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 and MRA Website: www.ontario.ca/omafra
AALP CLASS 15 APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JUNE 30
Prospective participants have another few weeks to apply to Class 15 of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP). Those interested must submit an application to the Rural Ontario Institute office by June 30 to be considered for this 19-month executive leadership program. All application forms are available at: www.aalp.on.ca under “class application.”
A recent assessment of the AALP program resulted in program updates to ensure the program remains relevant to the agriculture and agri-food sector and rural communities across Ontario. It also resulted in recruitment for AALP Class 15 starting later than in previous years while the finishing touches were put on the revamped program. Class 15 begins in September 2013 and will include eight ‘in person’ seminars, seven webinars, a seven-day North American tour and a 10-12 day international study tour. The program wraps up in March 2015. For more information, visit: www.aalp.on.ca or call 519-826-4204.
There are more than 400 graduates of the AALP program currently making a difference in the agricultural and agri-food sectors and rural communities in Ontario and beyond.
The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2010 through the amalgamation of The Centre for Rural Leadership (TCRL) and The Ontario Rural Council (TORC). Governed by a 12-member volunteer board, ROI has a mandate to provide stronger support for key issues facing rural Ontario. The Institute delivers leadership training (including the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program), a mechanism to engage rural and multi-sector stakeholders for the purposes of informing and influencing rural policy development, and third-party program delivery.
PREVENTING SPRAY DRIFT
by Janice LeBoeuf, Vegetable crop specialist,
OMAF and MRA, Ridgetown
This is one to share with the neighbours. Every spring, we see way too much spray drift onto vegetable crops (and other crops, but that’s for another Newsletter). Not only can this reduce yields by killing or injuring the crop, but there are many other serious consequences to the victim of spray drift such as:
– reduced crop marketability due to pesticide residue;
– reduced crop marketability due to effects of herbicide injury (appearance, size);
– inability to meet contract commitments for volume of crop ;
– delay in crop maturity resulting in inability to meet contract commitments to buyer;
– delay in crop maturity resulting in loss of premium (early) markets;
– loss of customers or markets due to gaps in supply of the crop;
– long term injury to perennial crop or windbreaks;
– rifts between neighbours, family and friends; and
– large legal bills.
Neighbours or custom operators working in adjacent fields may not realize how sensitive the horticultural crops are or the potentially devastating consequences of drift injury that go well beyond the yield loss. Spray drift can be prevented, but all spray applicators need to educate themselves. Several resources including videos, online tools, written material and public shaming are listed below.
CropLife Canada and OMAF and MRA have produced two short videos: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/resource/spraydrift.htm (five minutes each) that are well worth watching and sharing. Bayer CropScience, PRIDE Seeds, and Weather INnovations Incorporated have launched weather-central.ca http://weathercentral.ca/, which features a site-specific 3-day hourly forecast of spraying conditions. It‘s extremely easy to use and I would suggest printing off the forecast for your records for each day you are spraying. Maybe you can email it to the neighbours and area custom operators every morning, too?
OMAF and MRA also have a factsheet called “Pesticide Drift from Ground Applications” http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/11-001.htm. Not only does it give details and data on how to reduce drift, but it also provides guidance on what to do if you suspect drift damage. It includes a section on legislation and liability, but if you want to know more about that from an insurance company perspective, view the Tomato Day presentation from Western General Insurance: http://www.opvg.org/tomato-day.aspx on the website of the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers: http://www.opvg.org/tomato-day.aspx.
If you think none of this will get through to the person running the sprayer beside your vegetable field, try this article that Helmut Spieser, OMAF and MRA Engineer wrote a couple of years ago: “Ontario’s Worst Sprayer Operator” – http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/News/croppest/2010/08cpo10a1.htm. The nomination form might get their attention.
COMING EVENTS
June 4 – Wellington Federation of Agriculture, monthly board meeting at OMAF and MRA, Elora at 7:30pm. For information, contact Lisa Hern at 519-848-3774 or email: jplh@golden.net.
June 5 – Public lecture, bioeconomy seminar, 1:30 to 6pm, Cutten Fields, 190 College Ave. E., Guelph. The Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre is hosting this seminar which includes: Dr. John Williams (United Kingdom), “How Important is the Bioeconomy?;” Dr. Manfred Kircher (Germany), “Bioeconomy Value Chains – Commercial and Technical Options and Challenges;” and Dr. Robert Fireovid, “Status of U.S. Government Funded Research.” To register contact Rachel Campbell Murdy at rachelcm@uoguelph.ca. A networking session will be held from 5 to 6pm.
