Vineland launches new greenhouse research facility Thursday, June 2, 2016 by SUSAN MANNNorth America’s largest greenhouse, located in Niagara Region and dedicated to research for Ontario horticultural industry threw open its doors Friday for an official launch.About 150 people attended the opening Friday morning of the 40,000-square-foot Collaborative Greenhouse Technology Centre located at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Vineland, while another 500 people participated in open house tours in the afternoon, says Jim Brandle, CEO of the Vineland research centre.The total greenhouse construction costs plus funding needed for technology and engineering projects being done within the facility is $13.3 million, Brandle says. Various governments and other organizations contributed funding, including:The Ontario government provided a $7.2 million transfer payment to the Vineland centre to do capital improvements. The centre decided to spend the money on the new greenhouse.The federal government, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, gave a $5.76 million grant for the greenhouse and for the engineering and technology projects taking place in the facility. The funding was provided through the Investing in Commercialization Partnerships Initiatives program.$1 million came from Niagara Region.Farm Credit Canada and Meridian Credit Union.The greenhouse facility is for research to support and modernize the horticultural industry, including work on robotics, automation, lighting and thermal systems. The research will also focus on plant breeding, pest and disease control, according to an Ontario agriculture ministry press release. BF Information sharing a necessary precaution says Ontario's chicken board Yoga trumps Milk Day
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online