AITC News

For the first time, the Great Canadian Farm Tour travelled north of the Arctic Circle, where we visited the Inuvik Community Greenhouse. This greenhouse allows the northern community to grow fresh, local produce year-round.  

Kenny Stewart, manager of the hydroponic unit, gave us a tour of the unique facility and taught us about how they can grow fresh produce throughout the cold Arctic winter.

“In my first year, I can’t tell you how many mistakes I made trying to grow these plants and learn about all the caveats of being in a greenhouse, in a hydroponics unit,” said Kenny to students across Canada, “but six years later, with enough effort and help, I’m now managing the hydroponics unit.”

“Never doubt yourself. If you make a mistake, you’re learning,” added Kenny as he wrapped up the tour,  

Here are some highlights from the tour:

• Most Northern Apple Trees: The greenhouse features apple trees that are the farthest north in Canada and North America, thriving despite the frigid temperatures. During the cold months, the apple trees are wrapped with blankets.
• Community Collaboration: The repurposing of the old hockey arena into a greenhouse was driven by local leadership and volunteers. Volunteers, including local high school students, pitch in to help with planting, watering, and harvesting, making it a true community effort.
• Fire Department Support: In early spring, when water lines freeze, the local fire department brings in their trucks to refill the greenhouse’s water barrels, keeping the plants hydrated.
• Winter Veggies: The hydroponic system grows up to 2,400 plants at once, ensuring fresh greens like lettuce and herbs even in extreme winter conditions with only one hour of daylight.

The Inuvik Community Greenhouse is more than just a place to grow food. It serves as a gathering space for the entire community, acting as a hub for local yoga classes and events, and there’s even a café that provides space for people to relax. The greenhouse is a vital resource for local families and businesses in Inuvik, NWT.

Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C), a national leader in youth agricultural education, plays a crucial role in fostering agricultural literacy across the country. Through engaging programs and initiatives like Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM) and thinkAG, AITC-C, alongside ten provincial members, help young Canadians explore the diverse career opportunities in agriculture and agri-food. With a strong focus on sustainability and innovation, AITC-C empowers students to understand agriculture’s pivotal role in society, the environment, and the economy.

As an advocate for youth education, AITC-C actively participates in initiatives that advance its mission. A key example is its involvement in the Tri-National Agriculture Youth Council Working Group, which reflects with AITC-C’s commitment to empowering young voices in agriculture. By integrating Canadian perspectives into North American discussions, AITC-C is helping to ensure that youth voices are heard, bridging knowledge gaps and building resilient, sustainable rural communities.

The youth council, under the guidance of the North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN), aims to empower young voices across Canada, the US, and Mexico in shaping the future of the agriculture and agri-food industry.

The idea for the youth council took root at the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) meeting in Denver, where Kalysha Hanrahan, thinkAG manager for AITC-C, and other agriculture professionals from across North America gathered to empower rural communities by promoting innovation, skill development, and information sharing.

Although the conference included discussions on youth inclusion, Hanrahan and her peers felt there was a need for deeper integration of youth perspectives in these critical conversations.

Recognizing the need for a platform where youth could genuinely engage, they set out to create the youth council—a dedicated space for young voices in agriculture.

“I'm no stranger to hearing that [agriculture is] a difficult industry to come into and find your place in when you're a younger person, so I think groups like this help ease youth into that. It creates a safe space to enter into agriculture,” says Hanrahan.

The Great Canadian Farm Tour got into the festive spirit today by visiting a Christmas tree farm in Prince Edward Island!

Bryce Drummond, who co-owns and operates Drummond’s Christmas Tree Farm, showed us where and how they grow Balsam firs for the holiday season.

