Fund honours biomass pioneer's memory, supports leadership program Wednesday, January 22, 2014 by MATT MCINTOSH A memorial fund to help support innovation and forward-thinking in agricultural and agri-business is being established by the Rural Ontario Institute. In a January 21 press release, the Rural Ontario Institute announced that the Dean Tiessen Memorial Fund will be used to support their Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program, which works to develop leadership in Ontario’s agricultural sector. The fund is named after Dean Tiessen, who was killed in Brazil this past December, and was considered by many to be a leader in Ontario’s biomass and greenhouse industries. There are eight seminars in each Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program class,” says Arlene Warner, manager of communications and fund development for the Rural Ontario Institute. “The Dean Tiessen fund will be in place for the next ten years, and donations will be used to support the third seminar of our program classes.” Tiessen was the president of New Energy Farms near Leamington Ontario, and a graduate of the program’s Class 10, which ran from 2003 to 2005. A Class 10 committee has been organized to establish the fund. In the press release, Henry Koskamp, a member of the committee, credits Tiessen’s hard work and solution-oriented attitude with helping to start Ontario’s biomass industry. He was “a pioneer in energy crops, not just here in Ontario but also internationally,” says Koskamp. The press release says that donations for the fund will be accepted at Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program’s “Dream Auction” in Guelph on February 8. Those interested can also donate online though the Rural Ontario Institute’s website, or by mail. BF Layoffs at Agricorp Farmers market adopts restaurant venue
New board members for Ontario Pork Friday, April 25, 2025 Ontario Pork, an association representing the 1,898 pork farms that market 5.9 million hogs in the province, has announced its new board lineup for 2025. As a Guelph, Ontario-headquartered organization, Ontario Pork is engaged in the areas of research, government representation,... Read this article online
A Chicken’s Dream: The Perfect Home for Our Feathery Friends! Friday, April 25, 2025 BY: Zahra Sadiq Do you raise chickens on your farm for personal, friends and family use? Don’t you think your feathery friends deserve to live in style? If so, look no further, Roost & Root have plenty of chicken coop models to choose from that you and your chickens will... Read this article online
Sheep farmers win Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers Thursday, April 24, 2025 Sheep farmers and wool producers from Wallenstein, Ont. are Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2025. “It’s great to be recognized by your peers in the industry with an award like that,” Ryan Schill told Farms.com. “When we started the sheep farm, there were people questioning us... Read this article online
Ontario ag connections in the NHL playoffs Tuesday, April 22, 2025 The 2025 NHL playoffs are underway, and some of hockey’s biggest names got their start on an Ontario farm or have invested in agriculture since becoming professional athletes. Farms.com went through each of the 16 playoff team rosters to uncover which players have a connection to... Read this article online
New Alcohol Trade Freedom in Ontario Thursday, April 17, 2025 The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has welcomed Ontario’s bold step in eliminating trade barriers and allowing direct alcohol sales to consumers. This new legislation aims to ease internal trade across provinces and support small businesses. One of the key changes... Read this article online