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: 8:30 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
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
The staff at the Elora Resource Centre, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs would like to wish you and your family a Happy Holiday and Best Wishes for the New Year!
PRODUCE TRACEABILITY INITIATIVE IMPLEMENTATION BY 2012
by Don Blakely, OMAFRA
Steps are proceeding for implementation in 2012 of the Produce Traceability Initiative in the United States. Once fully in place every case of produce marketed will be electronically identified, enabling full supply chain traceability from farm of production through sale to consumers. As we have witnessed from past outbreaks of illness resulting from consuming contaminated produce, delays in trace back to the contaminated source have resulted in additional illness and, in some cases, deaths before an outbreak is contained. This initiative will enable immediate trace back to contaminated source and recall of identified produce. When the initiative started in 2007, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association became one of the partners forming the initiative. Although the initiative is presently not mandatory for produce marketed in Canada; it will be a requirement for any Canadian producer exporting produce into the American market. If you presently export produce to the US or plan to in the future you need to be aware of the requirements to enter the US market. Check out the Produce Traceability Initiative web site for the information required for export: http://www.producetraceability.org.
For training information and resources, please call 1-877-424-1300 or visit our website www.ontario.ca/good-ag-practices. Food safety questions? Ask us!
GROWING YOUR FARM PROFITS
by John C. Benham
It is amazing to me that so many farmers are not thinking of their farm operation as a business. Businesses carry out several activities to assure that they are on tract to meet their goals. What are your goals?
Most businesses use a financial advisor to make recommendations to improve their financial position.
Plan to attend the next Growing Your Farm Profits workshop that is scheduled for Thursday, January 12th to be completed Thursday, January 19th in the Elora OMAFRA meeting room 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. No costs to you. At the workshop you will learn that the program provides cost share funding for you to hire a professional farm financial advisor to complete a financial assessment. The assessment may focus on cost of production or financial projections for at least one year. Under this part of the program – $2,400 is available to cover eligible costs.
The Farm Financial Advisor will review your past financial performance, analyze your present financial position and assess your business’s profitability, solvency and repayment capacity. The advisor then can make recommendations to help you meet your financial goals.
For more information and to sign up call John at 519-846-3394 or email: wellington@ontariosoilcrop.org. If you wish you may sign up electronically by going online at www.ontariosoilcrop.org/workshops/.
MAINTAINING FARM BUILDINGS TO PREVENT PEST ENTRY
by Wayne Du, OMAFRA
As the harvest season is winding down it is time for producers to think about farm building maintenance before the winter arrives. Proper farm building maintenance is a key to a successful pest control program, which plays an important role for food safety. Pests that inhabit farm buildings can cause contamination of food products. Here are two simple steps for getting the job done.
Conduct a building and pest assessment by checking for:
• cracks or openings around the foundations, walls, door frames and under doors
• missing or broken screens for vents, eaves and windows
• broken roof, wall and siding
• signs of pests, including droppings, nesting and feeding opportunities, burrows, gnaw marks, sounds and odours inside and around buildings
• any other potential routes of entry by pests
Make repairs to prevent entry by:
• sealing cracks or openings around the foundations, walls, door frames and under doors
• repairing broken windows, walls, siding and roof
• installing screens for vents, eaves and windows
Making repairs as you go is the easiest way to keep up to date on building maintenance. As the harvest season comes to an end, schedule in some time to do your repairs.
COMING EVENTS: 2012:
Jan. 3.-Wellington Federation of Agriculture, monthly Board meeting at OMAFRA Boardroom, 6484 Cty. Rd #7, Elora. For information contact Lisa Hern at 519-848-3774 or email: jplh@golden.net.
Jan. 3.-GFO-District#10 Meeting (Grey, Bruce, Wellington) of the Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) at the Clifford Community Hall, 2 William Street, Clifford, starting at 9:30 a.m. For information call GFO at 1-800-265-0550, or Director, Henry Van Ankum at 519-638-3668.
Jan. 4 & 5. 19th Annual Southwest Agricultural Conference, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus. Watch for details at: http://www.southwestagconference.ca/.
