Ag minister announces a $10M investment for the construction of a world-class greenhouse

Sep 24, 2014

Ontario is investing big bucks for the creation of a 3,700-squre-metre state-of-the-art greenhouse at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. The province is infusing $10 million towards the greenhouse that will make it the largest facility of its kind in Canada. Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs was on hand to make the announcement.

The province says that the new complex will be more than twice the size of any other research facility in the country. The research facility will be a boost for the area, as it will focus on developing new technologies aimed at helping get more local food out to the market faster.

“The Ontario government is proud to support the new greenhouse facility at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre,” Minister Leal said in a release. “Investments in research and innovation are critical to growing our horticultural sector and will create jobs in the agri-food industry across Ontario.”

Some other research areas will include developing crops that are more adaptable to Ontario weather conditions and looking at making better horticultural production systems, such as automated pest-management systems. The technology centre will also consider gaining insights from consumers to support the development of new products, like different varieties of fruits, vegetables and wine.

Jim Brandle CEO of the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre calls the new greenhouse a “significant opportunity for the horticulture industry,” adding that the facility will encourage collaboration with industry stakeholders.

The research complex will support the ongoing research already occurring at Vineland. There are plenty of recent successes, including the introduction of Pixie grapes, ornamental dwarf grape vine, and the sundown pear.

(Contributed photo: Minister Leal with the Vineland Board of Directors cutting the ribbon on the new greenhouse).

(Contributed photo: Minister Leal making the funding announcement about the new Vineland greenhouse).

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.