Try your hand at a rope-making workshop and a sheep craft. Bring your warm woolen mittens – this activity is on the Rideau Canal! Participate in an obstacle course on skates and see who in your family can be the first to bring water to “Woody” the museum’s wooden horse. In partnership with Winterlude.

Visitors to the Canada Agriculture Museum can enjoy access to the animal barns by donation from December 1st, 2011 to February 29th, 2012. Please note that the barns will be closed on Christmas Day, December 25, 2011.

No daily demonstrations or indoor exhibitions are presented until March 1st, 2012.

We need your help!

The Canada Agriculture Museum team is taking on a big challenge. How big? As big as a horse! From December 1 to December 31, we want to gather 1,000 pounds (455 kg) in non-perishable food goods. This target was chosen as it happens to be the weight of Flint, the retired RCMP horse that the Museum adopted this past summer!

Come by the museum to visit the animal barns with your donation and help us to be a heavy weight in this year's food drive. The collected goods will be distributed to the Ottawa Food Bank and Moisson Outaouais.

In 2008, Ottawa residents began discussing the possibility of changing municipal by-laws to allow raising chickens within the city. In recent years, by-laws in several Canadian cities have changed in favour of raising chickens. Some argue that any effort to sustain food sources—including raising hens for their eggs—is a basic human right. Others argue that the potential health and sanitation risks outweigh the benefits. At this Café, expect a discussion that explores all perspectives, including current by-laws, health and safety considerations for both birds and humans, and tales from those who have first-hand experience raising hens. Have you ever raised chickens, or eaten eggs laid by a local hen? What do you think—should raising chickens in the city of Ottawa be permitted or not? Join us for drinks, discussion, and debate.

December 1, 2011 – February 29, 2012: Barns remain open; exhibitions close; daily demonstrations end; admission by donation. Please note that the barns will be closed on Christmas Day, December 25, 2011.

It’s a Barnyard Halloween at the Canada Agriculture Museum! Visitors are invited to enjoy special activities just right for the occasion. Visitors will be able to learn interesting facts about pumpkins and can then help prepare delicious desserts made from this autumnal fruit. Samples to taste and recipes to bring home are available as well.

Visitors may also want to help make caramel apples from scratch and taste the end results. Costumed visitors young and old alike can join the costume parade and show off their disguises to everyone in Memory Park. Children will be able to decorate a pumpkin to bring home ($) and can take on the challenge of a Scavenger Hunt through the barns and exhibitions. Halloween themed colouring sheets and a Halloween game are also on the schedule for this festive day.

National Science and Technology Week at the Canada Agriculture Museum means unique demonstrations on-site, highlighting the uses of science and technology in agriculture. Enjoy demos of Windmills: Wind at work and The Science Behind Milk Safety.

National Science and Technology Week at the Canada Agriculture Museum means unique demonstrations on-site, highlighting the uses of science and technology in agriculture. Enjoy demos of Windmills: Wind at work and The Science Behind Milk Safety.

Learn how to turn Canadian fall crops into delicious, healthy snacks at the Canada Agriculture Museum's Healthy Harvest Festival. Try your hand at making apple cider and our a-maize-ing popcorn craft, treat your taste buds to sweet honey, and much more! Get your heart pumping by jumping rope, hula hooping, and playing harvest themed games. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., dance to the music of the Fiddleheads!

Take a horse-drawn wagon ride through the Central Experimental Farm. Wednesday to Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., weather permitting ($).

In addition to Canadian horses, the Museum will offer activities such as muffin and ice cream making, milking demonstrations, and craft-making. Admission is free on Friday, July 1st in honour of Canada Day.

On Sunday, July 3rd at 11:30 a.m., the Museum is hosting a retirement party for King, the 15-year old Clydesdale who has been a perennial favourite with visitors of all ages, complete with a horse-sized card, and a custom cake made of oats, apples, carrots, and molasses.

You won’t want to miss any of our Father’s Day activities, from rabbit care to ice cream making! Children can make a crafty gift for Dad, followed by a family visit to the Demonstration Kitchen to taste some delicious dips perfect for Father's Day.

You won’t want to miss any of our Father’s Day activities, from rabbit care to ice cream making! Children can make a crafty gift for Dad, followed by a family visit to the Demonstration Kitchen to taste some delicious dips perfect for Father's Day.

