June 2022
A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Warm summer greetings! 
 
For many in the farming community, summer is a time for optimism. The busy spring planting season is over, and we share hopes of a warm, sunny summer (with just enough rain!) to bring in a bountiful harvest.   

The AAC board and staff have also been active, sowing seeds of opportunity with our project partners and stakeholders. Several projects will be wrapping up later this year through both Phase II of the Greenhouse Competitiveness and Innovation Initiative, and the Ontario Regional Priorities Partnership Program. We have been busy connecting with our applicants and sharing some great success stories to inspire the industry. Some of these are highlighted in this issue. 

It’s truly an exciting time for our organization. Over the years, we’ve created a solid organizational foundation with a superb mix of vision and operational excellence. We are introducing new staff members to our team as we plan to grow and engage our network with enhanced programs and services. I’m confident in our readiness to embrace new opportunities and reap the rewards of careful planning and strong partnerships. It is our hope that these partnerships will continue to flourish. I know I personally found it truly energizing to reconnect with so many of you in person at our recent summer networking event in Elora. It was long overdue! 

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to any member of the AAC team. We’re here to help. I wish you all a happy and productive summer and share your hopes for the harvests to come.  
 
Sincerely, 
Melanie DiReto, AAC Executive Director 
AAC SUMMER MEETING
Board and staff gather for stakeholder networking event and project tours 
After a two-year hiatus, the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) board and staff were excited to gather in-person with stakeholders from across the agriculture and agri-food industry and visit with project applicants during our annual summer meeting.
 
The annual networking event, held on June 8 at the GrandWay Event Centre in Elora, was an opportunity for AAC members and partners to engage with board and staff, interact with industry peers and learn more about AAC projects and initiatives. 
 
The evening highlighted the successes from AAC delivered funding programs. The Greenhouse Competitiveness and Innovation Initiative (GCII), the Livestock Veterinary Innovation Initiative, and the Ontario Agri-Careers Support Initiative are the programs AAC is delivering on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The Ontario Regional Priorities Partnership Program (ON-RP3) is a collaborative initiative funded by AAC, Ontario Genomics and the Government of Canada through Genome Canada. 

The AAC updates were followed by special presentations featuring two innovative projects. The first presenter was Dr. Praveen K. Saxena from the Gosling Research Institute for Plant Preservation at the University of Guelph. The second presentation featured Rose Séguin from Sollum Technologies. 

The following day, genomics was front and centre when the AAC board and staff took part in tours featuring applicants from the ON-RP3 Initiative.

The AAC is appreciative of the enthusiasm of project participants and the interest from the wider stakeholder community and is looking forward to an equally engaging program next June. 
As part of the Ontario Regional Priorities Partnership Program (ON-RP3), the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC), Ontario Genomics (OG) and Genome Canada (GC) are bringing the role of genomics innovation in advancing Ontario’s agri-food sector to centre stage through innovative education programs with Farm & Food Care Ontario and AgScape.

Under Farm & Food Care Ontario’s FarmFood360 video series, five videos were created to engage the public on the role of genomics in agri-food and how it can help address food security, climate change, and animal welfare. The video series also features a 360° virtual reality-enabled tour of the state-of-the-art Elora Dairy Research Centre.

With AgScape, new educational materials ‘An Exploration of Genomics in Agriculture and Food’ were created with a Teacher’s Guide for Grades 7-12. Developed by Ontario certified teachers and food literacy experts at AgScape, with additional support through the experts at Ontario Genomics, this resource for Ontario teachers provides engaging lessons and activities to educate students on the role genomics plays in agri-food innovation and a variety of related career paths students could explore.
NEW FACES AT AAC
Mark Hamel joined the AAC board earlier this year, replacing Henry Wydeven, as one of the two supply management representatives on the board. Mark has been on the Dairy Farmers of Ontario board since 2018, representing milk producers in the counties of Grey and Bruce. He is active on various DFO committees and also sits on the Dairy Farmers of Canada board. Mark is a graduate of the Advanced Agriculture Leadership Program (AALP) - Class 8.

Mark and his wife Cathy are partners with their son Matt (fourth generation) and daughter-in-law Larissa to operate Harmony Holsteins west of Elmwood, Ontario. Together, they milk 150 purebred Holsteins and farm 900 acres. They have three children and seven grandchildren.

We are glad to have Mark on AAC board and thank Henry for his years of service.
Peter Katona recently joined the AAC staff in the role of Communications & Industry Relations Manager.

Peter has nearly three decades experience working in a variety of management roles in businesses and non-profit organizations spanning in the agriculture and food sector.

A graduate of the University of Guelph's International Development program, Peter spent the first part of his career working with sustainable agriculture programs in South Asia, Central America and the Caribbean. Peter was the founding director of Foodlink Waterloo Region, helping pioneer the local food movement in Ontario before joining Martin's Family Fruit Farm as Director of Sales and Marketing. Peter lives in Waterloo with his three children.

We are excited to work with Peter and look forward to his contributions to our team.
AAC IN THE NEWS