Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

AALP Class 14 International Study Tour - Saturday, February 23, 2013

AALP Class 14 had an early start to our day as we made our way to the city of Pune. Pune is a growing city of over 5 million people. (http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/D...) Compared to Mumbai, it looks like a small town.  This city has many universities and towns as well as motorcycles.

After what seemed like ages, we finally reached our first destination, Semex. Semex has been in India for less than a year and has formed a joint venture with Provet Genetics. The dream of this joint venture is to increase local milk production per cow to levels near that of Canadian production.  The parent company for Provet is Baramati Agro Ltd. This company works on many portfolios such as poultry, sugar, and commodity trading. Though the Indian government regulates many aspects of agriculture, this company is very positive in its long term growth.

After a good discussion with Semex-Provet we were treated to pizza India style - that is to say vegetarian including corn niblets, not a pepperoni to be seen. 

Our tour then took us out of Pune and to a dairy that is working closely with Semex-Provet to improve its herd's genetics. The farmer who was formally trained as an engineer "saw the light" and focused on farming, specifically on dairy production.

The land in this area certainly looked more fertile than the area that we visited yesterday. For instance we saw fields of sugarcane, bananas, wheat, and a variety of horticultural crops. The scope of agriculture is truly amazing considering that most farms are 2.5 Ha (5 acres) in size.

 

Todd Austin, Kim McCaw, Teresa Wilbur – AALP Class 14 bloggers

Views: 560

Comment

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

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by OntAG Admin on February 24, 2013 at 5:54pm

Comment by Roadrunner on February 24, 2013 at 5:52pm

Thanks for sharing the pictures and tweets.

I am enjoying learning about India and how the farmers there operate.

Comment by Moe Agostino on February 24, 2013 at 10:08am

I am wondering if anyone asked about the prices the farmers get for milk, grain etc and how that compares to North American prices?

Thanks,

Moe

Comment by Joe Dales on February 24, 2013 at 9:06am

Comment by Joe Dales on February 24, 2013 at 9:05am

Comment by Joe Dales on February 24, 2013 at 7:06am

Check out the photos from the AALP India Study Tour.

http://ontag.farms.com/photo

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

Ontario Invests $22 Million to Create New Export Opportunities for Ontario food products

Canada and Ontario are investing nearly $22 million to help farmers and food processors grow exports, create jobs and strengthen the agri-food sector.

Canada Backs Smart Lettuce Farming

Canada is investing in new digital tools to help lettuce growers improve crop management, reduce waste, lower labor costs, and increase farm productivity.

Validating Autonomous Pivot’s field-monitoring technology on Innovation Farms

“Nothing is in the field more than the pivot, and yet most of them tell you very little, if anything at all, about the crop,” says Daniel Jenkins, vice president of sales for Autonomous Pivot. Autonomous Pivot’s technology uses cameras and ground penetrating radar to collect soil-moisture data, crop imagery, rainfall, pressure, GPS location, and irrigation activity to help growers make better irrigation and crop-management decisions. The company sees centre pivots, traditionally used exclusively for irrigation and fertigation, as underutilized pieces of equipment that are in the field more than any producer or agrologist. It aims to convert the centre pivot into its own reporting scout in the field. Autonomous Pivot installed its technology at EMILI’s Innovation Farms MacGregor site during the 2026 season. EMILI is validating the technology’s insights about field conditions, irrigation optimization, and pest and disease alerts. “Development is a tenuous process because you’re ask

This is Agriculture: Board Chair

Ray Bouchard has worked in the agriculture industry for 46 years in a career that has spanned sales roles in agriculture manufacturing and distributing, and leadership roles including more than a decade as CEO of Enns Brothers. For more than ten years, Ray has contributed his entrepreneurial spirit and strategic expertise as EMILI’s board chair. Here, Ray shares what makes him passionate about agriculture, and his vision for EMILI’s future success. Describe your role as EMILI’s board chair. In the early days of EMILI, I was more involved on the operational side of the organization but now that we’re 10 years in as an organization, I am focused on EMILI’s long-term strategy. Where did you grow up? Was it an agriculture or urban environment? I grew up just west of Winnipeg in Elie, Manitoba. You could call it a bedroom community of the city, but also it was an agricultural community. What was your first job in the agriculture or agri-food sector? I had a chance when I was in my teens to

Producers to discuss real-world impact of testing and validating agtech at Agriculture Enlightened

Farmers know farming best which is why the AIVA Network works with Canadian farmers to test and validate agtech and bring proven solutions to market. From validation hubs that operate on fully operational commercial farms, to farmer alliance members who provide structured feedback on market-ready technologies, this AIVA Network panel at Agriculture Enlightened will share perspectives on how testing and validating technology in real world conditions has real world impact. Carl Havixbeck is a farmer network success manager with AIVA Network. He has worked in the agricultural sector in Manitoba for over 30 years. His passion for agriculture started as a young boy on a family farm in Rosser, MB. After completing a certificate in diesel mechanics at Red River College, and then an agribusiness degree from the University of Manitoba, Carl began his farming career. Stepping away from the farm after 10 years, Carl began serving farmers directly within many different businesses and roles in the

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service