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 5pm. For technical information, call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or visit the OMAFRA Website: www.ontario.ca/omafra
DRY WEATHER FARMING
Farmers experiencing dry weather challenges can find information on feed and production management options at OMAFRA. Visit ontario.ca/agweatherissues or contact the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877- 424-1300 or email: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca.
WINTER WHEAT TRIALS
The Preliminary trial data from the 2012 Winter Wheat harvest is available at: http://www.gocereals.ca/variety_trial.php
CORN SILAGE & OTHER INFORMATION
Using Corn Damaged By Dry Weather For Silage: http://fieldcropNews.com/2012/07/drought-damaged-corn-silage/
Potential Nitrate Poisoning and Silo Gas When Using Corn Damaged By Dry Weather For Silage, Green Chop Or Grazing: http://fieldcropNews.com/?p=4976
Harvesting Corn Silage At the Right Moisture: http://fieldcropNews.com/2012/08/harvesting-corn-silage-at-the-right-moisture/
Pricing Corn Silage In 2012: http://fieldcropNews.com/?p=4813
Summer Seeding Oats For Extra Forage: http://fieldcropNews.com/2012/07/summer-seeding-oats-for-extra-forage/
Summer Seeding Forages: http://fieldcropNews.com/2012/05/summer-seeding-forages/
BUYING OR SELLING HAY?
Ontario Hay Listing Service is a Free Hay Listing Service for people looking to buy and sell hay and straw. For more information, call 1-877-892-8663 or check the website: www.ontariohaylistings.ca.
Live Hay and Straw Auctions are held bi-weekly at the Elmira Produce Auction (EPAC), just north of Elmira on Arthur Street. Sales start at 10am on alternating Wednesdays, with upcoming dates including: Sept. 5 and Sept. 19. Contact Clarence Knorr, 519-699-4913 or the Auction office during sale days: 519-669-3884.
GRASSLAND HABITAT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Ontario on-farm grassland habitat projects funding opportunities available for farmers to implement best management practices
Funding for on-farm projects to protect grassland habitats is now available to Ontario farmers through an innovative new government program for the 2012 and 2013 cropping years.
The Grassland Habitat Farm Incentive Program (GHFIP) provides cost-share funding through a competitive bid process for farmers to implement best management practices that will help provide and protect grassland habitats. Many grassland wildlife species in Ontario depend on hayfields, pastures, meadows and native prairies to nest and feed their young. GHFIP will be delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) with funding provided by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources through the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund.
GHFIP will use a competitive online bid structure to deliver funding, replacing the first-come, first-served application process that is in place for many other cost-share programs. The bid package will include details about the farm and proposed project, accurate and specific project costs, the amount of funding requested by the farm business.
This approach offers more flexibility so that farmers can identify the amount of funding necessary to complete a project, instead of being limited to a prescribed cost-share formula.
This is the first time OSCIA has had a program application process that will be entirely online. The procedure is straightforward and streamlined to ease the process for interested farm businesses.
Pasture improvements, improved grazing systems, marginal land retirement and forage harvest management are some of the actions supported through the program. Specific practices of interest include removing invasive plant species to improve pasture quality, providing alternative livestock watering opportunities to enhance grazing, preventing the invasion of trees and shrubs into grassland areas through mowing, and reducing or eliminating hay cutting during grassland bird nesting season.
Only bid submissions with the highest cost/benefit ratio will be approved for funding.
For more information, call John Benham at 519-846-3394 or email: wellington@ontariosoilcrop.org.
COMING EVENTS
Aug*31- Sept. 3- Orangeville Agricultural Fair, Orangeville. For information, call 519-942-9597 (*part day).
Sept. 1 to 3 – Mount Forest Agricultural Fair, Mount Forest. For more information, call 519-323-4871.
Sept. 4 – Wellington Federation of Agriculture, monthly board meeting, at OMAFRA boardroom, Elora at 7:30 p.m. For information, contact Lisa Hern at 519-848-3774 or email: jplh@golden.net.
Sept. 6 – Grain Farmers of Ontario Annual General Meeting – Delta Hotel and Conference Centre, 50 Stone Road W, Guelph. Check the website – www.gfo.ca.
Sept. *6 to 9 – Arthur Fall Fair. For more information, check the website at: www.arthurfallfair.ca (*part day).
Sept. *7 to 8 – Aberfoyle Fair, Puslinch Community Centre. For information, call: 519-837-9288 or check the website: www.aberfoyleagriculturalsociety.com (part day).
Sept. 8 to 9 – 6th Annual Stratford Garlic Festival. Check events at: http://www.stratfordgarlicfestival.com/.
Sept. 11to 13 – Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Canada’s Outdoor Park, Woodstock. Watch for details on this show at: www.outdoorfarmshow.com/.
