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

Producers learn new ways to optimize harvest at EMILI’s annual Producer Day

Producers only get one chance at harvest, and to get the most possible yield from their crop their combine needs to be calibrated just right. This is what brought close to 50 producers, from across Manitoba and as far as Quebec, to EMILI’s Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert on June 11, 2025 for EMILI’s Producer Day with Bushel Plus Harvest Academy. Attendees learned more about their machines and how to calibrate various combines to reduce yield loss during harvest. The day was jam-packed with information and featured a mix of classroom-style learning that took place inside the shop at Innovation Farms centre, and demonstrations on Claas, Case IH and John Deere combines, with plenty of opportunities for interactive, hands-on instruction with experts from Bushel Plus. Marcel Kringe, founder and CEO of Bushel Plus, and Tyson Sanderson, product specialist at Bushel Plus, walked attendees through the inner workings of several parts of the combine, including the header, threshing system

Rapid Crop Emergence Offsets Slow Moisture Rebound

Alberta’s 2025 crop is off to a flying start, with emergence and early development well ahead of schedule across the province — but dwindling moisture reserves are starting to cast a shadow. According to the latest crop report, emergence for major crops has reached 95%, outpacing both the five-year (84%) and ten-year (86%) averages. Spring wheat and dry peas are nearly fully emerged (100%), while barley (96%), canola (89%), and oats (85%) are all well ahead of seasonal norms. Crops aren’t just emerging fast — they’re developing faster than usual, too. Spring wheat and barley have already entered mid-tillering stages, when early tillering is more typical for this time of year. Oats are showing late-stage leaf development, again a jump ahead of the five- and ten-year benchmarks. Dry Conditions Raising Red Flags Despite the impressive start, soil moisture is not keeping pace, especially in deeper layers now crucial for sustaining the crop’s rapid development. Provincial surface moistur

Montana Spring Wheat Rating Still in Decline

The US spring wheat crop has rebounded from its second worst start to the growing season on record, but things are still going downhill in Montana. Monday’s USDA crop progress report pegged the Montana spring wheat crop at just 16% good to excellent as of Sunday, down from 25% the previous week and now 20 points below the season’s first condition rating on May 26. As shown on the graphic below, it is the worst start for the spring wheat crop in the state since 2022, when an overly wet and late start to the growing season meant only 15% of the Montana crop was rated good to excellent in the first spring wheat condition report on June 12. This year, it is the exact opposite problem for the Montana spring wheat crop, which is struggling amid dryness and drought. According to the latest US drought monitor, more than half of Montana (59%) was being impacted by some form of drought as of June 10, the highest since November 2024. (In 2021, the Montana spring wheat crop started better bu

New University of Manitoba Research Chair Named to Advance Beef Production Sustainability

Thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC), the University of Manitoba (UM), along with its partners at Manitoba Beef Producers, Manitoba Agriculture, and Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives, is proud to announce the establishment of the BCRC Chair in Beef Cattle Economic Sustainability. “It’s important for our industry to understand beneficial management practices that boost productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability—including those related to greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use, and biodiversity,” said Craig Lehr, BCRC chair and Alberta beef producer. “This new Chair will focus on viable solutions for Canadian beef cattle producers with innovations that improve economic sustainability while reducing environmental footprint.” The beef industry faces mounting challenges, including volatile input costs, climate-related risks, and limited access to equitable risk management tools. These pressures have made it increasingly

It’s Local Food Week!

A week of celebrating fresh, healthy, and local Canadian food is here! Local Food Week is a time to recognize the hardworking farmers who grow the food we enjoy every day. It also encourages us to think about the impact of our choices as consumers.

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