Ontario to conduct trade mission to China

Apr 08, 2015

Mission will start Thursday, April 16th, 2015

Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeff Leal and Michael Chan, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade will lead an agri-food trade mission to China, starting Thursday, April 16th, 2015 and wrapping up on Saturday, April 25th, 2015.

Twenty businesses including Beef Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Pork, Provincial Beverages of Canada and the University of Guelph will join Mr. Leal and Mr. Chan on the 10-day journey that includes stops in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing and Nanjing.

“Already an economic driver for our province, the agri-food sector has great potential for growth,” said Minister Leal. “This trade mission is an excellent opportunity to showcase Ontario’s agri-food sector and build government and business relationships, leading to new jobs and investment for our province.”

Along with showcasing the opportunities Ontario can provide to China, the province is also trying to help itself.

With China being Ontario’s second largest agri-food export market there are opportunities for job growth. Ontario will try to create 120,000 new jobs in the agri-food sector by 2020.

“China is Ontario’s second largest trading partner and we need to work together to seize new opportunities to help Ontario businesses succeed,” said Minister Chan. “This mission builds the Ontario brand internationally in a priority market and will improve our competitive position in the global economy.”

Ontario exported nearly $832 million worth of agri-food products in 2014 including wines, snack foods and food-grade soybeans.

Ontario’s last agri-food trade mission to China took place in January 2013.

Ontario’s agri-food sector contributes about $34.8 billion to the province’s economy and employs more than 760,000 people.

Join the conversation and tell us what kinds of things you’d like to see the Ontario government accomplish on their trade mission to China.

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.