A weekly report prepared by the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) and the Ministry of Rural Affairs (MRA). If you require further information, regarding this report, call the Elora Resource Centre at 519-846-0941. Office hours: 8:30am to 5pm. For technical information, call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or visit the OMAF website: www.ontario.ca/omaf and/or the MRA website: www.ontario.ca/mra.
FARMSMART AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCE – JAN. 17 AND 18, 2014
Like last year, there will be a pre-conference held the day before. This year SoySmart will be the pre-conference full-day production program will be held at Forbes Hall at RIM Park in North Waterloo on Friday, January 17th
The organizers are gearing up for another great program for the FarmSmart Ag Conference on Saturday, January 18th at Rozanski Hall of the University of Guelph.
This conference would be of interest to anyone involved in agriculture in the province of Ontario as the program melds production, environment, economics and other themes across crops, livestock, business and host of general interest topics to a wide range of participants.
The program goes live at: www.farmsmartconference.com.
PROVINCE INCREASES EXEMPTION FOR EMPLOYER HEALTH TAX
Ontario is helping 60,000 small businesses save money and grow by introducing legislation to increase the exemption for the Employer Health Tax starting January 1, 2014.
If passed, the Supporting Small Businesses Act would increase the exemption for private-sector employers, including small businesses, charities and not-for-profit organizations, with an annual payroll of $450,000 or less. The previous limit was $400,000. This means that more than 60,000 employers would pay less Employer Health Tax, including over 12,000 that would no longer pay the tax. Those organizations would also save the cost of filing an Employer Health Tax return. Businesses would be able to use their savings to re-invest in their company or hire more staff.
Providing tax relief is part of the government’s plan to strengthen the economy and create a business climate that attracts investment and helps create jobs. For more information, please visit: http://bit.ly/1eV7a1N.
EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR AGRICULTURE STUDENTS NOW OPEN
Farm Management Canada (FMC) and the Canadian Association of Diploma in Agriculture Programs (CADAP) have joined forces to offer an award designed to encourage students to improve their communication and leadership skills through a national video competition.
FMC and CADAP are collecting submissions from agricultural students across Canada and will award three winners with $1,000 towards furthering their education in agriculture. The award is designed to help students develop their communication skills by having the opportunity to voice their opinion on a subject related to farm management.
Students are asked to submit videos, responding to the following question: What key skills has your educational institution taught you about farm management that will be most useful in your career? Please explain why these are important?
Applications must be received no later than May 9, 2014. For more information, please visit: http://www.fmc-gac.com/excellence-award.
COMING EVENTS
Jan. 7 – 8 – 21st Annual Southwest Agricultural Conference, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus. For more information, please visit: http://www.southwestagconference.ca.
Jan. 8 – 14 – 48th Annual Grey Bruce Farmer’s Week, Elmwood Community Centre, 38 Queens Street West, Elmwood, Ontario. Refer to www.greyagservices.ca or call (519) 986-3756.
Jan. 27 – 29 – Ontario Processing Vegetable Industry Conference, London. For more information, please visit:
http://www.opvg.org/conference/
Jan. 29 – 30 – EFAO Winter Workshop Series. For more information, please visit: https://efao.ca/
Jan. 30 – Catching the Wave – Guelph Organic Conference & Expo 2104, Guelph University Centre,
Feb. 2 – Guelph. For more information, please visit: http://www.guelphorganicconf.ca/
Feb. 19 – 20 – Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention (OFVC). For more information, please visit: http://www.ofvc.ca/.
