP ally AdFarm as we rolled past fields of ripening wheat and tassling…

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Added by AALP on July 9, 2014 at 2:53am — No Comments

AALP North American Study Tour – Detroit

Today was another great day on #NAST2014.

We started our day at Detroit’s Eastern market, and went on a tour of the local area around the farmer’s market. We heard about and saw some of the local restoration going on in the form of a greenway and bike path. The people in this community are working tirelessly to improve their city by improving everything from access to fresh, healthy food, to green spaces where the community can come together for shopping, eating and…

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Added by AALP on July 8, 2014 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

And they're off!

On Sunday, July 6 Class 15 of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program began its North America Study Tour #NAST2014. 

The first stop on the tour was Detroit and the Sunday Street Market of the Eastern Market. The Sunday Street Market features local items such as home goods, art, jewelry, clothing, Michigan-made products, antiques…

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Added by AALP on July 8, 2014 at 5:50am — No Comments

AALP Class 15 - North American Study Tour

The 29 participants in AALP Class 15 leave on Sunday, July 6 for their North American Study Tour.

During the eight-day tour, they'll learn from a wide range of speakers and tours, from wineries to organic farms and from the Canadian embassy to Gettysburg National Military Park.

Blogs will be posted here daily - follow along on this great journey!

Added by AALP on July 2, 2014 at 4:12am — No Comments

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

Guinness World Record attempt to take place in St. Albert on Aug. 22

?ST. ALBERT – If you have ever wanted to witness an attempt at a Guinness World Record, then you will want to be in St. Albert, Ontario on August 22 when an attempt will be made to set a record for the most plow blades pulled simultaneously.

Why Alignment Matters: Domestic Check-Off and the Import Levy

When Canadian beef producers sell cattle, they contribute to the national beef check-off. That investment supports work that benefits the broader Canadian beef industry, including market development, consumer demand, public and stakeholder engagement, and research. When beef or beef cattle are imported into Canada, an import levy is also collected. While the structure is not identical in every detail, the principle behind it is straightforward: beef marketed in Canada should help contribute to the programs that support beef demand in Canada. The national check-off paid by producers and the import levy paid on eligible imports are two parts of a broader investment approach. Together, they help ensure that both domestic beef production and imported beef products are connected to the market development work that strengthens beef’s position with Canadian consumers. For producers, the domestic cattle check-off is collected at the point of sale and includes both national and provincial po

I’ve noticed a lot of wild oat escapes in some of my fields this year; what can I do to prevent it from getting worse next year?

Despite our best efforts, sometimes even the best laid weed control plans go wrong! The first thing to remember is that not all weed escapes are created equal. In some cases, weeds can survive because of application timing issues, challenging weather conditions or late flushes that emerge after spraying. However, when weeds aren’t controlled by herbicide applications, herbicide resistance should also be on your radar. A recent survey in Manitoba found that in fields with uncontrolled wild oats, 100 per cent of populations were resistant to Group 1 products, 82 per cent were resistant to Group 2 products, and 82 per cent were resistant to both Group 1 and 2 herbicides. Those numbers show how important it is to take a closer look at wild oat weed escapes. Identifying why your herbicide failed to control wild oats is the first step toward finding a solution. Start by scouting the field to narrow down the cause. Consider factors such as application timing, weather conditions, late flush

Is fungicide actually effective on Sclerotinia head rot in sunflower?

This is one of the most difficult questions to answer because there are many things to consider. I also don’t want to be outright negative because we do still have options for sclerotinia management in sunflowers. However, management is the operative word. First of all, sclerotinia head rot infections have an interesting pathway. Spores use dead sunflower florets, plus pollen, as the base to infect a sunflower plant. The spores grow into the receptacle, infecting and decaying the entire head after a period of time. Sclerotinia wilt (basal stalk rot) and mid-stalk rot are also infected by the same sclerotinia species, but it will be via the mycelia that grow from the sclerotia bodies in the soil for basal stalk rot. Mid-stalk rot is also infected by ascospores, but this can be earlier in the season than head rot or at the same time. So, management of sclerotinia does not start at flowering. Crop rotation is the most obvious management tool that we are familiar with in sunflowers, but

Using Water More Efficiently in Beef Packing Plants

Packing plants use a time-tested approach to clean their facilities. The first step uses high-pressure hot water to remove fat and meat scraps from equipment, floors and walls. Next, surfaces are cleaned using detergent. Finally, sanitizers are used to further reduce bacterial numbers. Processing companies want to reduce water use as part of their environmental goals and to reduce energy bills. High-pressure water and steam can produce aerosols that capture bacteria and spread them throughout the plant. They can then settle on and cross-contaminate clean surfaces long after the cleaning has been completed, which complicates efforts to effectively clean facilities. Biofilms are another problem. Biofilms are colonies of bacteria surrounded by a protective layer that firmly attaches them to surfaces and shelters the bacteria from hot water, detergents and sanitizers. Biofilms are hard to remove and are commonly found in hard-to-reach places. These researchers investigated potential cro

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