For Immediate Release

June 14, 2006

The 2006 season of the Canola Learning Centre (CLC) is going to be one of celebration.  Over the last 10 years, since the inception of CLC, over 10,000 youth have touched canola and other crops at Kelburn farm.

Kelburn Farm is owned and operated by James Richardson International and with the Manitoba Canola Growers Association; a learning centre was established in 1997 to educate youth about food production and farming.  Free tours to schools and daycares run every May through August.  The CLC provides hands on activities, opportunity to see farm equipment and learn about where food products come from.  “Each year, our enrollment grows and the program just gets better “says Ellen Pruden, Education and Promotion Coordinator.

In celebration of 10 years, MCGA will be holding two major events along with their regular tours.  Marion school and Beaumont and Sunny Side daycares have been chosen to undergo a unique experience at the CLC.  MCGA has adopted Marion school and will showcase to the students and teachers how agriculture and food are connected.

All 190 staff and students from the K-8 school in Louis Riel School Division are coming to the farm on June 21, 2006.  Each class will adopt a crop, learn about farming, food production and land stewardship. The staff and students will take part in a variety of different hands on stations that will teach them about agriculture and show the connection to the foods they eat everyday.  After visiting the farm, students will be able to follow and watch their adopted crops grow over the summer at www.mcgacanola.org.

At harvest time in September, classes will be updated on their crops and final production yields.  Classroom materials will be linked to the curriculum to provide easy lessons for the teachers.  Just like producers, the students will have to use their math, science, social studies and language skills to answer the questions.

The final celebration will come in the form of an assembly at Marion school in September.  MCGA will team up with Agriculture in the Classroom-MB Inc. to deliver a Made in Manitoba Breakfast.  Part of the assembly will include a highlight of how much food each of the students’ crops produced and a financial donation to Marion school’s Breakfast for Learning Program.

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For more information please contact,

Ellen Pruden                                                                        Leanne Campbell

Education and Promotion Coordinator                 Canola Learning Centre Coordinator

Manitoba Canola Growers Association             Manitoba Canola Growers Association

Tel 204-982-2107                                                                  Tel 204-479-1115

Johanne Ross                                                                         Julie Douville

Executive Director                                                                       Principal

Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba Inc.                            Marion School

Tel 866-487-4029                                                                  Tel 204-233-2893