The Great Canadian Farm Tour ended on a sweet note with its final stop of Season 4 at Chaeban Ice Cream in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Owned by dairy scientist and second-generation cheesemaker Joseph Chaeban, the ice cream shop has created premium, all-natural ice cream made from locally sourced ingredients since 2017.

During the tour, Joseph shared insights into ice cream production and answered questions from students across Canada.

Here are some fun facts we learned on the tour:

• Award-Winning Ice Cream: Chaeban Ice Cream’s salted caramel flavour won Canadian Grand Champion and is their best-selling creation.
• Locally Sourced Ingredients: From Manitoba milk and cream to locally grown pumpkins and berries, Chaeban Ice Cream is proudly 100 per cent Canadian.
• The Secret Ingredient: The key to great ice cream is air! Chaeban Ice Cream incorporates less air than traditional brands, creating a denser and creamier texture.
• Dairy-Free Options: While Chaeban Ice Cream celebrates dairy, they also offer select non-dairy flavours to cater to lactose-intolerant customers.

Joseph’s process is a labour of love. Creating each batch of ice cream takes three days, from preparing the base to aging, freezing and packaging. During peak summer, the shop produces up to 300 litres of ice cream daily, amounting to nearly 100,000 pints annually.

Reflecting on his journey, Joseph shared, “my very first memories, I was going into my father’s cellar eating cheese every single morning, and I knew at a young age I wanted to be a cheesemaker and a dairy scientist, so this allowed me to love my job. I’m happy to come to work every day and put smiles on people’s faces.”

If you missed this stop, you can watch the recording here: WATCH THE TOUR

Grade 6 to 8 classes across Canada are invited to take on Mission Explorium this February!  The challenge, set on a fictional deserted island, has students work collaboratively to explore ecosystems, agriculture, food systems and culture while creating a sustainable society with the help of a pair of knowledgeable birds and a zany anthropologist. The epic adventure includes interactive videos, hands-on activities and leaderboards to keep students engaged and inspired.

With carefully designed activities that bring the curriculum to life, Mission Explorium makes learning fun and impactful. Students solve puzzles, design creative projects and tackle real-world challenges that spark critical thinking and curiosity. The program is flexible and accessible, making it an excellent fit for classrooms of all kinds.

Ten regional winners will advance to compete for the grand prize in April, with the Regional Champions going head-to-head with their counterparts in the quest to crown a National Champion. This year’s National Champion will win a Plantaform Indoor Garden for their classroom, generously donated by Plantaform. The indoor garden uses fog technology to grow fresh greens year-round while fostering learning about STEM in agriculture and food.

Registration is free and open now. The competition begins on February 17!

Sign up here: Mission Explorium

The Great Canadian Farm Tour Season 4 continued its journey across the country with a stop in Fort Langley, BC, at The Bog at Riverside Cranberry Farm. This family-run farm spans 34 acres and produces over 900,000 pounds of cranberries yearly.

Brian Dewit, who grew up on a dairy farm before venturing into cranberries, shared his journey into cranberry farming and how the unique challenges of the crop make every day different and exciting. He also introduced students to the fascinating world of cranberry production, from water-efficient harvesting techniques to the science behind their buoyancy.

Here are some fun facts we learned on the tour:

• Cranberries Float! Thanks to four hollow air pockets inside each berry, cranberries float, making water harvesting possible. Fields are flooded, berries are loosened from the vines and then they float to the surface for collection.
• Water Conservation in Action: The farm is designed with fields at varying elevations, allowing water to flow from one to another during harvest. This innovative approach reduces water waste.
• Perennial Power: Cranberries are perennials, meaning they grow back every year. With proper care like pruning and sanding, they can produce fruit indefinitely.
• Massive Yield: On average, the farm produces 30,000 pounds of cranberries per acre, translating to an impressive 70 million individual cranberries annually!

Before wrapping up the tour, Brian encouraged students to incorporate more cranberries into their daily diets and explore local farms.

“Come out to the ones that are doing the tours,” said Brian, “it’s really  good to know what’s going on out there, who’s growing it and how it’s grown, you’ll learn a lot when you’re out on the farm.”

If you missed this stop on the Great Canadian Farm Tour, you can catch the recording here: WATCH THE TOUR

For our latest stop on the Great Canadian Farm Tour, we visited the Barrett Centre of Innovation in Sustainable Urban Agriculture at Durham College in Ontario. This cutting-edge facility blends technology with agriculture, showing how food can be grown efficiently in urban spaces while making a meaningful impact on the community.

James Conway, the hydroponic farm manager and a graduate of Durham College’s Horticulture Technician program, shared insights into how hydroponics is revolutionizing farming. Using water enriched with nutrients and innovative materials like rock wool, the Barrett Centre grows crops like lettuce, herbs and micro-peppers without soil. Nearly all the lettuce is donated to local food banks, supporting those in need.

Here are some fun facts we learned on the tour:

• DIY Pollination: When growing peppers, James uses an electric toothbrush to mimic a bumblebee for pollination.
• Year-Round Freshness: The facility’s advanced system allows lettuce to be grown year-round, ensuring a consistent supply of fresh food.
• Farming for the Future: The centre experiments with micro-plants designed to maximize growth in small spaces, potentially contributing to sustainable food production for future space exploration.
• Hydroponic Coffee: At home, James grows a coffee plant hydroponically, with the first beans expected in two years.

As the tour wrapped up, James left students across Canada with a message of encouragement: “Always use your imagination. Don’t let it stop. Kindness is the best strength out there.”

If you missed the tour, catch the recording here: WATCH THE TOUR

The next stop of the Great Canadian Farm Tour is on Wednesday, November 26, at 11:00 a.m. ET, where we’ll visit a cranberry farm in British Columbia: REGISTER HERE

Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C) is a leading advocate for agriculture education, paving the way for a skilled and informed future workforce. Through initiatives like thinkAG and Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM), AITC-C, in collaboration with ten provincial members, introduces students to diverse career paths in agriculture. By showcasing innovation, sustainability, and the industry’s essential role in Canada’s economy, AITC-C empowers students to view agriculture as a dynamic career option.

In line with its mission, AITC-C is involved in national efforts to address one of the sector’s most pressing challenges: closing the skills gap. A prime example is AITC-C’s involvement in the Skills Development Table—a collaborative platform created by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) to address workforce needs in the sector. This initiative focuses on identifying the skills needed to fill agriculture jobs now and in the future. It works on creating clear career paths and flexible training options to help people enter or transition into agriculture roles. Another goal is to bring youth, new Canadians, Indigenous peoples, and others into the industry to create a stronger, more diverse workforce.

On October 25, 2024, the Skills Development Table gave a presentation to the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council, a group of individuals 30 and under from diverse agriculture backgrounds. This empowering session was designed to equip young leaders with tools and strategies for establishing their own table within the agriculture sector. The Skills Development Table shared their framework, from foundational themes to practical initiatives, with a focus on helping youth council members reach their peers and inspire more young people to consider careers in agriculture.

AITC members Laurie Loane, executive director from AITC-PEI and Kalysha Hanrahan, thinkAG manager from AITC-C, presented at the meeting. Loane spoke on the power of networking and the importance of creating effective and strong relationships within the agriculture sector.

Loane explained how crucial collaboration is to addressing industry challenges, as well as how essential it is for youth council members to build networks they can leverage to spread awareness about the diverse career paths in agriculture. Her message underscored a key point: by working with others—whether industry groups, educators, or government organizations—the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council can move further, faster.

Hanrahan followed Loane&r