AALP Class 13 North American Study Tour Day 5

Individual responsibility leading to accidental leadership

July 9, 2010 - State College, PA - The hospitality and generosity of our counterpart leadership program in Pennsylvania led by JD Dunbar, CEO of RULE continues…

Our session opened with a touching interpretation of the American and Canadian national anthems led by Commissioner Erick Coolidge, a dairy farmer in Tioga County PA and Andrew Chisholm from AALP Class 13. The morning began with a panel discussion on the Marcellus Shale, a formation that encompasses parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. Estimated to contain 489 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, over 100 years supply, the shale in exploitation is affecting the economic, social and environmental sustainability of rural areas of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

John Nikoloff from Pennsylvania Energy Resources Group provided a comparative perspective with Ontario about renewable energy. Their 25-’25 initiative will see 25 % of total energy production by 2025 from renewable energy. From the discussion, we can say that leaders in rural Pennsylvania have decided to take this challenge as an opportunity to raise the awareness of their citizens. Significant differences between regulations in Canada and USA lead the class to worry about environmental issues related to shale expansion. Education through communication, research and training is essential for the community to harness the potential of the resource and reduce the negative impact.

Following was a presentation on the national American rural healthcare perspectives, in particular in Pennsylvania. In the United States, twenty percent of US citizens do not have insurance coverage in a healthcare system ranked 37^th among the World Health Organization (WHO) member countries, and over 100,000 people die each year because of a lack of medical care. On hearing these stats the class realised that despite all the issues we might have in Canada, we are privileged to have access to a universal health care system. Nevertheless, after the presentation, we all agreed that there is a need to take our own responsibility to maintain affordable healthcare in the future through educating good healthy habits.

The day ended with a visit to The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in the attractive and vibrant downtown core of State College. Rick Bryant, Executive Director, provided an introduction to the festival showcasing over 300 artists selected for the occasion. During five days 125,000 visitors will be enjoying the largest festival of its kind. Enrichment and education of the audience is the mission of the festival, which is directed by a local leader who has been involved since he was a teenager working as part of the trash crew for the event. Rick is a good example of accidental leadership, through his involvement in his community.

Finally, a subgroup of the class went to visit a creamery and met Joe Meyer, a third generation farmer who opened a dairy in 1970 called Meyer Dairy. They are now milking 160 cows and processing 800 gallons of milk per day. It was an impressive production system and collection of antique machinery. It was an accidental meeting with another local leader…

Gunther Csoff, Michel-Antoine Renaud and Amadou Thiam – 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

Which Farmer’s Almanac Is Going Out of Print?

it’s not the iconic yellow-covered Old Farmer’s Almanac that’s closing its doors. The Farmers’ Almanac, based in Lewiston, Maine, will publish its final edition in 2026, marking the end of a 208-year legacy.

USask horticulture student honours peace by growing poppies

The display is a project of the heart for University of Saskatchewan (USask) horticulture student Corporal Fikret Ükis, who has been a member of the Canadian Armed Forces since 2018. “I thought it would be meaningful to have real poppies growing here on campus. They’re such a powerful symbol; simple, but deeply emotional,” Ükis said. It has been more than 100 years since the First World War and 80 years since the Second World War, and the world continues to see terrible conflict, he noted. “People sometimes forget that the freedoms and sovereignty we enjoy today were paid for by the sacrifices of those men and women,” he said. “It’s sad to see how fragile peace can be. The Ukrainians know this better than anyone right now; their sovereignty is currently under threat. Here in Canada, we take peace for granted, and we’ve forgotten how hard people had to fight during the First and Second World Wars, and how hard we still have to fight, to protect it.” Ükis said the poppy is a delicate

USask graduate investigates gene to improve the health of barley

Feeding the world requires healthy crops that can resist plant disease. Barley is the world’s fourth largest cereal crop in terms of production. This important crop is at risk worldwide from the fungus, Ustilago hordei, which infects barley with a disease called covered smut. This fungal infection starts on the surface of barley seed and causes the kernels of the barley plant to be replaced by masses of brown spores. Fan Yang’s research sought to identify a gene that can prevent barley yield loss from covered smut and thus improve economic returns to farmers. “My research focused on identifying a resistance gene, called RuhQ, within the barley genome that provides long-term resistance to covered smut,” said Yang. “I investigated how the pathogen infects barley seedlings and reduces grain quality and yield. I also explored which defense pathways are activated by the RuhQ gene to help barley defend against covered smut.” In July 2025, she successfully defended her PhD thesis, A study

Pulse Market Insight #286

Another Headwind for Yellow Peas The first quarter of the 2025/26 marketing year is now over and the pea market’s performance can be described as good, considering China’s 100% tariffs on Canadian pea imports, but not great. According to the CGC, farmers’ pea deliveries through 13 weeks were 1.13 mln tonnes, below the 5-year average of 1.21 mln and last year at 1.37 mln tonnes. Licensed pea exports totaled 865,000 tonnes, slightly above the 5-year average of 855,000, but trailing last year’s strong pace of 1.05 mln tonnes. In a “normal” year, this movement of peas wouldn’t be a big concern but the 2025 pea crop is nearly a million tonnes larger than last year, including 700,000 tonnes more yellow peas. Canada needs to export more peas, not less, in 2025/26 to avoid a large buildup in ending stocks. Unfortunately, the Indian government’s recent announcement of a 30% import tariff on yellow peas (from all origins), effective November 1, won’t help the situation. Several months ago, In

FVGC executive director plans to retire

The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) president, Marcus Janzen, has announced that Massimo Bergamini will begin a transition from his role as executive director as he moves toward retirement. The Board is grateful for his leadership and for the organizational achievements made during his tenure.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service