Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Days 5 & 6 - The tour continues through Bucharest

DAY 5 - Overnight train ride from Budapest, Hungary to Bucharest, Romania saw the AALP Alumni and Friends tour group arrive at noon in Romania. The overnight train ride was a first for a number of the travelers. It was interesting to note that two train cars (in line) with berths were from different originating countries and so had different passenger service levels. One group enjoyed cloth towels and breakfast served along with coffee. The other enjoyed very little - no service, no breakfast and no washing towels. In this latter car, when requested members of the group were given a paper towel and a disposable toothbrush to use!

Afternoon walking tour of Bucharest's city centre and a tour of the People's House, the seat of political and administrative power, a multi-purpose building containing both chambers of Romania's Parliament.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this building, built between 1984 and 1994, is the world's largest civilian administrative building, the most expensive administrative building, and the heaviest building. It is a HUGE building and was started by Ceausescu and meant to be "his place" to greet the world.

A welcome dinner at one of the city's most famous restaurants capped off a very interesting day.

DAY 6 - Bucharest - Afumati - Pantelimon - Bucherest. This morning the group had a presentation and toured the Romanian DuPont Pioneer Seed Plant where they produce corn, sunflower and soybean seed.

The afternoon saw the group visit a large Holstein dairy farm, started under the communist regime in 1973. Following the fall of communism, it was purchased privately by one of the former veterinarians on the farm. Now there are about 500 head, including approximately 250 milking cows producing more than 5000 liters per day. 70% of the milk produced is sold to a processing facility and 30% is sold through several milk dispensers (of unpasteurized milk) in Bucharest. One of these dispensers was located on the farm and provided an opportunity for the group to see it 'in action'.


In June 2009 the farm opened the first 'Farm Park' in Romania, close to the dairy farm, providing an opportunity for school children to learn and see first hand small animals, birds and parts of the farm 'in action'.

The group enjoyed a lunch prepared at the Farm Park before heading back to Bucharest for a free late afternoon and evening in the city. Tomorrow the group leaves the city of Bucharest for Sibiu.

Views: 118

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

Pulse Market Insight #300

Indian Monsoon Outcome Key for Pulse Outlooks We think it’s important to not react too quickly to weather events, and particularly forecasts. For example, the crop outlook in western Canada has already made a number of sharp U-turns, and it’s only mid-June. As we get further into the growing season, outcomes will become more certain and the outlook will become clearer. Even though we don’t want to bet too much on weather forecasts, there is a potential situation in India that certainly bears watching. Recently, the Indian Meteorology Department lowered its rain forecast for the southwest monsoon season to 90% of the long-term average, based on the potential for a large El Niño event. This was the lowest IMD monsoon forecast in at least 20 years. The actual monsoon performance doesn’t always line up with the IMD forecast, but the accuracy of its forecasts seems to be better in recent years. While there’s plenty of uncertainty in the forecast, it’s worth noting that back in 2014/15 an

Chicago Close: Lower Ahead of U.S. Juneteenth Holiday

Corn, wheat and soybean futures all finished lower on Thursday as traders adjusted positions ahead of the long U.S. holiday weekend. Chicago markets will be closed Friday for the Juneteenth federal holiday. Corn futures weakened despite generally supportive export news. The USDA confirmed private sales of 285,775 tonnes of corn to Mexico for delivery during the 2026/27 marketing year. Meanwhile, today’s weekly USDA export sales report showed about 1.16 million tonnes of old-crop corn and 519,035 tonnes of new-crop supplies. Old-crop sales were within trade expectations, while new-crop bookings fell short of the upper end of forecasts. July corn lost 3 ½ cents to $4.17 ½, and December dropped 4 ¾ cents to $4.44. A stronger U.S. dollar added pressure across the grain complex after the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting on Wednesday reinforced expectations for higher interest rates. A rising dollar makes U.S. agricultural commodities more expensive for overseas customers. Wheat futu

Saskatchewan Crop Conditions Slip but Still Strong

Saskatchewan crop conditions generally weakened through the first half of June but remain strong overall. Thursday’s crop report pegged the Saskatchewan canola crop at 76% good to excellent as of Monday, down 13 points from the province’s initial 2026 rating of 89% on June 1. Spring wheat was rated 82% good to excellent as of Monday, down from 90% on June 1. Durum slipped just 1 point to 89%, while winter wheat fell 6 points to 79%. Conditions also deteriorated for most feed grains. Oats declined 8 points to 80% good to excellent, and barley dropped 6 points to 83%. Among pulse and specialty crops, peas fell 6 points to 85% good to excellent, while chickpeas declined 3 points to 93%. Mustard dropped 4 points to 88%, and soybeans were down 6 points to 70%. Flax was unchanged at 87%, and lentils were down 9 points at 86%. Canaryseed was one of the few crops to improve, edging up 1 point to 88% good to excellent. Saskatchewan seeding advanced slowly over the past week, hitting

Fertilizer Canada supports Mercosur trade deal

Canadian policy must enhance potash competitiveness, the group said

Canadians pay $224 per year for supply management, a new report says

A think tank compared product prices in Canada with those in the U.S.

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service