Agricultural Information Contact Centre | 1-877-424-1300 | www.ontario.ca/omafra
PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE FOR FARM STRUCTURES
Dan McDonald, P. Eng., Civil Systems Engineer, OMAF and MRA
Our province has recently experienced extreme weather conditions – rain on top of existing snow, drifting snow and unbalanced snow loads on roofs can add to the stress already facing farm buildings in winter.
Here are some tips to help prevent damage in winter weather conditions:
– Important: Take all necessary safety precautions when working from ladders and at heights;
– look for areas on your roofs and structures that have substantial snow build up;
– consider hiring qualified people to remove the snow. Otherwise, with at least one other person, gradually remove piles of snow from your roof’s pitches;
– do not remove all of the snow from one pitch before moving to another, as this creates an unbalanced loading condition;
– look for damaged or weak areas of your buildings and structures, particularly in the roof trusses and the truss plates;
– clean and reinforce or protect all truss plates that are rusty;
– have an engineer complete a building assessment if you find an area of your building that has significant deterioration;
– assess your building’s wind bracing components and repair those that are damaged or weakened; and
– make sure downspouts and other drainage components are able to direct water away from the structure.
Farm buildings and structures should be able to withstand weather conditions. You can prevent damage to your buildings by making sure your buildings are strong and stable. Farmers are encouraged to always use best management practices when working around livestock and farm buildings.
ONTARIO HAY ELIGIBLE FOR FINANCING UNDER ADVANCE PAYMENTS PROGRAM
Agricultural Credit Corporation (ACC) has received approval to add hay to their growing list of eligible commodities within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Advance Payments Program. Commencing with the 2014 program year, five categories of hay have been approved with an advance rate of $57.50 per tonne. These five categories include: Alfalfa, Timothy, Mixed Hay-Alfalfa and Timothy, Orchardgrass Hay, and Mixed Hay (any mixture of grasses and/or legumes). The program will cover all Ontario hay and hay mixtures intended for export and domestic sales, including farm-to-farm sales but not including hay fed on the producer’s own farm.
To be eligible for an advance, producers must have an established crop and be enrolled in either Agristability or the Forage Rainfall Production Insurance Program provided by Agricorp at: http://bit.ly/1ahsBXx. Neither Production Insurance nor Agristability are required if applying for an advance on bales stored after harvest in summer of 2014.
The Ontario Hay program provides up to $100,000 interest-free with an additional $300,000 available at Bank Prime Lending Rate. Advances are to be repaid as bales are sold at first, second, or third cut, or later out of storage, and no later than April 30, 2015. All repayments are to be supported by proof of sales (http://bit.ly/1dKaXcR) documentation at time of repayment.
Applications for the 2014 program are available at www.agcreditcorp.ca or can be mailed upon request. For more information contact 1-888-278-8807 or info@agcreditcorp.ca.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Feb. 6 – Soil Health Day – 9am to 2:30pm at the Brodhagen Community Centre, 6708 Perth Line 44, Brodhagen, ON. To register visit www.oscia.wildapricot.org or email heartland.scia@gmail.com.
Feb. 11 – Dufferin Soil and Crop Association Annual Seed and Feed Show and Annual Meeting, Amaranth Township Hall, County Road 10 and line 6, Laurel (374028 6th Line Amaranth). For more information, contact Jim Irvine at 1-800-265-2284.
Feb. 11 and 12 – Free Stall Dairy Housing Design Seminar, OMAF and MRA Boardroom, Woodstock. For more information, contact 1-877-424-1300.
