Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

AALP's Blog – July 2016 Archive (11)

AALP Class 16 Interacts with Leaders in Canada and the United States

Guelph, ON, July 25, 2016 - Over 10 days in early July, the future agricultural leaders that make up the current Advanced Agriculture Leadership (AALP) class were exposed to interactive learning through their North America Study Tour (NAST).



The 2016 NAST included stops in Eastern Ontario, Quebec, New York State, Washington DC, Maryland and Pennsylvania focusing on production challenges, unique marketing initiatives, environmental obligations and the evolving concept of social…

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Added by AALP on July 28, 2016 at 4:02am — No Comments

Heading home

As we pack up the bus for the last time open, we begin to prepare for the long ride home. Many are excited to see their family and friends, to share their experiences during our NAST and to get back to normal life.

We start off our journey with off the cuff (impromptu) speaking, responding to questions about our thoughts regarding specific speakers and stops along our travels. We hear members reflect on the importance of the relationship between Canada and the USA, our…

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Added by AALP on July 13, 2016 at 7:00am — No Comments

Learning the RULEs of Leadership at State College, Pennsylvania

Today marks our ninth stop on this “Amazing Race across North America.” We’ve parked our bus at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania, for a joint day of leadership learning with the RULE participants and alumni of Pennsylvania. RULE stands for “Rural Urban Leadership” and they’re currently in their 16th class of participants, just like us…

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Added by AALP on July 12, 2016 at 3:00am — No Comments

Day 8: Out with a bang! Battles, beers and baseball

The day started off early with a 6:30 departure from Alexandria, Virginia, with a two-hour drive to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Our in-flight service was compliments of Tom and Robin and consisted of snacks, moist towelettes and…

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Added by AALP on July 11, 2016 at 4:30am — 1 Comment

Day 7: Talking about the rural/urban divide

We started the day bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to learn!! First stop was at the Chestertown Town Hall where Nancy Nunn, Educator, Outreach, and Advancement Coordinator at the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, and Kees de Mooy, Zoning Administrator for the Town of Chestertown, spoke to us about the history, troubles and opportunities of Chestertown.…

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Added by AALP on July 10, 2016 at 3:00am — No Comments

Day 6: A day at the Canadian Embassy

Our day began with a fabulous breakfast at the Crown Plaza hotel. We boarded the bus and were reminded a few times by our daily coordinators, Ann Vermeersch and Dylan Wiens, not to forget our passports for the Embassy. We arrived safely at the Canadian Embassy, driven, of course, by our spectacular bus driver Nancy, where we were reminded once again – do not forget your passports!…

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Added by AALP on July 9, 2016 at 2:30am — No Comments

Day 5: The rich history of Washington, DC

Thursday morning started with an early breakfast so Nancy could get us on the road and headed towards Washington to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.



Once on the bus, we all enjoyed some quiet time to catch a few zzzz’s for the first hour or so to help prepare us for the busy schedule we have over the next few days. Throughout the morning we had the opportunity to meet with our Issues Analysis Project teams to…

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Added by AALP on July 8, 2016 at 5:30am — No Comments

Day 4: From melons to margaritas

AALP Class 16 started Day 4 of our North American Study Tour in the New York State capital of Albany with a breakfast speaker. Jackie Lendrum from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation shared her experiences with water quality regulations and issues primarily with dairy farms in the state. Dairy is the…

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Added by AALP on July 7, 2016 at 7:30am — No Comments

Day 3: More farms and fun in Quebec

After participating in the famous local tradition that is Montreal International Jazz Festival, the class packed up and headed for the border, making stops along the way before crossing.

The first stop was La Ferme Quinn, a 150-acre…

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Added by AALP on July 6, 2016 at 5:00am — No Comments

Day 2: A day at the Farm

As the chariot pulled away from the Crown Plaza in Montreal this group of AALP participants knew they were in for an info-packed day starting off with McGill MacDonald Campus.

