A weekly report prepared by the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). For more information, call the Elora Resource Centre at 519-846-0941. Office hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm.
For technical information, call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or visit www.ontario.ca/omafra
SoilSmart 2015
FarmSmart Agricultural Conference presents SoilSmart 2015 on Jan. 23 at RIM Park, Manulife Financial Sportsplex, Forbes Hall, 2001 University Ave., E., Waterloo.
A full day in-depth focus on soil health to support viable and responsible crop production now and in the future.
Speakers: Ray Archuleta, conservation agronomist, USDA-NRCS, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; Jeff Rasawehr, farmer, Brimingham, MI, USA; Bill Deen, professor of cropping Systems, University of Guelph; Earl Elgie and Ken Nixon, farmers.
Topics on the agenda include:
– Taking your farm to the next level with better soil health;
– Building better soil health;
– Putting soil health principles into practice;
– Rotational diversity and resilience;
– My approach to soil health on the farm; and
– Finding solutions not excuses.
Cost: OSCIA members: $75; non-members (includes one-year membership): $110.
Registration closes on Jan. 21. Pre-registration only, no walk-ins.
For more information or to registrater visit www.farmsmartconference.com or call 1-877-1300.
FarmSmart 2015
Now in its 16th year, the main FarmSmart conference will return to Rozanski Hall at the University of Guelph on Jan. 24.
Keynote speakers: Don Schiefelbein and Paul Uys.
Schiefelbein is from Schiefelbein Angus Farms in Kimball, Minnesota. Schiefelbein along with his father and eight brothers, farms 4,500 acres of pasture and crops and manages 800 Angus cows and a 25,000 head feedlot.
Their ‘cowman’s philosophy’ is simple: the cows either work for them or they work for McDonalds.
“We do not tolerate open cows, cows with an attitude, cows that don’t raise a calf every year or cows that don’t wean a high percentage of their weight … it’s as simple as that.”
Uys is a retail sector expert. He will provide a retailer’s view of the role of consumers in agriculture.
Loblaw Companies Ltd. recruited Paul in 1987, where he became vice president of innovation, fostering several highly successful branding initiatives. Retiring after 25 years at Loblaws, Uys accepted a two-year term as senior director external with the Food Institute at the University of Guelph.
Uys states that the phrase ‘from farm to fork’ should be changed to ‘from fork to farm’, recognizing that issues like diminishing biodiversity, water security and the ability to harvest natural capital are now driving consumer trends.
Topics on the agenda:
– Wheat’s where it’s at in the UK;
– Cereal chaos;
– Top corn tips for 2015;
– The Brazilian agricultural system;
– 2015 marketing outlook;
– Striving for higher soybean profitability;
– Climate change implications – is your farm ready?;
– Soil health: a farmer’s story of results in a no-till environment;
– Overbury farms, past, present and the future;
– Are cover crops a practical means of suppressing weeds?;
– The Penn State interseeder project for in-crop establishment of cover crops;
– The role of the co-op in Brazilian agriculture;
– Marketing strategies for the 2015 crop year;
– Glyphosate resistant weeds in Ontario – distribution and control;
– This wasn’t supposed to happen! The five keys to managing sudden change;
– Keeping fertilizer on the field reduces phosphorus losses to our great lakes;
– Dipping from the new well;
– Tillage outside of the box;
– Cow herd expansion in the north;
– How to be profitable without being a low cost producer;
– A practical approach to animal welfare on beef farms;
– Grazing alfalfa – advantages, opportunities and caution;
– Why a young person would invest in the cattle industry;
– An ounce of prevention;
– Transforming organic “waste” into nutrient-rich fertilizer – the Lystek story;
– Integrated pest management for field crops;
– Making your small farm pay;
– Managing machinery costs at $4 corn;
– Alternatives to seven-cent wheat straw bedding?;
– New manure application technologies;
– Ontario trends in dairy robots and TMR fine-tuning;
– What’s holding Ontario shepherd’s back?;
– Sustainable pasture management;
– Crops and feedstuffs outlook;
– Starting the farm transition process;
– Farm viability, business planning and transfer;
– Building better soils for increased productivity and resilience;
– The crop view from 400 feet – looking for insight;
– Understanding generational differences when managing your employees;
– Practical farm sustainability through innovation;
– If you want something done – ask a busy woman;
– Developing your brand;
– So I opened a country hardware store …;
– Green energy on the farm – what’s new;
– Who defines sustainability?;
– Succeeding with different types of people on your team;
– Ag biomass: capitalizing on new cropping opportunities;
– Working smarter in our “crazy get’er done now world”;
– There’s an app for that! Max out your mobile technology;
– Is your farm glass half full, cracked or cloudy?; and
– Redesigning your space.
For more updates, program details and registration visit: www.farmsmartconference.com or call: 1-877-424-1300.
