Fun, Information Packed
Canola Display Set for the Royal

Year three of the Canola Learning Centre (CLC) at the Royal will focus on the theme "Canola Oil to Live By," says Joan Heath, Heath, Extension Co-ordinator with the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SCDC) and co-ordinator of the CLC at the Royal.

"The canola display has got something for everybody from school kids to educators to dietitians, but especially consumers. You can visit with a canola farmer, crush canola seed to remove its oil, and touch a canola plant. You can also talk to the finch who loves canola seed, "v-r-r-r-oom" toy tractors in the canola seed sand box, and learn how canola should be a part of your healthy diet," declares Heath. The very colourful display is decorated with canola panels, live canola plants and a wide range of interesting food products which feature canola oil.

Centre stage of the canola display is the story of canola that follows it from planting to finished products. Visit with canola growers from across Canada to learn first hand how canola is produced on farms and what the crop means to farm families.

Consumers and educators are a main focus of the display. "We will have a host of great canola recipes available and some down-to-earth facts about how canola fits into a healthy diet," says Heath. She adds that there will be professionals on hand to interact with consumers and health professionals on the value of canola in a healthy diet.

In addition, there's a great information package for educators featuring canola posters for the classroom wall, activity books, and several resources that will assist teachers in incorporating canola facts into an upper elementary curriculum.

Mini display areas will focus on different ways canola can be used. Canola Spa will feature soaps, bath balms, lotions and creams made with canola. Another area will feature the different pet foods that list canola as an ingredient. An area will feature how canola is used as an environmentally friendly lubricity additive for diesel fuels. And there's an area featuring the uses for canola as birdseed (with a live finch eating canola seed). Each mini-display area will have recipe sheets or information on how canola enhances all these products, says Heath.

Some of the hands-on fun activities for youngsters include crushing canola seed to extract its oil and the canola seed sand box filled with canola seed and toy farm implements. All kids get free colourful canola tattoo stickers or activity booklets.

Last year's canola display took second place as the best agriculture education display at the Royal. "We're shooting for number one spot this year," says Heath.

Canola grower groups in the Prairie Provinces and Ontario run CLCs in their provinces. CLCs are designed to tell the story of canola in an entertaining way. The CLCs are held on farms and at major agricultural shows. The CLC at the Royal is a collaborative effort of Canadian canola grower organizations--Alberta Canola Development Commission (ACPC), SCDC, Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA), and the Ontario Canola Growers Association (OCGA)--and the Canola Council of Canada.

The Royal runs from November 7 to 16 this year and will attract over 300,000 visitors, including 35,000 school children, from 53 countries.

"It's a prime opportunity to make a lasting connection with a large number of people about where their food comes from and what part canola plays in Canadian agriculture, and have fun in the process," says Heath.

For more information, contact:

Joan Heath (306) 827-2289
Simone Demers Collins, Industry Development Officer, ACPC (780) 469-0002
Ellen Pruden, Education and Promotion Co-ordinator, MCGA (204) 745-2178
Linda Piper, Administrative Secretary, OCGA (519) 291-4811