Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

REACH Grand Opening Gala and Open House

This past week I was fortunate enough to participate in two events at the new Regional Equine & Agricultural Centre of Huron. The first was the "black tie" Gala for invited guests in the new Riding Arena on Thursday night. A great list of sponsors made it a fabulous entertaining night that people will be talking about for quite a while. Not very often something like this happens in Huron County. The REACH staff made sure everything was as close to perfect as possible. It was also quite evident on who was paying for the night - OLG. (Ontario Lottery & Gaming). Well maybe not the whole night but they contributed a lot.
Before the meal the MC stated they had a surprise for us after dinner (note: the stage was set up for a band). During the meal we were entertained with a Dressage demonstration and the guy who sang the commercial "Good things Grow in Ontario".
After the meal Richard Harding, CAO for Central Huron, listed the band's accomplishments - toured North Amercia, Grammy nominees for various awards, Juno and CMA Award winners. Not bad. and then The Wilkinsons walked on stage!!!
What a way to cap off the night.
Today, Saturday, was the big public Open House. We got there around 11AM and there was a lineup of cars. When we left at 2PM cars were still coming. No idea on numbers yet but the Huron County Dairy Producers sold (scooped out) 200 Kawartha Lakes Ice Cream cones before 12 noon. The Huron County Pork Producers were also there selling sausage on a bun. One comment from a former steer wrestler was "this place will be packed" making reference to the point that there is nothing else like it in Ontario.
As a non-horse guy I was impressed. Everyone who has horses was excited. I spoke with a couple from Hanover who came just for the Open House. A big day for Central Huron (Clinton) and a sign of great expectations and rejuvenation.
Congratulations to the REACH staff and Central Huron Council.
(since I forgot my camera each time, I am hoping my contacts will send photos my way from each event to post here).

Views: 86

Comment

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

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by Wayne Black on September 14, 2009 at 2:09pm
Thanks Joe for adding this. One thing I forgot was the website for REACH - reachhuron.ca Within the website you will see programming that they are currently offering and also a spot to sign up for email updates when they add new programs. One that my wife is wanting to sign up for is a photography day with the horses (and a teacher, lunch et al). Their plans sound exciting. I found out yesterday they are currently discussing with the appropriate businesses (wedding planners, travel agents, etc) to offer weddings on site along with a honeymoon package included.
Comment by Joe Dales on September 14, 2009 at 9:25am
RIDGETOWN CAMPUS TO DELIVER HORSE HANDLING TRAINING IN CLINTON

09/10/09
From a Release - The University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus is excited to announce that it will be partnering with the Regional Equine and Agricultural Centre of Huron (REACH) to deliver a new Performance Horse Handler Certificate at the REACH facilities in Clinton.

The new two-semester Performance Horse Handler Certificate was developed with significant input from the equine industry and the campus is looking forward to starting the student recruitment process. The recruitment process will target grade 12 students with a high school diploma or mature students looking to work in the performance horse industry, including thoroughbred, quarter horse or standardbred racing, dressage, show jumping, breeding and other stables. The first class is scheduled to begin in September 2010, with graduates receiving a University of Guelph certificate.

“REACH has a fantastic teaching facility located in Huron County and we’re excited about the opportunity to be the training deliverer for a new horse industry certificate,” said Ken McEwan, Acting Director, Ridgetown Campus.

“The University of Guelph and its Ridgetown Campus have a great reputation in education and we’re very excited to be working with Ridgetown staff in this training partnership. Ridgetown has almost 60 years of education experience and, like us, is keenly interested in supporting the equine and agricultural industries in Ontario,” says Richard Harding, Executive Director, REACH.

Ridgetown Campus will be hosting two fall Red Carpet Day Open House events at REACH in Clinton this fall. For more information, check out the Ridgetown Campus website to pre-register.

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

‘It’s another blow’: Farmers deal with surging fertilizer prices ahead of seeding

Fertilizer is an essential part of Kevin Peters’ farm in southwestern Manitoba. But since Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, the average price of urea fertilizer, which is widely used around the world, has skyrocketed, surging around 30 per cent over the last week. Peters says the interruption in supply didn’t come as a huge surprise to him. “We deal with geopolitical issues all the time with markets, be it pork, be it grain, and now fertilizer,” he said. “There’s always some disruption seeming to happen somewhere in the world that is changing our daily prices.” Peters says he pre-purchased his fertilizer for this farming season back in the fall but is concerned about prices later this year when he has to buy fertilizer again. “We’ll see what the market looks like in eight months,” he said. Like Peters, Andrew James also pre-bought his fertilizer in the fall for his farm in Anola, Man., and he says he is happy he did. “My fertilizer bill for that (at the time) was around $350,00

From a Piece of Wire to Contaminated Feed: Preventing Foreign Material Hazards in Beef Cattle Operations

Foreign material and toxin consumption by beef cattle can lead to significant health problems, reduced performance and economic losses. Canadian cattle producers take great pride and care in how they manage their farms and ranches, from providing proper nutrition to stewarding their land and ensuring excellent animal care. Yet even with the best intentions, foreign materials and toxins can quietly find their way into feed, water or pastures. Understanding where they come from and how to prevent exposure is a key part of protecting your herd. Foreign materials and toxins often slip in through everyday farm activities such as repairing fences, running equipment, feeding hay or dealing with weather-stressed crops. A small piece of wire, leftover net wrap or contaminated feed source might not seem like much, but if consumed by cattle, it can trigger health issues, lost performance or even death. Understanding Hardware Disease When cattle consume sharp metal objects like nails or pieces

Farmers Balance Costs and Technology Investments - Tractor Sales Down

Tractor sales fell across most categories in February, but strong combine demand highlights farmers’ continued investment in productivity boosting technology.

Crude Oil and Natural Gas Outlook - What Farmers Need to Know in 2026–2027

Brent crude prices surge as Middle East conflict disrupts supply. See the 2026–2027 outlook for oil, natural gas, and electricity—and what it means for U.S. agriculture

Principal field crop areas, 2026

Canadian farmers expect to plant more canola, barley, soybeans and corn for grain in 2026, while they anticipate area seeded to wheat, oats, lentils and dry peas to decrease compared with the previous year. Wheat At the national level, farmers anticipate planting 26.7 million acres of wheat in 2026, down 1.1% from the previous year. If this anticipation is realized, national wheat area would remain well above the five-year average, despite a decrease from 2025, which would likely be attributable to continued strong global demand. Producers expect spring wheat area to edge down 0.1% to 18.8 million acres in 2026. They anticipate durum wheat area to decrease 2.4% to 6.4 million acres, while they expect winter wheat area to fall 6.7% to 1.6 million acres. Farmers in Saskatchewan anticipate planting 13.9 million acres of wheat in 2026, down 1.0% from the previous year. Producers expect spring wheat area to fall 0.6% to 8.7 million acres, while they anticipate durum wheat area to remain

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service