Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

AALP Class 13 North American Study Tour Day 11 - Going Home


July 15, 2010 - We awoke to a foggy morning on the final day of the legendary AALP Class 13 study tour. The mood on the bus was happy as we looked forward to being almost home to reconnect with family and friends. But you could tell there was a hint of sadness in the back of everyone’s mind with the realization that the adventure was coming to the end.

Travelling through the rolling hills of Western New York State we reached our final stop before the international border, CY Farms and Provitello Farms. CY Farms was the most diversified single operation we have visited in our travels. Owner Craig Yunker is a real proponent of leadership in the community and leadership training with his staff and by being a volunteer. I think we were all taken aback learning from owner Craig Yunker all the synergies between their many businesses that include: cash cropping; vegetable production; turf; and a replacement heifer operation. The farm grows approximately 5200 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, onions, fresh and storage cabbage, processing beans and processing peas. They have a great advantage with the farm being in close proximity to the Elba muck (7000 acres of muck soil) for their onion production; however, this has also created new challenges with nutrient management for the heifer and veal operations.

Provitello Farms is a veal farm located at the same location with a Canadian tie. Provitello is owned by Grober’s of Cambridge. This operation was started when the BSE crisis in 2003 closed down US market opportunities when the closed border stopped the Canadian veal trade. Provitello is the only veal operation in the US to use an automatic milk feeding system. It has also established a marketing advantage by raising veal using sound animal husbandry and traceability enabling them to market to Whole Foods. Both Provitello Farms and the CY Farms replacement heifer operation have benefited in their close proximity, leading to the adoption of new technology and greater efficiencies. CY Farms also has a Canadian connection by doing research trials with University of Guelph. They are always looking for areas of improvement and participating jointly in trials that will benefit their operation.

Craig’s son Christian wrapped up the tour by taking the group on a guided bus tour of the surrounding area. Christian is a current participant in the LEAD NY program and we are all looking forward to getting to know him and the other LEAD NY folks this coming October when the two groups meet in Ottawa.

With a quick and hassle free trip from there back to Guelph, all too soon we were all saying our goodbyes to our friends after 11 excellent days on the legendary AALP North American Study Tour. There is plenty for the group to reflect upon after this whirlwind tour. We hope that everyone has enjoyed reading these blogs over the last 11 days as much as we have enjoyed experiencing them!

Andrew Chisholm, Arlie McFaul, John Borland – AALP Class 13

Views: 66

Comment

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

Join Ontario Agriculture

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

ABP Working Groups address key issues

From traceability to trade structure, coal mining to wildlife conflict, ABP has active working groups on four of the most important files facing Alberta beef producers. Here are updates from each of the groups: Traceability Following the direction of resolutions carried by delegates at the 2026 Annual General Meeting, ABP’s board is forming a dedicated Traceability Working Group. The working group will examine traceability closely, with the objective of providing producer-driven feedback and solutions that reflect on-the-ground realities across Alberta’s beef sector. Members of the working group are being finalized, and will include representatives from ABP’s executive, directors and delegates; partner cattle organizations; and groups such as the Government of Alberta. The working group will be supported by a dedicated facilitator to maintain clear timelines, while also ensuring issues are thoroughly examined. The goal is to develop realistic, workable recommendations to present t

What drives the true cost of forage production?

New COP Network benchmarks reveal what drives forage production costs in Canadian cow-calf operations, from hay and silage to greenfeed, and where producers can improve efficiency. Forage is the backbone of every cow-calf operation — but how much does it really cost to grow? While feed is often viewed as a “homegrown” input, the reality is that forage production can make or break cost competitiveness, especially as input costs continue to rise. Data from the Canadian Cow-calf Cost of Production Network show wide differences in the cost of producing forages such as hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. But the real insight isn’t just what those costs are, it’s why they differ from farm to farm. Forage costs vary, management matters This analysis includes data from 59 COP Network benchmark farms from 2020 to 2024, covering five major forage types — hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. Hay remains the dominant forage on Canadia

Multiple pickup trucks under recall

Like any piece of farm equipment, pickup trucks are subject to recalls

Most regions hit the home stretch of seeding

Provincial seeding progress is nearly complete as 93 per cent of seed has been put in the ground across Saskatchewan. The latest figure is up from 80 per cent the previous week, but is still behind the five and ten year average of 97 per cent. The west-central region leads the way at 98 per cent complete, the southwest at 97 per cent, the southeast 96 per cent, the northwest 95 per cent and the northeast entered the home stretch at 92 per cent complete. But farmers in the east-central region still have some work to do as progress currently sits at 84 per cent. While it's a large increase from 63 per cent the previous week, it remains behind the five year average of 93 per cent for the region. Crops Extension Specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture Samantha Marcino, who is based out of Yorkton, notes the Calder area had 164 millimetres of rain and the Canora area around 72 mm. "This did increase the topsoil moisture levels, obviously, in those regions, and some of them were sit

Horizon School Division, Nutrien bring hydroponic learning lab to Lanigan students

Students at Lanigan School will soon get their hands dirty while learning about food production and agriculture. Horizon School Division and Nutrien announced this week a partnership that will see the installation of a hydroponic grow container at the school. Director of Education for Horizon Kevin Garinger says they first saw the grow container in Alberta a few years ago, and the one to be established in Lanigan is the first of its kind within the School Division. "Food security is so vital, and I think one of the things that we are trying to do through this process is educate our children about the impact of the work our farmers, our communities, and our big businesses do in support of agriculture in our province and ultimately across our country and world." said Garinger, adding its opportunities like this that can inspire students to pursue a career in agriculture. "If we make that impact, if we make that kind of impact on the ag industry, on our children to understand that the

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service