AALP Class 13 North American Study Tour Day 9

July 13, 2010 - It was another early morning as Day 9 kicked off for the AALP 13 class. The group decided to get an early start as we would be battling traffic heading into the downtown core of Washington DC’s business district. First up were morning sessions where AALP was joined by the IOWA LEAD program participants for a presentation with Monsanto’s Dr. Michael Dykes, US Government Affairs. He was an interesting presenter to say the least as he discussed current strengths and opportunities, general background info with respect to Monsanto and agriculture as partners. “If you haven’t been on a farm in the last 5-10 years, you don’t know production ag,” stated Dykes. A discussion on current issues concluded the time we had with Dr. Dykes.

We then had an opportunity to have a group discussion between our AALP class and the IOWA LEAD team, where we talked about similarities and differences, as well as sharing experiences by the two groups. The IOWA team has a similar two-year program meeting every 8 to 12 weeks. Their international trip took them to Vietnam and South Korea, which provoked many conversations between the various delegates.

Then it was off to lunch and then on to our afternoon destination, the Canadian Embassy. Because we are all in our best dress for this visit, our bus driver “Paul” agreed to pick us up and drive us 20 blocks to avoid the unbearable humidity. However half way there we had an incident with a car that was trying to travel beside the bus on a curve…we’ll just leave it at that.

It was now off to the Canadian Embassy, a very large and impressive building. At the embassy we were welcomed by Dr. Gary A. Bojes, from the USDA rural development board, Mary Kay Thatcher and Tara Smith from the US Farm Bureau and Chris Leggett, Pam Simpson, Paul Robertson and Anne Mattson from the Embassy. Our visit wrapped up with an interesting tour of the building and its various floors and departments given by Glen the embassy’s event planner. The visit to the sixth floor provided a spectacular view of Capitol Hill.

Mary Kay Thatcher and Tara Smith spoke about COOL (Country of Origin Labeling) saying that “COOL is not currently being discussed at any level outside of hogs and beef.” When it comes to the issues pertaining to the American Humane Society, “WTO talks continue to go nowhere - Canada is able to move forward and implement trade agreements with countries like Columbia and Korea, while the US falls behind as Obama refuses to send signed trade agreements to the hill.” Clinton Buttar, Guelph ON said, “Each of these topics is at the forefront of importance for Canadian agriculture and provide perspective with regards to the current state and challenges of U.S Agriculture and their #1 trading partner Canada.”

Drew Spoelstra, Binbrook ON reflected on the day’s speakers and concluded, “There was a definite message coming from each of the speakers today when they spoke about the remarkable change in the agriculture industry. The main message is that we have to get out there and get our message heard by both the public and our local representatives.”

Clinton Buttar, Rick Kush, Drew Spoelstra – AALP Class 13

Comment

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

Join Ontario Agriculture

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

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

Choosing Malting Barley for 2027? Market Demand Could Be Key

Canadian malting barley acres are shifting toward newer varieties. CDC Churchill reached 13.7 per cent of Western Canadian acres in 2026, while AAC Synergy retained the top spot at 37.6 per cent. Recommended Varieties

China extends tariff relief for peas, canola meal

China has extended significant tariff reductions on Canadian peas, canola meal, lobster and crabs for another two years after a meeting in Beijing between Chinese officials and International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu. The announcement, part of a deal struck recently, removes a cloud of uncertainty that had been hanging over Canada’s agriculture and seafood sector. The tariff reductions, set to expire on Dec. 31, have been extended to the end of 2028, Sidhu said in a statement from Beijing. The suspended tariffs include 100-per-cent levies on peas and canola meal and 25-per-cent on lobster and crab. Shipments of these products for the first eight months of the year reached $1-billion, according to Sidhu’s office. “This extension gives farmers, producers and harvesters predictable access to the Chinese market, and it’s how we will grow our exports to China by 50 per cent by 2030 to create good-paying jobs and new opportunities for businesses across Canada,” Sidhu said.

Cyclists in another Ontario town worried they’ll lose some bike lanes

The Great Bike Lane Battle of Ontario™ isn’t just happening in Toronto. We’ve already seen several places in the province who are fearful that some of the Toronto removals, and plans to remove more or kibosh future lanes, might affect them. It began over two years ago when Premier Doug Ford’s government passed legislation that changed the way municipalities can create bike lanes. Essentially, the province can now dictate the way towns or cities can create cycling infrastructure that may reduce car lanes. The bill also quite specifically targeted several sections in the city which it planned to remove lanes. After a long legal battle—which included a Charter challenge put forth by cycling advocates, which was ultimately appealed and won by the province—the first round of lane removals began. The Ontario bike lane brouhaha In early October, crews set out to get rid of a 1.2-km section of protected bike lanes on Bloor Street West in the west part of the city. For days, cyclists and s

Eggs of invasive moth detected for the first time in Great Lakes region in Detroit, U.S. says

The eggs of an invasive moth known to be a voracious consumer of trees have been discovered for the first time in the Great Lakes region on a vessel in the Port of Detroit, according to U.S. Customers and Border Protection. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the specimens came from two distinct subspecies of the flighted spongy moth complex native to Asia. The steel-carrying cargo ship had arrived in Detroit from South Korea via Hamilton. “It's very concerning because … spongy moth is one of those moths whose caterpillars feed on the foliage of a large number of tree species,” said Richard Hamelin, a professor of forestry at the University of British Columbia. He worked with the USDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on a DNA test to differentiate the Asian and European varieties of the moth. “My guess is that this [is] being an alarm … bell … because … if there's one ship that had eggs, then … there was … some kind of a breakdown in the inspection or maybe t

Lambton County farmers near end of harvest thanks to favourable weather

Ideal fall conditions have allowed Lambton County producers to bring a smooth and successful harvest near the finish line. Lambton Federation of Agriculture President Mike Belan said the soybean harvest and winter wheat planting finished really well thanks to a long stretch of nice weather. He said area farmers, including himself, have made good progress harvesting corn since with average to above average yields being recorded. "We just finished up last week and I think probably, if you went around the county, we'd be probably 85 to 90 per cent wrapped up on corn harvest," said Belan. "The first part of November has been exceptionally well weather wise." Belan said everyone he talks to has been eager to collect their crops. "November's notorious for having a large snowfall or getting wet and staying wet for the rest of the month," he said. "So, you take advantage of the nice weather when you can." With flurries starting to show in local forecasts, Belan said extra effort is being

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service