From May 21 to 23, the Canada Agriculture Museum is holding its annual Sheep Shearing Festival! Highlights include shearing demonstrations, finger-weaving, Border Collies at work, alpacas on display and much, much more.

The Canada Agriculture Museum will be focusing on healthy living this Mother’s Day weekend. Find out how animal mothers spend their year providing us with staples such as milk, eggs, and meat. Also, learn more about these mothers by participating in a scavenger hunt all about some of the mother’s who live and work here!

Looking for quick, healthy snacks? Check out the Demonstration Kitchen where we will be having fun with fruits and veggies! The whole family can take part in a wide variety of demonstrations; from meeting the chickens to making ice cream. Learn about healthy eating and active living through fun food group activities and participating in active games! Finally, children can make a special take-home craft for Mom. Come celebrate Mother’s Day and healthy living May 7th and 8th at the Canada Agriculture Museum!

As the world population increases, is the production of biofuels a wise undertaking? Since some biofuels are derived from agricultural products such as corn and wheat, should we be using these resources to produce fuel rather than food? What are the benefits of biofuels and can we produce enough of them to counter the possible environmental and social impacts of their production? Join us for the discussion.

Café Scientifique is a forum where, for the price of a coffee or glass of wine, adults can get together and talk about recent - and sometimes controversial - developments in science and technology. The Canada Science and Technology Museum moderates the discussion between invited experts and the general public. Lively discussions guaranteed!

Aircraft pilot automation reduces pilot workload and, by reducing errors in flight calculations and navigation, it also enhances flight safety. But, as onboard computer systems redefine the pilot’s role in the cockpit, are pilots becoming too complacent? Are pilots losing track of what their aircraft is doing? As autopilot software becomes increasingly sophisticated, will airline and military pilots become obsolete? Join us for this discussion.

Come celebrate spring’s arrival at the Canada Agriculture Museum this Easter weekend! After a long winter, the barns have come alive with the arrival of new-born animals. Come welcome the soft little lambs, marvel at the rabbits’ silky fur and observe the fluffy newly-hatched chicks from up close. Visitors can help make a variety of Easter breads and taste a delicious sample. What’s more, the annual egg hunt is on again – children 6 years-old and younger can participate in the hunt for tots while older children can take on the challenge of hunting for the “signs of spring” throughout the barns. All this from Good Friday through Easter Monday at the Canada Agriculture Museum!

Since its introduction in the 1960s, Canada’s publicly funded health care system has been the subject of much debate. According to Statistics Canada, most Canadians are reported to be satisfied with the health care services they receive. However, many experience long waits to see a specialist or to undergo elective surgery, or find themselves facing huge bills for prescription drugs. Should governments reconsider the way that they fund Canada’s health care system? Should Canadians turn to the private sector to find solutions to the problems of the future?

A unique family learning adventure awaits you! From farm animals, exhibitions, treasures from the collection, hands-on demonstrations, to tasting delicious foods, you’ll find yourself immersed in the sights and sounds of traditional farm life as you discover Canada’s unique agricultural heritage. Visit our website to view our Calendar of Events for 2011.

The Canada Agriculture Museum launches a new spring season with its annual Barnyard Break. On this occasion visitors can take in a wide variety of demonstrations from Butter Making and Tasting to Cooking with Maple Syrup.

Additionally, children can get creative and keep themselves busy with a winter-themed craft and, new this year; children are invited to submit their concepts for the Farm of the Future contest. So come learn while enjoying yourself at the Canada Agriculture Museum this March Break and all month long.

Following the 9/11 attacks and the attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 in 2009, airport security measures continue to become more rigorous, but at what cost? Millimeter wave scanners have been deployed for security screening in some airports and while they are innovative, and intended to be less intrusive than physical searches, are these three-dimensional scans actually making flights safer or are they invading the privacy rights of passengers?

For Family Day, we invite you to come with your family to visit the different animal families that live at the Canada Agriculture Museum.

Visitors to the Canada Agriculture Museum can enjoy access to the animal barns by donation from November 1, 2010 to February 25, 2011.

Most large retailers have gone green by adopting the ecological practice of charging five cents apiece for their plastic bags. But does this actually encourage consumers to be more ecologically minded? In 2008, it was estimated that Canadians consumed on average 55 million plastic bags per week, or nearly three billion per year. Has the introduction of “eco-fees” changed our attitudes towards the use of plastic bags?

