Ontario Agriculture

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AALP Class 13 North American Study Tour Day 6

Where innovation meets history

July 10, 2010 - After an early rise and possibly leaving behind a member (who decided he would ride in a special seat on the bus) we headed for Mason Dixon Farms outside of Gettysburg, PA. The farm is located on each side of the Mason Dixon Line, the historical marker that separated the north and the south during the Civil War. While traveling, we debated the pros and cons of the Marcellus Shale. Rick Upfold, AALP Curriculum Adviser elected the con’s group as winner, after using the oldest trick in the book, a sensationalist picture!

The fourth generation dairy farmer showed us that even at 80 years of age you still need to have fun with life. Through an enthusiastic tour, he showed us all the developments and innovations that happened over the years on his farm. The group was impressed by the self sufficiency of the operation and definitely of the farm size. Dick Waybright challenged us in many ways, including that one shouldn’t be happy with status quo. He also shared that, “Canadians are doing a lot of things right.”

Visiting Gettysburg brought a great deal of emotion to the group. Morgan Freeman’s narration awed us by bringing history to life. We stood quiet in front of the largest mural in America. Then a guide took us on a bus tour through the battlefield and explained about all of the casualties and tactics in such a way that allowed us to visualize this turning point in America’s history. Over three days in July 1863, 50,000 soldiers and volunteers died, making this battle the bloodiest on American soil.

This visit sets the stage for the next part of our trip in the nation’s capital, where we will visit the Holocaust Museum, which will be sure to bring out even more powerful emotions within us. But for tonight we celebrate a friend’s happiness by enjoying some local sites in old town Washington. Cheers!

Andrew Chisholm, Doug Eng and Andre Roy – AALP Class 13

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