Here are some fun facts we learned during the tour:

• A Waiting Game: Growing a Christmas tree takes an average of 8 to 12 years! Most trees are about seven and a half feet tall when they’re sold during the holiday season. Drummond’s Christmas Tree Farm plants about 1,000 trees a year!
• Lots of Hard Work: Farming Christmas trees is very labour-intensive. They plant the seedlings, shear the trees, apply fertilizer and mow between the rows by hand. The only machine used on their farm is a chainsaw for cutting down the trees!
• Environmental Benefits: Real Christmas trees are more environmentally friendly than artificial Christmas trees. Used Christmas trees can be taken to farms for goats to eat (they can be used as a natural dewormer for goats and sheep!), used as windbreaks around PEI or composted. Did you know one acre of Christmas trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people? Drummond’s Christmas Tree Farm has 12 acres of Balsam firs, that’s enough oxygen for 216 people!
• No Bears in PEI: The biggest pest on the farm is ants. They can kill a Christmas tree within a year!

We had so much fun learning about Christmas tree farming with students from across Canada! If you missed the tour, catch the recording here: WATCH THE TOUR

The next stop of the Great Canadian Farm Tour Season 4 is on Wednesday, November 20 at noon ET. We are visiting the most northern commercial greenhouse in North America in the Northwest Territories! You can register for that tour here: REGISTER FOR THE TOUR

Thank you to Farm Credit Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for supporting the Great Canadian Farm Tour!  

The Great Canadian Farm Tour Season 4 made its sixth stop today at a robotic dairy farm in Quebec!

Yvonne Becker, owner of Halte de la Montagne and a nutritionist, shared insight into dairy farming, cow care and milk production.

Here are some fun facts from the tour:

• Milk-Producing Robots: At Halte de la Montagne, cows are milked by robots that use lasers to find and gently milk each cow. The cows even get a treat for visiting the machine, and the robot knows if it’s the right time to milk them based on data from their electric collars!
• 40 Litres a Day: Each cow on Yvonne’s farm produces an average of 40 litres of milk daily. That’s almost 40 points of milk per cow!
• Naming Tradition: Every cow at Halte de la Montagne gets a name that starts with the same letter as its mother’s name. For example, if the mother is named Beyonce, her calf might be called Barbie! This tradition helps track family lines in a fun, personal way.

We had so much fun learning about robotic dairy farming with students from across Canada! If you missed the tour, catch the recording here: WATCH THE TOUR

The next stop of the Great Canadian Farm Tour Season 4 is on Tuesday, November 12 at 12:30 p.m. ET. We are visiting a Christmas tree farm on PEI! You can register for that tour here: REGISTER FOR THE TOUR

Thank you to Farm Credit Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for supporting the Great Canadian Farm Tour!  

The second half of Season 4 of the Great Canadian Farm Tour launched today with a visit to Winter’s Turkey Farm in Alberta!

Lyle Weigum showed us around his operation, sharing his expertise with students across Canada. Winter’s Turkeys specializes in raising free range and whole grain-fed turkeys primarily for the Thanksgiving and Christmas festive season.

Here’s a summary of some of the things we learned today:

• Free Range: Free range means the turkeys have access to a yard where they can roam outdoors whenever they like. Lyle says they give the turkeys items to keep them entertained, such as hay bales to climb on, and their yard is fenced to protect them from predators.
• Turkeys Don’t Have Teeth:  Without teeth, turkeys can’t chew their food. To help them digest, they’re fed grit (crushed up rocks), which goes into a muscle that grinds their food. Fun Fact: the turkeys at Winter’s Turkeys consume about three truckloads of grit every year!
• Unique Features: The red fleshy part above a turkey’s nose is called a “snood,” while the flap under its chin is called a “caruncle.” Both hens and Toms (male turkeys) have them, but they’re more pronounced in males.  

We had so much fun learning about turkeys! If you missed the tour, catch the recording here: WATCH THE TOUR 

Join us for the next stop of the Great Canadian Farm Tour on Wednesday, November 6 at 1 p.m. ET when we visit a robotic dairy farm in Quebec! You can register for that tour here: REGISTER FOR THE TOUR 

Thank you to Farm Credit Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for supporting the Great Canadian Farm Tour!

