Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Thai Agri-Tourism

Today we left the big city lights of Bangkok for the countryside. How refreshing to step out of the bus onto Baan Susan Chamchoen Farm and meet the owner Mr Somsak and his wife. With great passion and enthusiasm he toured us through his mixed fruit farm, combining agro tourism with fruit production and 20 value-added products. The King, a great supporter of agriculture, had advised all farmers to diversify. As such, Mr Somsak has a unique intercropping system combining  banana, coconut and mango trees along with ducks, chickens and goats.

In scenic (and very hot and humid) surroundings, the trees grow on rows of mounded soil separated by a continuous canal system. These canals are used to irrigate and to collect crops while controlling ants and raising fish which links directly to the main 32 km canal leading to the city markets.  

Mr Somsak exemplifies diversification and added value with guest rooms and a restaurant for Thai tourists. The variety of retail products made from his crops include sugar, butter and oil from coconut. He's a third generation farmer having retired from teaching eight years ago. Some of his coconut trees grow to be 100 years old. He was so very excited to show us his farm as AALP Class 16 were the first international tour ever to visit his farm. His innovation, adaptability and resourcefulness was certainly inspiring and all agreed this stop was our Thai highlight.

Mr Somsak insisted that each classmate take a bottle of his coconut oil, posed for pictures in his new Ag More Than Ever Tshirt we gave him and bid us farewell with a left-handed handshake, teaching us that the right hand is used for killing but the left is for peace.  

After a light lunch at a nearby restaurant along one of the main canals, we drove to the Nonthaphum orphanage for children with disabilities. There we were met by a worker and former student who told us how the the 390 residents receive education, vocational training, rehabilitation and social services support. We watched as lunch was served to many of the clients. The school depends on government support and donations to provide fulsome care. The class donated all our excess snacks and, having passed the hat, a $431 US donation to help them carry on their important work. Later we spent time discussing how blessed we are to be healthy and Canadian. We also discussed the act of giving and how it is incumbent upon us all to use our leadership skills and talents to give back to our organizations in our communities. 

Views: 447

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

ABP Working Groups address key issues

From traceability to trade structure, coal mining to wildlife conflict, ABP has active working groups on four of the most important files facing Alberta beef producers. Here are updates from each of the groups: Traceability Following the direction of resolutions carried by delegates at the 2026 Annual General Meeting, ABP’s board is forming a dedicated Traceability Working Group. The working group will examine traceability closely, with the objective of providing producer-driven feedback and solutions that reflect on-the-ground realities across Alberta’s beef sector. Members of the working group are being finalized, and will include representatives from ABP’s executive, directors and delegates; partner cattle organizations; and groups such as the Government of Alberta. The working group will be supported by a dedicated facilitator to maintain clear timelines, while also ensuring issues are thoroughly examined. The goal is to develop realistic, workable recommendations to present t

What drives the true cost of forage production?

New COP Network benchmarks reveal what drives forage production costs in Canadian cow-calf operations, from hay and silage to greenfeed, and where producers can improve efficiency. Forage is the backbone of every cow-calf operation — but how much does it really cost to grow? While feed is often viewed as a “homegrown” input, the reality is that forage production can make or break cost competitiveness, especially as input costs continue to rise. Data from the Canadian Cow-calf Cost of Production Network show wide differences in the cost of producing forages such as hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. But the real insight isn’t just what those costs are, it’s why they differ from farm to farm. Forage costs vary, management matters This analysis includes data from 59 COP Network benchmark farms from 2020 to 2024, covering five major forage types — hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. Hay remains the dominant forage on Canadia

Multiple pickup trucks under recall

Like any piece of farm equipment, pickup trucks are subject to recalls

Most regions hit the home stretch of seeding

Provincial seeding progress is nearly complete as 93 per cent of seed has been put in the ground across Saskatchewan. The latest figure is up from 80 per cent the previous week, but is still behind the five and ten year average of 97 per cent. The west-central region leads the way at 98 per cent complete, the southwest at 97 per cent, the southeast 96 per cent, the northwest 95 per cent and the northeast entered the home stretch at 92 per cent complete. But farmers in the east-central region still have some work to do as progress currently sits at 84 per cent. While it's a large increase from 63 per cent the previous week, it remains behind the five year average of 93 per cent for the region. Crops Extension Specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture Samantha Marcino, who is based out of Yorkton, notes the Calder area had 164 millimetres of rain and the Canora area around 72 mm. "This did increase the topsoil moisture levels, obviously, in those regions, and some of them were sit

Horizon School Division, Nutrien bring hydroponic learning lab to Lanigan students

Students at Lanigan School will soon get their hands dirty while learning about food production and agriculture. Horizon School Division and Nutrien announced this week a partnership that will see the installation of a hydroponic grow container at the school. Director of Education for Horizon Kevin Garinger says they first saw the grow container in Alberta a few years ago, and the one to be established in Lanigan is the first of its kind within the School Division. "Food security is so vital, and I think one of the things that we are trying to do through this process is educate our children about the impact of the work our farmers, our communities, and our big businesses do in support of agriculture in our province and ultimately across our country and world." said Garinger, adding its opportunities like this that can inspire students to pursue a career in agriculture. "If we make that impact, if we make that kind of impact on the ag industry, on our children to understand that the

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service