On Friday, August 12 the Manitoba Canola Growers (MCGA) will celebrate the Canola Learning Centre‘s 15th Anniversary. For 15 years the Canola Learning Centre (CLC), has been creating excitement around agriculture in Manitoba. The centre has had over 15,000 student and educator visitors.
The learning centre, located just South of Winnipeg at Richardson International’s Kelburn Farm, is a free farm tour and learning experience aimed at educating urban students, their educators, and consumer groups about canola and other Manitoba crops in a real agronomic setting.
15 years ago, MCGA noticed a need to educate Manitoba students and their educators about Canola and the importance of agriculture in their lives. “What’s unique and exciting about the Canola Learning Centre experience is that the students and teachers get to be a farmer for the day” says Pruden. “It has always been a hands-on experience to engage learning at the highest level, from crushing canola seeds, to sweeping for bugs, to scouting for weeds” she adds. Every single tour includes a lesson in farm machinery and a tractor ride out to the field.
The canola crush activity remains to be visitors’ favourite part of the tour where time is spent learning about how the tiny little canola seeds make oil and how growers are graded on their crop. Over the past 15 years, visitors have crushed more than 6 million canola seeds; making over 18 litres of oil!
The CLC started in 1997 as a pilot project with the Canola Council of Canada, Manitoba Canola Growers and Richardson International. Emphasis has always been on having school tours in May and June and daycares during the summer months.
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