September 12, 2024 (Winnipeg, MB) - The Great Canadian Farm Tour is back for its fourth season and, for the first time, it’s taking place in the fall to showcase an entirely different season in Canadian agriculture. From October through December, Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) and its 10 provincial members invite students across the country to get a taste of harvest and experience fall operations in Canadian agriculture and food.

Season 4 kicks off on October 4 at a sea buckthorn farm in New Brunswick and includes tour stops at a pumpkin farm in Newfoundland and Labrador, a cranberry farm in British Columbia, and the most northern greenhouse apple orchard in the Northwest Territories. 

“By holding the tour in the fall, we are looking forward to showcasing a different flavour of agriculture,” says Luree Williamson, Acting Executive Director at AITC-C. “It’s a time of harvest, preparation for the festive seasons, and a shift in the rhythms of farm life. This season offers new learning opportunities for students to discover the seasonality of food production in Canada.”  

While all grade levels are invited to participate, the tours are targeted at students in kindergarten to Grade 6. All tours will be available in both English and French, with simultaneous translation and closed captioning for accessibility. Teachers will also receive curriculum-connected digital activity books to accompany each tour and keep students engaged. 

“As we kick off another school year, we’re excited to add the Great Canadian Farm Tour to our fall programming lineup,” says Williamson. “It’s going to be another busy year as our provincial members are preparing programs and resources to get agriculture and food education into classrooms, participate in fairs and host events across Canada.”

Many programs are already underway for our provincial members. AITC-PEI is distributing their Egg to Chick kits to classrooms across the island and AITC-SK is hosting Fall Food Farms for Grade 3 and 4 students throughout September and October. AITC-Manitoba is preparing for its popular Amazing Agriculture Adventure, taking place September 24 to 27. This year, the program has expanded to include students in Grades 3-6 and a special day just for high schools. 

The Great Canadian Farm Tour is made possible thanks to the generous support of FCC and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, who are both presenting partners and valued supporters of AITC-C. 

Read the full release.

August 7, 2024 (Winnipeg, MB) – Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) and its 10 member organizations create more than two million student experiences each year through the national collective’s programs and resources. With a goal to reach more students across the country, AITC-C is evolving its governance structure to strengthen its board for the future.

“Collectively, our board has decided to create a new governance structure for AITC-C to better serve our organization,” says Rebecca Sooksom, board chair of AITC-C. “We will be seeking board members who bring diverse experience and different skills to the table, which may include individuals from the agriculture and education sectors and those with specific areas of expertise, such as accounting or human resources, to ensure a well-rounded board of directors.”

AITC-C's new board will be independent and skills-based with a chair and eight directors. Individuals will be selected and invited to join the new AITC-C board of directors this fall, with a goal to have a new board of directors by the end of 2024.

AITC-C’s current board is comprised of one representative from each its member organizations: BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation, Ag for Life in Alberta, Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan, Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba, Ontario’s AgScape, École-O-Champ in Quebec, Agriculture in the Classroom PEI, Agriculture in the Classroom New Brunswick, Nova Scotia’s Agriculture in the Classroom program and Agriculture in the Classroom NL.

Current board members will continue to serve until a new board is in place. A steering committee composed of the provincial Executive Directors will also be formed to ensure seamless coordination amongst the AITC Collective. AITC-C has appointed interim executive director, Luree Williamson, an AITC-C board member and executive director of Alberta’s Ag for Life, to manage the organization through this transition.

Read the full release here.

May 22, 2024 (Winnipeg, MB) – Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) and Farm & Food Care (FFC) are pleased to release the next edition of The Real Dirt on Farming in the Classroom e-learning resource. This innovative partnership aims to provide Grade 7-12 students across Canada with the opportunity to explore key topics related to the agriculture and food industry.

Designed as a comprehensive educational tool, The Real Dirt on Farming in the Classroom offers students the chance to engage with a wide range of topics, including the diverse individuals working in the agriculture and food industry, sustainable farming practices, the impact of climate change on agriculture, innovations in the field, animal welfare and much more. 