Café Scientifique is a forum where, for the price of a coffee or glass of wine, adults can get together and talk about recent - and sometimes controversial - developments in science and technology. The Canada Science and Technology Museum moderates the discussion between invited experts and the general public. Lively discussions guaranteed!

With your help, we have managed to raise over 647 kg of food for the Ottawa area. The team would like to thank all the visitors, colleagues and friends who generously donated to the cause. It was a big challenge!

You are invited to a birthday party for one of the Canada Agriculture Museum’s favourite residents — Goody the Hereford bull!

Come celebrate with us as the Museum’s only bull turns 14.

We need your help! The Canada Agriculture Museum team is taking on a big challenge. How big? As big as a cow! From December 1 to December 31, we want to gather a 1,300 pounds (600 kg) in non-perishable food goods. This quantity happens to be equal to the weight of Precieuse, our Canadienne cow!

Come by the museum to visit the animals barns with your donation and help us to be a heavy weight in this year's food drive. The collected goods will be distributed to the Ottawa Food Bank and Moisson Outaouais.

Hours of operation:

Daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed December 25th.

Corn, soy, tomatoes, potatoes—GMOs (genetically modified organisms) have already begun appearing on our plates. For some, these products promise a better world: a world without famine, in which agricultural chemicals are used less and less. Others see GMOs as a threat to the environment and to health. Should we be afraid of genetically modified organisms, or should we see them as agriculture’s brave new frontier?

The presence of genetically modified organisms in food and in the environment raises many questions. What are the long-term effects of their production and development on the environment, on food safety, and on health? What are the risks, and what are the advantages? Have there been enough scientific studies assessing these concerns? And, if genetically modified organisms mean greater resistance to disease and insect pests, tolerance of herbicides, improved food preservation, and greater nutrititional value, will GMOs become key to the future of agriculture?

Café Scientifique is a forum where, for the price of a coffee or glass of wine, adults can get together and talk about recent - and sometimes controversial - developments in science and technology. The Canada Science and Technology Museum moderates the discussion between invited experts and the general public. Lively discussions guaranteed!

From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

It’s a Barnyard Hallowe’en at the Canada Agriculture Museum! Visitors are invited to enjoy special activities just right for the occasion.

Join the Canada Agriculture Museum on Thanksgiving weekend for special activities centred on Canada's bountiful harvest.

9:30	Rabbit Care – Poultry House (15 minutes)
10:00	Cooking with Honey* – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (20 minutes)
10:30	All about Milk – Dairy Barn (15 minutes)
11:00	The Buzz about Honeybees* – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (15 minutes)
11:30	Children’s Craft (The Science of Felt Making)** – Snack Area (15 minutes)
12:00	Making (and Tasting!) Butter – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (15 minutes)
1:00	Cooking with Honey* – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (20 minutes)
1:30	Groom a Calf – Dairy Barn (15 minutes)
2:00	Meet Goody the Bull - Horse and Cattle Barn (15 minutes)
2:30	Children’s Story** (in English) – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (15 minutes)
2:45	Children’s Story** (in French) – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (15 minutes)
3:15	The Buzz about Honeybees* – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (15 minutes)
4:00	The Science behind Safe Milk (Afternoon Milking) – Dairy Barn (30 minutes)

It's National Science and Technology Week at the Canada Agriculture Museum. Unique demonstrations will be offered that highlight the uses of science and technology in agriculture, such as The Science of Felt Making and The Science Behind Milk Safety.

Register early—space is limited for this popular FREE family event. For Members only.

Every morning this month, from 9 a.m. until noon, drop by the demonstration kitchen to learn about cooking with honey.

Every afternoon at 2 p.m., knowledgeable Interpreters offer a short guided tour of the new exhibition, Taking Care of Beesness.

Museum visitors learn about the journey from cow to cone as they tour the Museum’s Dairy Barn. They can practise their milking technique on the Museum’s wooden cow and explore how dairying technology now includes milking machines and even robotic milkers. Visitors can help make ice cream with an old-fashioned manual ice cream maker, and then taste the ice cream they make, as well as frozen yogurt, goat’s milk ice cream, and waffles made in the Museum’s demonstration kitchen. Adding to the festivities is a dazzling performance by one of The Cowguys, who expertly blends circus, western, and magic skills!

