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Ontario transfers operations of the Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station to Lakehead University

Ontario transfers operations of the Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station to Lakehead University

The province will also provide $1.65 million in support over five years

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

An Ontario university will soon control many aspects of a northern agricultural research facility.

On Dec. 8, the provincial government transferred the operating and research programming responsibilities of the Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station to Lakehead University. Ontario will still own the station.

The government is providing $1.65 million in financial support to the research station over five years, Bill Mauro, MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan, announced in a Dec. 8 statement.

There are 1,985 farms in Northern Ontario, according to the 2016 Census of Agriculture. And the investment shows farmers in the region that the government is committed to helping them flourish.

“By investing in research and innovation, we are boosting the competitiveness of Ontario’s agri-food sector and ensuring that our farmers in Northwestern Ontario have the tools and resources they need to succeed,” Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said in the statement.

The facility, used by researchers to conduct crop trials and farm management experiments, will be re-named the Lakehead University Agricultural Research Station.

Members of the local ag community are excited about the potential opportunities with a university-run facility.

“I see opportunities that students will be working more with agriculture and farmers in the area, especially students who may not have worked with farming in the past,” Andrew Brekveld, a Thunder Bay-based director with the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, told Farms.com today.


Andrew Brekveld
Photo: Twitter

Lakehead University doesn’t currently offer any ag-specific programming but operating its own agricultural research station could lead to the development of a baseline program, Brekveld says.

“I definitely think (Lakehead’s inclusion) could lead to some sort of basic agriculture training,” he said. “It wouldn’t be as big as a diploma or degree, but it could provide some basic ag knowledge to students who want it.”

Lakehead University will provide a stable source of funding for the research site, which faced financial challenges in the past.

Farms.com has reached out to Lakehead University for comment on its newly acquired research station and its plans for the facility.


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It's going to be an early harvest. This could be the start of the 89-year drought cycle that may have been delayed until 2026 as La Nina maybe returning.
The USDA September crop report is all about record corn ears and record soybean counts but the October USDA crop report will be about pod and ear weights.
Stats Canada reported higher forecasts for the 2025 Canadian Prairies all wheat and canola crops vs. last year based on satellite imagery but are they overestimating production?
The 2025 Great ON Yield Tour and Quebec crop tours are projecting corn and soybean crops below the 10-year average.
China's Vice Commerce Ministry Li Chenggang visits Washington this week as we continue to connect the dots is a positive sign towards a China/U.S. trade deal. But will U.S. farmers have a winter without China as they buy more soybeans from Uruguay/Argentina? U.S. Northern Plain soybean farmers are seeing red with flat prices at $8.97/bu!
U.S. corn exports on record pace up 99% vs. last year.
Fund short covering continues in corn futures bottom is in!