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.
REGIONAL POULTRY PRODUCER UPDATES
Once again OMAFRA in conjunction with the Poultry Industry Council are running producer updates for the poultry industry. Please join us for an exciting line up of speakers and lunch and great networking opportunities. Each update will include two keynote speakers, a health update, industry speakers as well as an OMAFRA update. Watch for local details in upcoming issues of Canadian Poultry Magazine.
This year’s updates are scheduled as follows:
– Nov. 28 in St. Catharines;
– Dec. 12, Brodhagen;
– Feb. 13, Mount Forest; and
– Feb. 27, London.
Pre-registration cost is $30/person; $35 at the door. Program agenda for each session, venue information and registration details are available at: www.poultryindustrycouncil.ca.
ON FARM FOOD SAFETY: YOUR BUSINESS ADVANTAGE
Clean-up of Storage and Product Processing Areas
A food safety program is important for maintaining a competitive advantage for agri-food businesses, and includes proper cleaning and maintenance of storage and product processing areas. Here are some points to remember:
– ensure storage and processing areas are clean and free of food sources to discourage pests;
– inspect and repair all walls to prevent points of entry by rodents, raccoons and birds;
– inspect building structures for any water leaks which lead to moisture accumulation and pathogen growth; and
– ensure lights are covered with shatter proof covering to prevent broken glass ending up in edible products.
Paying attention to your storage and product processing areas will help reduce food safety risks.
Food safety practices keep agri-food businesses competitive, productive and sustainable. For more information, visit the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs website at: www.ontario.ca/goodagpractices or call us at 1-877-424-1300.
COMMON BUCKTHORN
by John C. Benham
The frosts have taken care of most of the noxious weeds except one – Buckthorn. As you drive the roads and check the fence bottoms you will notice plants still with dark green leaves and some with black berries. These are buckthorns. Those with the berries are the female plants and those with no berries are the male plants.
In recent years this plant has greatly increased in numbers and can become a serious threat to hardwood forests. Since it is a prolific seed producer and is relished by birds that distribute the seeds, the buckthorn will grow in thick stands that shade out new seedlings in the bush. This is a threat to the future of the bush, if there is no new regeneration. For identification, besides the dark green leaves with three to four pairs of veins that curve upward toward the leaf tip, the inner bark is yellow. Also the twigs have a sharp spine instead of a terminal bud.
These plants are on the Noxious Weed List and so must be controlled. Mechanical removal of small plants can be effective, if the complete root is removed. Herbicide sprays can be effective. Painting cut stumps with a strong solution of herbicide has proven to be effective.
For more information, call John at 519-846-3394.
COMING EVENTS:
Nov. 18 to 19 – The Ontario Young Farmers Forum – “The Language of Agriculture”. Place – Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, Toronto Airport. Contact Name – Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario at 519-780-JFAO (5326), Email – info@oyff.ca, Website – www.oyff.ca.
Nov. 27 – OMAFRA’s “Good Agriculture Practices” Webinar Series: Using Food Safety to Market Your Products, 12:00 noon. Make your food safety practices work for you in the marketplace. Understand how keeping your customers informed about the food safety efforts you have made can benefit your business. Webinar details and registration online at: www.omafra.gov.on.ca.
Nov. 27 to 28 – OMAFRA Sheep Infrastructure Workshop – This two-day course is targeted toward people in the planning cycle for building large, commercial-scale infrastructure as part of an expansion plan in their sheep enterprise. Participants will be sent home with some good ideas and the need to examine more options before committing themselves on any capital project. The Workshop includes stops at several commercial-sized operations that are using some of the concepts covered, which will allow participants make informed decisions on expansion. For more information, click: www.omafra.gov.on.ca.
Nov. 28 – Ontario Forage Focus 2012, Shakespeare. Cost: $40; includes conference proceedings and a hot roast beef lunch. Registration deadline: November 23rd. Details available online at: www.ontarioforagecouncil.com.
Dec. 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.
Dec. 5 – Building the Foundation-Dairy and Veal Healthy Calf Conference, Stratford Rotary Complex, Stratford, Ontario. Check the website for information: http://calfcare.ca.
