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: 526

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

Saskatchewan produced record crop in 2025

Saskatchewan produced a record 41.9 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds in 2025, up 13.7 per cent from the previous year, the agriculture ministry said Dec. 19. The record is also 24.1 per cent above the five-year average. Agriculture minister David Marit said resilient and innovative producers were able to overcome challenges such as drought to grow this amount. Records were set for canola production, at 12.2 million tonnes, and lentils at 2.9 million tonnes. By volume for other crops, the province’s producers grew 12.7 million tonnes of spring wheat, 5.4 million tonnes of durum, 3.5 million tonnes of barley, and 1.8 million tonnes each of dry peas and oats. The ministry said Saskatchewan saw significant production growth in lentils, up 37 per cent, canola 16.7 per cent, barley 16 per cent, durum 8.5 percent and spring wheat 5.3 per cent. The estimates provided by Statistics Canada are based on a post-harvest survey of 7,198 farmers from Oct. 3 to Nov. 6. The province has a ta

Canadians called slow to embrace biofuel policy

Canadians farmers have had a hard time embracing biofuel policy the same way that producers south of the border have, says Shaun Haney, founder of RealAgriculture. He told the MNP Ag Connections Conference in Medicine Hat in November that as Canada continues to struggle to get its agriculture commodities into China, a shift of outlook is needed. At one time, scientists, agronomists and growers were extremely worried clubroot would spread across the Prairies and devastate Canada’s canola industry. “Canadian farmers have a hard time totally getting their head around and supporting it because people will often say, ‘I want the government out of stuff, I don’t want industrial policy, I don’t want nation building. We can’t create demand through government policy’,” he said. “But, that is exactly what the (Renewable Fuel Standard) is in the Untied States.” The U.S. sees 40 to 45 per cent of its corn crop going into ethanol, from which Canada has benefited. While Canada continues to focu

Team Alberta Crops Breakfast – Through the Eyes of an Intern

As the new communications intern at Alberta Canola, the Team Alberta Crops breakfast was my first time at an agriculture policy event. I come from an urban background with limited exposure to farming. Insights from presenters Milt Poirier, from QGI Consulting, and Neil Blue, a provincial Crop Market Analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, fundamentally changed my understanding of the agricultural industry. I no longer see Canadian agriculture as simply the production of farm products. Instead, I now view farming in the context of globally interconnected systems. These systems encompass the inputs that farmers rely on, the production processes, and the networks of processing and logistics. All of these systems are further shaped by external forces, including national and provincial policies, international trade rules, climate patterns, and technological innovations. Global Competition and Climate Challenge From Neil Blue’s talk, I learned that agriculture is a competit

The Future of Agriculture is Collaborative: A Vision for Stronger Partnerships

Taking on the role of Western Product Specialist at FP Genetics has been an exhilarating journey thus far. As someone passionate about agriculture since childhood, I’m excited to be part of an industry that combines science, relationships, and practical problem-solving. My primary focus will be to understand the connections between farmers, retailers, and the crops we nurture together. In my early days here, I dove into the fascinating world of epigenetics to uncover the secrets of how genetic traits impact plant performance. Each seed carries a narrative shaped by environmental factors and stress, and I’m dedicated to helping farmers understand their choices and the potential they hold. Working closely with Colin and Colette, my Saskatchewan and Alberta territory managers, has been both educational and transformative. We collaborate to first understand and then bridge the gap between our products and the retailers we support. Each retailer presents unique challenges and opportuniti

Women Farmers Drive Growth in Canadian Agriculture

Women are taking the reins in Canadian agriculture like never before. Statistics Canada reports nearly 90,000 female farm operators nationwide—up from 80,000 in 2021.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service