The Rural Voice, 2002-06, Page 50Ag News
Census shows jump in pigs, sheep
The number of farms in Ontario
may have dropped 11.5 per cent from
1996 to 2001 but sheep production is
booming. according to Statistics
Canada's 2001 Census of
Agriculture.
The number of sheep and Iambs in
Ontario on May 15, 2001 totaled
337,625 head, up 46.1 per cent from
1996 figures. There was 43.7 per cent
more breeding ewes than in 1996.
"Clearly our industry has been in
a state of steady positive growth for a
number of years," said John
Hemsted, chair of the Ontario Sheep
Marketing Agency.
Ontario is the number one sheep
producing province with 26.7 per
cent of the national flock, with
Alberta second at 24.3 per cent.
Within Ontario, Grey and Bruce
Counties remain as number one and
number two in production. Grey had
37,529 while Bruce had 28,847.
Simcoe County is in third place with
23,268 head.
Also increasing was the Ontario
swine population with a 22.1 per cent
increase since 1996 to 3.5 million,
the largest number ever recorded in
Ontario. Total cattle numbers
declined, however, to just over 2.1
million head, a decline of 6.4 per
•
Ontario's sheep numbers surged 46.1 per cent in the five years between
1996 and 2001, Statistics Canada figures show. Grey and Bruce Counties
remain the biggest sheep producing counties.
cent. Dairy cow numbers dropped
10.2 per cent as cows became more
productive. The number of dairy
farms fell almost a quarter to 6,439.
In crops, soybean acreage showed
a huge increase, with a 17.2 per cent
growth to 2.2 million acres while
corn acreage grew 5.7 per cent.
Ontario's total farm area dropped
2.7 per cent to 13.5 million acres but
the amount of land sown to crops
increased 3.2 per cent to just over
nine million acres, the highest
number since 1941.0
Kit shows students to agri-biz opportunities
Ontario Agri -Food Education
Inc.(OAFE) unveiled its new
teaching resource at the Seaforth
Agriplex on May 17. The
organization is a non-profit group
which acts as a bridge between the
agri-food industry and the
educational community.
The document is designed to meet
the requirements of the new
compulsory half -credit career
education course in Grade 10 and the
career components of business
education courses offered in Grades
11 and 12. The kit consists of a
teacher's guide, career profiles and a
16 -minute video.
On hand for the announcement by
the OAFE chair Pamela Stanley were
individuals from agri-business,
46 THE RURAL VOICE
Air
education and government.
Ontario's new Minister of
Agriculture and Food , Helen Johns
said that what she has learned in her
first three weeks on the job is just
how big a business agriculture is in
Ontario. "It is very important to
educate students and consumers
when we start to talk about food
labeling and genetic modification."
Ron Ritchie, the driving force
behind the 'Bridges to Agriculture'
program in both the public and
Catholic secondary systems, spoke
about the success of the co-operative
approach to teaching and promoting
agricultural education.
He said the program has had about
120 student participants in its first
three years. Currently it has
partnerships with 160 farms, farm
organizations and farm -related
businesses.
One of the students from the
program was on hand to provide a
first-hand report on his experiences.
Joel Gardiner, currently enrolled at
the University of Guelph, said, "the
program allowed me to see the
business side of farming. "Bridges to
Agriculture opens students' eyes to
the many possible avenues in
agriculture."
The OAFE has produced over 30
teacher's guides, videos and lesson
plans. A number of these resources
are available free or at minimal cost.
Further information can be obtained
by phoning 905-878-1510 or via the
internet at www.oafe.org.0
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