A weekly report prepared by the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). If you require further information, regarding this report, 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 the OMAFRA website: www.ontario.ca/omafra.
AGRICULTURAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Given the expansion of urban development and disappearance of farmland across portions of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in recent decades, it is easy to lose sight of the economic importance of agriculture and the agri-food businesses in Ontario’s economy.
In 2012, the report Planscape, Food and Farming, An Action Plan 2021 (GTA Agricultural Action Committee) reported that the estimated annual economic impact of agriculture and food processing in the four regions of the GTA included: $35 billion total output, a $16 billion GDP contribution and $7 billion in labour income.
For the growing need, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s (UOIT) Management Development Centre (MDC) announced its new Agricultural Leadership Program. Registration is now open and classes will begin in January 2016.
“Our unique program has been proudly developed in collaboration with various economic development initiatives and agricultural partners,” said Stephen Rose, director of MDC and associate dean of Faculty of Business and Information Technology (FBIT), UOIT.
The Agricultural Leadership Certificate Program consists of five interactive workshops that provide a strong foundation in the areas of: communication, human resources, leadership style and management strategies, marketing and advocacy and change and implementation of strategies for an agricultural business.
Agricultural sector experts with extensive experience will serve as course facilitators and instructors. This program will run each year from January to March.
Registration is restricted to those who work within the agricultural sector.
For more information, please contact: Betty Khattab, program co-ordinator, UOIT, 905-721-8668 ext. 3290 or mdc@uoit.ca.
FARM VIABILITY COURSE
The focus of the course is on setting up chart of accounts, cost of production analysis, cash flow budgets and financial statements – all tools to help figure out what’s making money and what to change to improve the bottom line. Bring your numbers along and get help from our farmer facilitators or use our sample numbers.
Sessions include: Cost of Production Analysis, Cash Flow Budget, Financial Statements: Equity Statement (aka Balance Sheet), Profit Statement (aka Income Statement), and Key Ratios. Please contact margaret@farmstart.ca for more information.