We all have our favourite post-secondary campus, but many participants on the…

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Added by AALP on July 5, 2016 at 4:03am — No Comments

Day 1: The journey begins

With blue skies and sun, we couldn’t have asked for a better day to start our North American Study Tour. The majority of the class gathered at the Rural Ontario Institute parking lot and we are thrilled to reunite with our classmates, and to see that our chariot is NOT a yellow school bus but in fact a coach bus. After Andy McTaggart confirms that all are present -- although it takes a couple of counts -- we start off on the first…

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Added by AALP on July 4, 2016 at 3:30am — No Comments

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

Hursh: My canola acreage prediction

Statistics Canada will release a seeded area estimate on June 30. This will be based on data collected in late May and early June. I'm predicting a larger than expected increase in canola acreage. In its preliminary seeding intentions report back in March, Statistics Canada predicted a 1.0 per cent increase in Canadian canola area to 21.8 million acres. A lot has happened since then and canola prices have seen more strength than other commodities. Canola also looks good from a crop insurance coverage point of view even in non-traditional canola growing regions. Canola is already a large percentage of the cropland in central and northern areas of the grain belt limiting how much more it can increase. However, I believe acreage may have increased dramatically in many southern regions. In southwest Saskatchewan where I farm, I can’t remember seeing so many canola fields. Canola here still isn’t nearly as common as lentils or durum, but there’s a surprising amount of canola and mos

Seeding virtually done in Saskatchewan, though some acres unseeded

The latest provincial crop report indicates seeding is basically done in Saskatchewan as progress is marked at 99 per cent complete. A map of seeding progress province-wide shows an area from Hudson Bay down to Yorkton is between 85 and 95 per cent complete, with pockets at less than 80 per cent complete. The east-central region as a whole is at 96 per cent complete while other regions are at 99 or 100 per cent. However, three per cent of acres of the province went unseeded due to excessive moisture. "Similarly, three per cent of forage crops have excess moisture and are unlikely to produce a crop while two per cent of pastureland is not accessible or is unusable," states the report. "In areas experiencing reduced moisture, two per cent of the seeded acreage this spring in the province is affected. Five per cent of the forage crops may have yields significantly impacted, while five per cent of pastures may have reduced carrying capacity." Rainfall this past week delayed fieldwork,

Cereals Canada Releases its 2025 Annual Report

Cereals Canada has released its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting a year of strong market development, technical leadership, and advocacy efforts that reinforced Canada’s position as a leading global supplier of high-quality wheat, durum, oats, and barley. Throughout 2025, Cereals Canada continued to support international customers and strengthen demand for Canadian cereals through targeted market development programming, technical expertise, and proactive market access engagement. Canada exported cereals to more than 80 countries, with cereal exports valued at approximately $12.8 billion annually, demonstrating continued global confidence in Canadian quality and reliability. A key priority throughout the year remained helping global customers understand and optimize the value of Canadian cereals. Through technical support, customer outreach, and crop quality programming, Cereals Canada worked closely with global buyers to ensure Canadian quality translated into measurable value throu

Cereals Canada Announces New Board Leadership

Adam Dyck, industry representative from Warburtons, has been elected Chair of the Cereals Canada Board of Directors. As Chair, Dyck will help lead the organization’s work to strengthen Canada’s position as a trusted supplier of high-quality wheat, durum, barley, and oats. Rounding out the executive committee is Josh Boersen, producer representative from Grain Farmers of Ontario, as Vice-Chair; Rob Stone, producer representative from Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, as Secretary; and Jean-Marc Ruest, industry representative from Richardson International, as Treasurer. The Board also welcomed four newly elected directors, whose insight and leadership will guide the organization’s efforts to support market development, customer engagement, and innovation across the cereals sector. “The Board of Directors plays a critical role in guiding our work on behalf of Canada’s cereals value chain,” said Dean Dias, chief executive officer of Cereals Canada. “We are pleased to welcome Ad

Knowledge Centre receives $2.6 million from Weston Family Prairie Grasslands Initiative

Stretching across Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba, Canada’s prairie grasslands support hundreds of species, including migratory birds, pollinators and people, while also sustaining soil health, water systems, livestock production, and Indigenous stewardship. Yet of the roughly 141 million acres of historical grasslands in Canada, only 26 million acres remain intact today. What remains of prairie grasslands represents a rare and urgent opportunity to protect biodiversity at scale. “Indigenous lifeways, languages, and food systems evolved with the environment, and these reciprocal relationships shaped the ecological processes that can restore the health of grasslands,” said Candice Pete-Cardoso, director of the kihci-okawimaw askiy Knowledge Centre at USask. The new Indigenous Grasslands Stewardship and Knowledge Exchange Network has been launched by the kihci-okawimaw askiy Knowledge Centre together with the Indigenous Kinship Circle (IKC). The IKC is a cross-boundary community of

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