Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Friday morning saw the group continue its NAST with an early morning visit to the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB). Located on a 70-acre campus outside of Waco, the Texas Farm Bureau advocates for the agricultural needs of all Texas farmers at the local, state and national level. With over 500,000 member families, the TFB prides itself as being the “Voice of Agriculture”.

The pride and professionalism of the organization was clear from the moment the AALP class entered the campus. Mr. Si Cook, Chief Executive Officer, and his colleagues provided an overview of the organization and its role in analyzing the problems of farm and ranch families and in formulating actions to address these challenges. Discussion on trade, tariffs, and advocacy were centre stage during our visit. 

Afterwards, we enjoyed the (HOT!!) weather of Texas with tours of cotton, grain sorghum and corn trails conducted by local extension experts.

Mr. Shane McLellan, the local county extension officer, provided a fascinating overview of the disease, pest and weather challenges facing local farmers. The impact of the current drought was clearly evident by the state of the corn fields (IMAGE 4), some of which were expecting to yield 60 bu/acre or less. That said, the spirit and optimism of the farmers we met was unshakeable. Truly inspiring.

Following a fantastic lunch at the farm shop of Mr. Greg Westerfield (tip: wear pants with an elastic waistband when you come to Texas; the food is delicious and the plates are huge!), the AALP class said an emotional goodbye to Dr. Jim Mazurkiewicz. Dr. Jim had to depart to prepare for the Texas Advanced Lifetime Leadership program which he will lead next week. Dr. Jim was a wealth of information and epitome of the perfect host. Thanks Jim and see you in Poland (wink, wink)!!!

The day ended with a trip to the historic Old Stockyards of Fort Worth for an incredible dinner at Los Vaqueros followed by country music and line dancing. To protect the innocent, no pictures were taken :).

Views: 181

Comment

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

Join Ontario Agriculture

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

Make Every Acre Count with the BCRC's New Gross Margins Calculator

Gross margin analysis can be used to evaluate the financial performance of various enterprises of a farm business within the short term. This analysis can assist in allocating limited resources (like land) to their existing enterprises to find which combination optimizes profit.   If a beef cattle producer has land allocated to specific uses (e.g., pasture, crops), the reallocation of this land has implications for the farm’s net income. For example, cow-calf producers must choose between maintaining pasture and hay land or converting it into cash crop production. These decisions are driven by ecological considerations (e.g., risk of erosion, too rocky), personal preference and the potential profitability of each land use. Gross margin is the total revenue derived from an enterprise less the variable (direct) costs incurred in that enterprise (e.g., feed, fuel, seed). This can be reported for the whole enterprise or per unit of output. For example, land allocation can be considered o

The Unexpected Upside of Canada’s Wildfires

Colin Penner, who farms about 3,700 acres an hour's drive north of the U.S. border, crunched up a handful of plump canola pods and blew the chaff into a stiff prairie breeze. A small pile of tiny black seeds remained in his palm. Last summer, high heat and harsh sun scorched canola's yellow flowers and ruined their pollen, knocking down yields across Western Canada. This summer, smoke from nearby wildfires shrouded the July skies and protected Penner's young crop from the sun's burning rays, resulting in more seeds per pod and more pods per plant. RELATED: Should Canada sprint to replant trees after intense wildfire years? "Look at all these pods," he said. He would wait to see what the harvest brings, but "smoke will likely be a positive thing." Protection from extreme heat As Canada's western provinces experience the second-worst wildfire season in decades, driven by hotter and drier conditions due to climate change, some canola farmers say they are seeing an unexpected benefit

Ontario agriculture is worth celebrating this week — and every week

By Clint Cameron, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Minister MacDonald meets with industry to discuss AgriMarketing funding increase and expansion into new markets

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency delivers 7 measures to cut red tape and support Canada's agricultural sector

The Government of Canada is committed to taking decisive action to strengthen Canada’s economy and global competitiveness. Today, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is delivering on this commitment through a suite of regulatory changes aimed at reducing red tape and supporting economic resiliency for Canada’s agricultural sector.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service