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.
Farmers can learn the pros and cons of windbreaks
A workshop on windbreaks entitled Windbreaks: Are the Rumours True? – will be held on Aug. 27 in Elora.
The workshop will be held from 6pm to 8:30pm at Eastep Farms, 6807 Wellington Rd 7, Elora. The purpose of the workshop is to address questions about the costs and benefits of windbreaks:
– Is it true that windbreaks increase crop yields?
– Will trees clog field drainage tiles?
– Do windbreaks require a lot of up-keep?
Farmers with more than 20 years of experience managing windbreaks will be on hand to answer questions and talk about their experiences. The hosts for the event, the Eastep family, have been widely recognized for their environmental stewardship over the years.
The workshop includes a dinner of pulled-pork sandwiches, followed by a short presentation from a forestry specialist and a field tour.
There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. To register contact Mark Funk, forestry specialist with the Grand River Conservation Authority at mfunk@grandriver.ca or 519-621-2763, ext. 2259.
Funding for the workshop has been provided by Trees for Mapleton, Trees for Woolwich, Trees for Minto and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Group sow housing workshop
It’s a one-day workshop on Sept. 2 or 3 at the Festival Inn in Stratford from 8:45am to 4pm.
Workshop objective: to build producer awareness and knowledge of the requirements and options for group sow housing. These will be based on the new Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs released in March 2014.
Workshop highlights:
– Three producers describe their experiences transitioning to group sow housing systems. Learn about their challenges and successes and gain practical advice that can be applied on your farm;
– What are the advantages and disadvantages of sow housing systems? Dr. Jennifer Brown and Dr. Yolande Seddon, Prairie Swine Centre Group Sow Housing researchers will discuss the merits of each system;
– Dr. Kees de Lange, University of Guelph, will explain how your feeding systems need to change for a successful transition to feeding sows in group housing.
This workshop is intended for producers looking at group sow housing now or in the future. It will provide practical information on group sow management, sow feeding systems and answer questions about renovations and new design.
Workshop fee (including HST): industry, $50; producer, $40. Additional people from the same farm operation, $25. (Please note: one receipt will be issued). Breaks, lunch and workshop manual included in fee.
Pre-registration is required by Aug. 26. Space is limited to 50 participants per day.
For more information or to pre-register contact: Sandra McCann at 519-482-3333 or sandra.mccann@ontario.ca.
Coming events
Aug. 15 – Canadian National Exhibition. 416-263-3835 or www.theex.com.
Aug. 21 and 22 – West Central Junior Dairy Show (for those aged 9 to 13) at the Grand River Raceway, Elora.
Aug. 22 to 24 – Palmerston Fall Fair. 519-343-3427 or www.palmerstonfair.com.
Aug. 23 – 4-H Dairy Show, 12:30pm at the Grand River Raceway, Elora.
Aug. 23 – Truck and Tractor Pull, 5:30pm at the Grand River Raceway, Elora. 519-501-1387.
Aug. 24 – Raindate: Truck and Tractor Pull, 11am at the Grand River Raceway, Elora. 519-501-1387.
Aug. 30 – Mount Forest Fall Fair. 519-323-2272 or www.ontariofairs.org/fairs/.
