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

The rise and fall of Minneapolis-Moline

Minneapolis-Moline dates back to the Candee & Swan Plow Company of Moline, Illinois, founded in 1865. It became Moline Plow Company (later, Moline Implement Company), a major Midwestern producer of tilling equipment: plows, harrows and other tools for sowing grain crops. The Minneapolis Threshing Company began in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in 1874, and settled in Hopkins, Minnesota, in 1887. It concentrated on equipment for the last stage of small grain production: threshing. Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company, founded in 1902, began by making heavy construction equipment and steam engines, then moved into vehicles, including tractors (the Twin City line, 1912) and buses. Its chief executive, Warren C. MacFarlane, engineered the 1929 merger of the three companies and became president. The merger produced a company that served farming tasks year-round: tilling, planting, weeding, harvesting and processing. Such integration was needed to compete with industrial giants like John De

Archery range, workshop and beer: Massive Princess Auto flagship does more than tools and equipment

Hundreds of people crowded together and cheered Tuesday morning for the grand opening of Princess Auto's massive new flagship in Winnipeg — a store the company says marks "a significant evolution" in the shopping experience. The celebration began with a chain cutting ceremony before the shoppers — some spent all night waiting — were invited through the doors at 7 a.m. The 105,000-square-foot store at 500 Panet Rd. is the biggest of Princess Auto's 59 stores across the country. It's been under construction for 18 months and based on Tuesday's turnout, a lot of people have been anxious for it. Chris Pellerin showed up at 6:40 a.m. and estimated there were 500 people in front of him. "I'm [at Princess Auto] almost every week, resupplying tools for our shop. So, you know, this is kind of a pivotal moment in time for me and for the company. It's great to see it." The first person in line arrived at 8 p.m. Monday night, said senior vice-president Heather Turnbull-Smith, who pulled in at

Burrows Enterprises Celebrates Production of 5,000th Roto Grind Tub Grinder

Burrows Enterprises, LLC is proud to announce a major milestone in company history — the production of its 5,000th Roto Grind Tub Grinder, completed during the first week of May 2026. The family-owned company, manufacturer and marketer of the Roto Grind Tub Grinder and Grain Grinder product lines, is celebrating nearly five decades of innovation and growth in the agricultural equipment industry. Founded in 1977 by Harvey Burrows, Burrows Enterprises began as a small family operation focused on designing and manufacturing agricultural equipment. Harvey Burrows developed and patented the unique Roto Grind Tub Grinder design that helped establish the company’s reputation throughout the industry. Royal Burrows began working alongside his father when the company was founded. In the early years, Royal and his brother handled much of the welding, assembly, and painting themselves as the business worked to establish its footing in the market. Royal also traveled extensively across North Ame

Industry Shares Comments on CNH’s Color-Mixing of its Dealer Network

The recent move by CNH to further align the Case IH and New Holland organizations—often referred to as the "purpling" of the brands—has generated significant discussion throughout the dealer network. While many details remain unclear, NAEDA sees both opportunities and challenges associated with this strategy. On May 11, 2026, Ag Equipment Intelligence learned of CNH’s layoffs and a reorganization for a combined management authority over BOTH the New Holland and Case IH dealer networks. A brief mention of the CNH leadership reorganization around a consolidating of the brand oversight was reported in Ag Equipment Intelligence, in its May 15, 2026 newsletter. A week later, several at this week's Ag Equipment Intelligence Executive Summit described it as a “purpling” of the organization known for its New Holland (blue) and Case IH (red) colors. Another update was provided in the May 25, 2026 episode of Ag Equipment Intelligence’s On The Record broadcast. It was big news for a company

Canola Storage Tips Keep Crops Market Ready

Safe canola storage prevents contamination, protects quality, and ensures export acceptance by avoiding malathion use and following proper grain handling practices.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service