A weekly press release prepared by the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. If you require further information, regarding this press release, please call the Elora Resource Centre at 519-846-0941. Office hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For technical information, call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or visit the OMAFRA Website: www.omafra.gov.on.ca
GROWING YOUR FARM PROFITS – by John C. Benham
The next GYFP workshop is planned for Friday, June 17th to be completed on Friday, June 24th in the Elora OMAFRA meeting room. Lunch and refreshments supplied. No costs. Lots of good information! Good comments keep coming in about these workshops. Assessing your farm needs in marketing, production and improving record keeping as well as succession planning and evaluating your farm business structure are all discussed. Cost share money is available to help you achieve your farm business goals. Don’t miss out on this opportunity. If these dates don’t work for you, the next workshop will be held Friday, September 9th and Friday September 16th at 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in OMAFRA meeting room in Elora. For more information and to sign up, call 519-846-3394.
ENVIRONMENTAL FARM PLAN – by John C. Benham
The next EFP workshop is planned to be held on Wednesday, May 11th and Wednesday, May 18th at 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The location for this workshop is the OMAFRA meeting room in Elora. Lunch and refreshments are provided at no cost. Keep in mind a completed Third Edition EFP is required to qualify for the financial incentives. Since all the EFP incentives for 2011 have been assigned, the next opportunity to make an application will be Thursday, September 15, 2011. Also keep in mind to qualify for the Wellington Rural Water Quality Program, a completed Third Edition EFP is required. So don’t miss out on this opportunity. If you have questions or wish to sign up, please call 519-846-3394.
FACTSHEETS and PUBLICATIONS
The following FREE publications are now available:
Supplement, Fruit Production Recommendations 2010-2011, Publication 360SE; this supplement is an update to OMAFRA Publication 360, published in March 2010.
Supplement, Vegetable Production Recommendations 2010-2011, Publication 363SE; this supplement is an update to OMAFRA Publication 363, published in February 2010.
Organic Dairy Production, order #10-087; New.
Feeding Cattle Beyond Optimum Market Weight and Finish, order #10-095; New.
Pesticide Contamination of Farm Water Supplies, Recommendations on Avoidance, Clean-up and Responsibilities, order #10-097; replaces factsheet 00-099.
Anatomy, Physiology and Reproduction in the Mare, order #10-099; replaces factsheet 88-060.
Pesticide Drift from Ground Applications, order #11-011; replaces factsheet 88-118.
Anatomy, Physiology and Reproduction in the Stallion, order #11-003; replaces 88-061.
Nutrient Management Act, 2002, Managing Outdoor Confinement Areas and Livestock Yards, order #11-007; replaces 04-093.
Direct Farm Marketing in Ontario – A Primer, order #11-011; New.
Paying Wages to Farm Family Members, order #11-015; replaces 07-003.
Reducing the Risk of Fire on Your Farm, Publication 837 [order number 0837E]; this 52-page, full-colour publication examines the major causes of farm building fires and what can be done to reduce the associated risks; New (no charge).
To order OMAFRA publications and factsheets:
• Visit any OMAFRA Resource Centre/Service Ontario location.
• Visit the Service Ontario website at: www.serviceontario.ca/publications or call 1-800-668-9938.
• Visit the OMAFRA website at: www.ontario.ca/omafra or contact the Agricultural Information Contact Centre by calling: 1-877-424-1300.
COMING EVENTS:
May 3 – Wellington Federation of Agriculture monthly board meeting, at OMAFRA Boardroom, 6484 Cty. Rd. #7, Elora. For information contact secretary, Lisa Hern at 519-848-3774, or email: jplh@golden.net.
May 5 – Waterloo Federation of Agriculture monthly board meeting, at the St. Agatha Community Center. For information contact secretary, Richard Cressman at 519-662-2790 or email: rcresman@sentex.net.
May 12 – Growing the Food Continuum Conference – For those involved or interested in agriculture, food processing, food retail or hospitality! At the Delta Guelph Hotel & Conference Centre. Listen to experts, share knowledge and discuss how to meet some of the cross-industry challenges facing the food industry. Topics will include future workforce growth, changing employment and how innovation will impact the workforce of tomorrow. Contact the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo, Wellington & Dufferin at 519-622-7122, or visit: www.workforceplanningboard.com.
May 13 – Grower Pesticide Safety Course, Elora. Course starts at 8:45 a.m. and Separate Exam at 2:30 p.m. To register, call Ontario Pesticide Education Program at 1-800-652-8573.
May 18 – Special Wholesale Flower Sale, Elmira Produce Auction Co-op (EPAC). For information, contact Auction Manager, Noah Gingrich at 519-638-3602.
June 21-22 – 38th Annual Ontario Pork Congress. Place – Stratford Agricultural and Recreational Complex. Website – http://www.porkcongress.on.ca/