Through multimedia content, interactive modules and case studies, students will have the chance to delve into the complexities of modern agriculture while gaining valuable insights into the importance of sustainable food production. 

“Our partnership with Farm & Food Care has allowed us to create a dynamic educational resource to inspire and educate the next generation of agricultural leaders,” said Mathieu Rouleau, Executive Director of AITC-C. “By providing students with access to accurate and engaging information about agriculture and food production, we can empower them to make informed food choices.” 

“We’re so pleased to be able to work with AITC-C on this project. We’re often asked by educators about how they can use our publication in their classrooms, but that’s not Farm & Food Care’s expertise. Using AITC-C’s national network ensures that this award-winning resource reaches a much broader audience,” said Kelly Daynard, Executive Director of Farm & Food Care Ontario.

First developed in 2021, this resource accompanied the fifth edition of The Real Dirt on Farming (RDOF) magazine. With the help of AITC-C’s provincial member organizations, this new e-learning resource will be available digitally along with the digital sixth edition of the RDOF magazine to classrooms across Canada.

May 16, 2024 (Winnipeg, MB) – Adventurous Grades 6 to 8 classes across Canada embarked on an exciting sustainability journey this spring as the first explorers in Agriculture in the Classroom Canada’s (AITC-C) new Mission Explorium competition. 

Mission Explorium, which launched on February 19 and wrapped up in late April, challenged students from coast to coast to build a sustainable community after landing on a deserted island. Four weeks of cross-curricular activities engaged classes to work together to complete a quest each week that included work in science, math, language arts, visual arts and careers. Provincial winners took on one further challenge in the quest to become the national champion. 

Congratulations to Jaime Finlay’s Grade 8 class at Wawota Parkland School in Wawota, Saskatchewan for winning the inaugural Mission Explorium competition. 

 A panel of agriculture industry judges awarded top honours and a $750 cash prize to the Voyagers of the SS Finlay in a very tight competition. The judges were impressed by the Voyagers of the SS Finlay’s creativity, depth of development of their island in areas such as sustainability, culture and food, and their innovative storyline.  

“At Agriculture in the Classroom Canada, we are always looking for new ways to cultivate curiosity about agriculture,” says Mathieu Rouleau, Executive Director of AITC-C. “Mission Explorium is a fun and interactive way to engage students across Canada to work together and learn about where their food comes from and the importance of agriculture in any society.”

 A total of 215 classes from BC to the Maritimes and Northern Canada participated in the inaugural Mission Explorium competition. The feedback from the teachers and students who participated in the first edition of the program will be used to refine and enhance the competition for the next round, which is expected to launch in early 2025. Funding for the development of Mission Explorium was generously provided by contributions from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

April 11, 2024 (Winnipeg, MB) – Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) and its 10 provincial members are taking students on virtual tours of farms and growing operations in every province this spring with Season 3 of the Great Canadian Farm Tour (GCFT).

This year, the season kicks off with a tour to an alpaca farm in Ontario on April 11 and includes tour stops through the month of May to explore vertical farming in BC, see a cricket operation in Manitoba, learn about greenhouse operations in Quebec and Nova Scotia and experience oyster farming in PEI. There is something new for everyone to learn about Canada’s rich agriculture story from coast to coast.

“Over the past two seasons, we have virtually travelled coast to coast visiting farms in each province with our provincial partners and there is still so much to explore thanks to Canada’s amazing agriculture industry,” says Mathieu Rouleau, Executive Director of AITC-C. “The tours are a unique way to connect students with farmers to experience what it’s like on farms across Canada and learn more about the important role agriculture plays in our lives every day.”

Launched in March 2022 to celebrate Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM), the GCFT has created over 840,000 student experiences with 21 virtual farm tours over the last two years. The GCFT provides the opportunity for students and educators to connect and interact with Canadian farmers and food processors, who are eager to tell their stories of how they are working to produce safe, nutritious, and sustainable food.   

FCC is the presenting partner for the GCFT and a valued supporter of AITC-C.

Click for the full release.