Nipissing District Dairy Farmer, James Parsons, named 2009 Ontario Forage Master.

Read more at: http://www.ontariosoilcrop.org/docs/20091117141305170.pdf

Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship Program (COFSP) Year Two (2010-2011)

Project Proposal Applications should be available January 15, 2010. For more information, visit: http://www.ontariosoilcrop.org/docs/cofsp_year_two.pdf

Or call Claire Venne, your local Program Representative at 705-594-9194

Growing Forward Business Development for Farm Businesses Cost- Share Opportunities for Training

The Agricultural Skills Development (ASD) component provides cost-share funding to producers for farm related courses and training opportunities (for tuition, textbooks and travel).* OMAFRA maintains a listing of courses, conferences and training events that are eligible under ASD (and a number of OMAFRA events are already on the list). The list of eligible courses can be found on the OMAFRA website at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/gfwdasdeligiblelist.htm.

It is easy to apply to have a training opportunity considered for this list. If you or someone you know has a training opportunity that you think may be eligible, please review or forward the attached email with further information and/or follow the link to the online application form to have the training assessed for eligibility at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/gfwdasdapplforinclusion.htm

*Note: To be eligible - the training must meet specific criteria including having the potential to enhance the viability of the farm operation. Eligible producers must attend a Growing Your Farm Profits Workshop and develop an Action Plan before they can access cost share funding.

Grain Farmers of Ontario is Newest Marketing Board

Ontario's 28,000 corn, soybean and wheat producers officially have one marketing board as of New Year's Day, 2010. Effective January 1st Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) replaces the Ontario Corn Producers' Association, Ontario Soybean Growers and Ontario Wheat Producers' Marketing Board. The announcement caps months of work following a vote among producers that showed the strategy had the necessary support to move forward. An interim board of directors will be appointed by the province to oversee GFO's operations until an elected board takes office following regional elections. Those elections are scheduled to be completed by the end of January, 2010. The new board is empowered to collect license fees from growers in order to work collectively on their behalf in marketing-related activities. The board is financially self-supporting and will be governed by an elected, 15-member board of directors. Here is the GFO website: http://www.grainfarmersontario.ca/

FarmOn Survey

As a mean to better serve new and transitioning farmers of the province FarmON developed a survey. Its purpose is to identify needs for agricultural training and educational resources in Ontario. Results will be summarized on the FarmLINK Ontario website (www.farmlinkontario.ca), and available on request from FarmStart (www.farmstart.ca)

Thank you for taking approximately 10 minutes to assist with this effort.

English survey: www.tinyurl.com/farmertrainingsurvey

French survey: www.tinyurl.com/farmertrainingsurveyfr

More information can be forwarded to Dave Banbury at: farmon@eatlocalsudbury.com

 

Business Development for Farm Businesses: A customized program just for you

What makes a program successful? In the context of the Business Development for Farm Businesses program, it's one that helps each producer meet his individual farm business goals. The recently launched Business Development for Farm Businesses program incorporates self-assessment and action plan development with a range of cost-share advisory services and skills development opportunities.

Growing Your Farm Profits workshops are the entry point to the Business Development for Farm Business program. Set in a relaxed atmosphere where personal and financial details are not required to be shared, the workshop teaches you how to do a self-assessment of your business. Identifying your business strengths and planning needs will allow you to take the next steps: developing an Action Plan and receiving sign-off from your GYFP workshop leader. Each farm business is unique and once you set your goals in your Action Plan and receive sign-off, you can decide what cost-share opportunity is right for you. For more details on the cost-share opportunities visit: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/about/growingforward/busdev.htm .

If you are interested in a Growing Your Farm Profits workshop, please contact Claire Venne at 705-594-9194 or temiskaming@ontariosoilcrop.org. Workshops will be scheduled based on demand.

Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

Mentoring: Step Up Program - Make a difference in a young farmer's life

STEP UP is an on-farm paid work placement that matches experienced farm managers with young people just starting their farming careers. Mentoring is a great way to help the next generation of farmers. Benefit from the enthusiasm and curiosity of a young person eager to learn, while helping them to develop skills in making strategic management decisions. For more information visit:

http://www.farmcentre.com/Features/TheNewFarmer/Resources/StepUp/Default.aspx

Agriwebinar – Canadian Farm Business Management Council

http://www.agriwebinar.com/

Ontario Forage Crop Variety Performance 2010

The PDF version of the Brochure can be viewed and downloaded at www.goforages.ca

 

2010 Performance Trials for Spring Cereal Crops

http://www.gocereals.ca/Spring_Cereal_Infosheet_2010.pdf

 

Fruit Trees Winter Hardiness Starts Long Before The Snow Flies

Christoph Kessel, Horticulture Crop Nutrition- OMAFRA.

For fruit trees, winter hardiness is the ability to avoid cold injury in fall, winter and early spring. A tree develops its winter hardiness gradually during the shorter days and cooler temperatures of late summer and fall. Cold temperature damage can occur in late fall or early winter when hardening off is delayed. A fruit tree's winter hardiness is built on many interconnected factors: its nutrition, orchard management, cultivar, rootstock and weather.

1. Maintain adequate supplies of essential crop nutrients.

• Carbohydrates are a key component in winter hardiness. While not directly a nutrient, they are produced by photosynthesis using sunlight, carbon dioxide and water. This takes place in the leaf. Maintaining a healthy leaf canopy is crucial to producing adequate carbohydrates. Any cog missing or compromised in the photosynthetic wheel reduces carbohydrate production, affecting winter hardiness. These include insect, mite or disease damaged leaves, or nutrient deficient leaves. Nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and boron have a direct or indirect role in photosynthesis and physiological processes. A deficiency in one of these nutrients can affect carbohydrate production and translocation, in turn reducing winter hardiness.
• Manage and monitor the orchard's nutrient status by regularly using leaf and soil analysis. Keep a record of the analyses to track trends and use them to assist you in making future fertilizer management decisions.
• If the leaf and soil analyses report nutrients within the sufficiency range, adequate for plant growth, supplying more will not improve winter hardiness. The greatest gains are made by adding the required deficient nutrients.

2. Adjust nitrogen fertilizers according to orchard management practices.

• Not enough or excessive nitrogen can affect winter hardiness. Nitrogen deficient trees will stop growing sooner and harden off earlier than adequately supplied trees. But, they are also more susceptible to the mid-winter cold damage. Trees grown with excessive nitrogen harden off late in the fall. This makes them vulnerable to cold injury. While there is little that can be done at this time of the year, plan to adjust next year's nitrogen applications to accommodate orchard management practices. Fertilizer nitrogen rates should be reduced to account for nitrogen from organic soil amendments applied to the orchard or if the orchard is heavily pruned in the spring.

 

FarmLINK's MatchMaker

This tool brings together new farmers who are looking for land or mentorship with farm owners who have land available or expertise to share.

Visit: http://www.farmlinkontario.ca/

 

FarmStart: Exploring Your New Farm Dream

The FarmStart mission is to facilitate, support and encourage a new generation of farmers to develop economically viable, locally based, and ecological agricultural enterprises. For more information and to apply visit: http://www.farmstart.ca/exploring-the-new-farm-dream

If you have questions contact Gayl at gayl@farmstart.ca or (519) 836-7046 x105

 

Proposed Growth Plan for Northern Ontario

On October 23, 2009, the Government of Ontario released a Proposed Growth Plan for Northern Ontario and is seeking your feedback. Select the link and you will find all supporting documents. Feedback is accepted until February 1, 2010.

 

2009 Canola Seasonal Summary

Data and Seasonal Summary report for canola can be found at: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/reports/2009summary-canola.htm

 

Annual General Meeting 2009

Location: Inn on the Bay
North Bay, ON
November 12th & 13th, 2009

Speakers

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