The Canada Agriculture Museum is located on the Central Experimental Farm, Prince of Wales Drive, between the traffic circle and Baseline Road. Free parking.

Celebrate Canada’s birthday with a fun-filled day of activities at the Canada Agriculture Museum. The Museum will offer popular Canada Day activities such as games, a craft, colouring for children and a Strawberry Social as well as ice cream and Bannock making for the entire family. Visitors can also learn all about Canadian agriculture through our Canadian breed signs. Free admission on July 1st.

The Canada Agriculture Museum is proud to present very special “Canadians” on June 26 and 27. These special Canadians are horses - Canadian-breed horses, which are Canada’s national horse. For a fifth consecutive year, several Canadian-breed horses will be showing off their abilities in demonstrations provided by the Upper Canada District (Ontario) Canadian Horse Breeders.

* Limited number of spaces.
• This demonstration is presented by Bee Maid Honey.
•• This demonstration is presented by Neilson Dairy.

10:00 - “Cooking” for Cows – Dairy Barn (15 minutes)

10:30 - Meet the Sheep and Goats – Horse and Cattle Barn (15 minutes)

11:15 - Children’s Story (in English) – Taking Care of Beesness Exhibition (15 minutes)

11:30 - Children’s Story (in French) – Taking Care of Beesness Exhibition (15 minutes)

12:00 - The Buzz About Honeybees – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (15 minutes)

1:30 - Saddle Up! – Horse and Cattle Barn (15 minutes)

2:00 - Meet the Chickens – Poultry House (15 minutes)

2:45 - Children’s Story (in English) – Taking Care of Beesness Exhibition (15 minutes)

3:00 - Children’s Story (in French) – Taking Care of Beesness Exhibition (15 minutes)

4:00 - Afternoon Milking – Dairy Barn (30 minutes)

10:00 - Cooking with Honey – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (20 minutes)

10:30 - Meet the Lambs – Horse and Cattle Barn (15 minutes)

11:00 - All About Milk – Dairy Barn (15 minutes)

11:15 - Children’s Story* (in English) – Taking Care of Beesness Exhibition (15 minutes)

11:30 - Children’s Story* (in French) – Taking Care of Beesness Exhibition (15 minutes)

12:00 - Eggs-periments – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (15 minutes)

1:30 - Cooking with Honey – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (20 minutes)

2:00 - Meet the Lambs – Horse and Cattle Barn (15 minutes)

2:30 - Children’s Story* (in English) – Taking Care of Beesness Exhibition (15 minutes)

2:45 - Children’s Story* (in French) – Taking Care of Beesness Exhibition (15 minutes)

3:00 - The Buzz about Honeybees – Demonstration Kitchen (Exhibitions) (15 minutes)

4:00 - Afternoon Milking– Dairy Barn (30 minutes)

*Spaces are limited

The Canada Agriculture Museum is celebrating the arrival of spring with a variety of activities throughout the Easter Weekend — Friday, April 2 to Monday, April 5. After a long, cold winter, the farm glows with the arrival of newborn animals. Visitors will have a chance to welcome new lambs, caress the silky fur of rabbits, and see fluffy, newly hatched chicks. Visitors will also enjoy the new exhibition Taking Care of Beesness, as well as the ever-popular Tractors exhibition. And when you’re not enjoying a day at the Museum, why not visit our new online exhibition Bees: A Honey of an Idea, as well as the well as the Food for Health website at foodforhealth.ca.

Barnyard Break features exciting activities and demonstrations the whole family will enjoy. Visitors can join Museum staff for a children’s story and craft, along with a variety of other interesting demonstrations. As they warm up in the kitchen, visitors can lend a hand in cooking with a spring staple — maple syrup — and can try making and tasting fresh butter. In the barns, they can meet some of our animals, including sheep and lambs.

Ottawa, Ontario

The Canada Agriculture Museum is pleased to announce the launch of Bees: A Honey of an Idea, a virtual exhibition exploring the essential role bees play in the pollination of many Canadian food crops. This online exhibit was developed in partnership with the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC) at virtualmuseum.ca, an initiative of the Department of Canadian Heritage as well as in partnership with the Canadian Honey Council. Bees: A Honey of an Idea can be discovered online at agriculture.technomuses.ca/default.php