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
PROVINCIAL PREMISES REGISTRY LAUNCHED
Effective April 1st, 2012 Premises Identification Numbers can be obtained from the Provincial Premises Registry (PPR), now operated by approved service provider Angus GeoSolutions Inc. (AGSI). The PPR is a Ministry initiative and the only official provincial registry for obtaining Ontario Premises Identification Numbers for agri-food businesses. Premises Identification Numbers issued before April 1st, remain valid; the information is already in the PPR.
Obtaining Premises Identification Numbers for agri-food businesses is an important step towards traceability in Ontario. Registering for a premises ID is easy and free – Contact Angus GeoSolutions Inc. to register: phone 1-855-697-7743 (MY PPR ID) or online at: www.ontarioppr.ca.
BE PROACTIVE WITH YOUR RECORD KEEPING SYSTEM
by Don Blakely, OMAFRA
If you are participating in a food safety program you know one of the major components of your program is keeping specific records to support the safe production practices on your farm. If you have experienced preparing for a yearly audit, you also know the time it takes to gather the records in order to have them ready for auditor review. During the hectic production season, records often get collected on pieces of paper or forms which can be misplaced and take hours to locate. Now is the time, before the growing season gets started, to get organized. Gather all the blank record templates that will be required for the season, put them in one binder or folder and store it in a location that will act as a reminder to complete the data when the practice occurs. Being organized during the growing season will save you valuable hours at the end of the season.
For additional information about food safety on your farm, visit the website at www.ontario.ca/goodagpractices or call 1-877-424-1300. Food Safety Question? Ask us.
GROWING YOUR FARM PROFITS
by John C. Benham
The next two day Growing Your Farm Profits workshop will be held in the Elora OMAFRA meeting room on Tuesday, June 5th and Tuesday, June 19th from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There will also be a two day Growing Your Farm Profits workshop held in Baden on Monday, June 11th and Monday June 18th from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For both workshops, you may register online at www.ontariosoilcrop.org/workshops/ or call Liz at 519-638-3268. Lunch and refreshments are provided. There are no costs to you.
By attending the workshop and completing a workbook similar to the Environmental Farm Plan you are then eligible to access the cost share funding.
Improve your farm business planning process by attending either of these free two day interactive workshops. You will have the opportunity to assess and improve your farm business management, set up your priorities and goals, develop an action plan suited to your farm business and qualify for the generous cost share funding that will assist you in paying for advice and help from knowledgeable sources.
You know that you are responsible for your business and here is an opportunity to learn to make improvements so that your farm business will be more successful. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
PROGRESSIVE DAIRY OPERATORS YOUTH BUSINESS WORKSHOP
Progressive Dairy Operators and Grand Valley Fortifiers are pleased to announce the successful completion of our 2nd Annual Business Management Workshop Series. This year 14 enthusiastic participants took part over the 6 weeks, with presentations by informative industry speakers plus each day’s subject was enhanced by real life examples of an established dairy producer.
Topics covered included: Debt Management & Capital Utilization, Business Management & Benchmarking, Business Structures & Succession Planning, Human Resources and the Art of Negotiation.
On the final day each participant was required to prepare a Project Presentation, which was judged by their peers, on a subject learned in one of the workshops as applies to their enterprises. All of the presentations were fantastic.
1st Prize – 1 Year enrolment in Profit Profiler plus a Blackberry 64G Playbook
• Stefan Weber, Scenic Holsteins Ltd “Comparison of Custom Manure Spreading vs. Doing it Yourself”
2nd Prize –1 Year enrolment in Profit Profiler
• William Judge, Judge Farms “Benchmarking your Way to Success”
3rd Prize – $495 towards 1 year enrolment in Profit Profiler
• Stefan Pelkmans, Nassau-Lee Farms – “Penciling out a Daritech Master Bedding Purchase”
This project is funded in part through the Agricultural Management Institute (AMI). The AMI is part of the Best Practices Suite of programs for Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
COMING EVENTS
May 1- Wellington Federation of Agriculture, monthly board meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the OMAFRA boardroom, 6484 Wellington Rd. 7, Elora. For information, contact Lisa Hern at 519-848-3774 or email: jplh@golden.net.
May 2 – National Farmers Union Waterloo-Wellington Local, monthly board meeting at 7:15 p.m. at the Husky Farm Equipment, Alma. (They meet every first Wednesday of the month).
May 26- Wellington Rural Romp – a day in the countryside at over a dozen farms in Wellington County with gardening and baby farm animals on display. Visit: www.guelphwellintonlocalfood.ca.
May 29 – Wellington County Farm Safety regular meeting at Husky Farm Equipment, Alma at 8:00 p.m. sharp. For more information, call Walter Grose at 519-846-5329.
