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: 91

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

Map: Prairie Dryness, Drought Little Changed in May

Abnormal dryness and drought across Western Canada were little changed in May compared to a month earlier. The latest monthly update of the Canadian drought monitor shows 19% of Prairie agricultural lands were being impacted by abnormally dry or drought conditions as of the end of May. That is 2 points higher than the end of April but slightly below 21% at the end of March and sharply below 47% in February. Much of the Prairie Region received below to well below normal precipitation in May, with the Peace Region, south-central Saskatchewan, and southern Manitoba recording less than 25% of normal. On the last day of the month, however, a large storm system in Alberta produced 40 to 80 mm of precipitation alone. In east-central Alberta up to 300% of normal monthly precipitation fell in the one day. Significant rainfall was also recorded in western regions of Saskatchewan but at lower levels than in eastern Alberta, the monitor said. Temperatures were generally below normal across

U.S. Soybean Ending Stocks Steady

U.S. soybean ending stocks – both old and new-crop - were left unchanged in USDA’s June supply-demand update on Thursday. For 2026-27, USDA made no changes to the U.S. soybean balance sheet this month. Estimated production remained at 4.435 billion bu, up 173 million from 2025-26, while the crush was held at 2.75 billion bu and exports at 1.63 billion. With no changes, forecasted 2026-27 U.S. soybean ending stocks were left steady from May at 310 million, modestly below the average trade guess of 314 million bu. The USDA also kept the 2026-27 season-average farm price unchanged at $11.40/bu, up from the 2025-26 estimate of $10.40. For old-crop 2025-26 soybeans, the USDA raised crush by 20 million bu, citing stronger soybean meal exports and domestic meal use, while soybean oil use for biofuel was also increased. However, exports were lowered by 20 million bushels based on available U.S. Census data, offsetting the increase in crush and leaving ending stocks unchanged at 340 mi

Only Modest Adjustments for Old-, New-Crop U.S. Corn

The USDA left its 2026-27 U.S. corn outlook virtually unchanged this month, with the only supply-side change a 3 million-bu increase tied to a higher import forecast carried in from the old-crop balance sheet. In its June supply-demand update on Thursday, USDA left 2026-27 U.S. corn production unchanged at 15.995 billion bu, while all major demand categories were also steady. Feed and residual use was held at 6.1 billion bu, food, seed and industrial use at 6.955 billion, including 5.6 billion for ethanol, and exports at 3.15 billion. With no change in use, the small increase in 2026-27 beginning supplies carried directly into ending stocks, which were raised 3 million bu from May to 1.96 billion, slightly above the average pre-report trade guess of 1.942 billion. The season-average farm price was unchanged at $4.40/bu. Corn futures were trading about 7-8 cents/bu lower this afternoon, following the report’s noon hour EST release. For old-crop 2025-26, USDA also made only mo

Don’t miss June 12 deadline: Share your feedback on the Beef Cattle Code of Practice

Public comment period nearing close on proposed updates to national beef cattle care standards.The Beef Code outlines expected and recommended animal care practices for beef cattle. The public comment period is an opportunity for anyone who has an interest in how beef cattle are raised in Canada, including consumers, veterinarians, food service professionals, and producers, to review the draft content and share feedback. Feedback gathered through the public comment period is critical and helps determine the content of the final document. Strong producer feedback from all regions of Canada is an important step in this process. The Beef Code is meant to drive continuous improvement in animal welfare and is built to be scientifically informed, practical, and reflect societal expectations for responsible farm animal care. The Code uses an outcome-based approach that focuses on achieving successful standards while allowing for flexibility in how these outcomes are met rather than dictati

From the Government Desk: ABP keeping up momentum

Spring is always one of the best times of year in this business. Calving is underway, seed is going into the ground, and there’s a sense of momentum heading into the grazing season. This year, that momentum also includes a few policy wins worth noting. Strychnine is back in 2026! After its approval was pulled in 2023, producers have been searching for a useful option to control infestations of Richardson’s ground squirrel. If you’re impacted, you’ll know why this is a meaningful development. The rollout is still underway, with initial access expected toward the end of May. For some, that timing will miss the most effective spring window, which is frustrating. There is expected to be another opportunity later in the summer, but it won’t fully replace what many producers were hoping for this spring. That said, getting this approval across the line was no small task. This was very much an Alberta-led effort, with strong collaboration between cropping groups and ABP to build the case. A

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service