PROGRAMS and SERVICES Learn about Community Economic Development Strategic Planning Pilot: Train-the-Trainer project is looking for participants 2015 Rural Summer Jobs Service - Application deadline extended Creating New Agri-food Trade Opportunities in China BUILDing Leadership in Ontario Growing Forward 2: What's New! OMAFRA launches the Ontario Agricultural Planning Tools Suite (AgriSuite) an updated version of NMAN The Accessibility Conference TECHNICAL UPDATES Establishing a New Pasture Consider Seeding Red Clover In Spring Wheat RESOURCES
OMAFRA Economic Development Programs and Services Find OMAFRA Specialists on Twitter Lists New FactSheets and Publications Links to Electronic Bulletins and Newsletters Phone Lines and Websites Dateline: Calendar of EventsDateline Calendar of Events OMAFRA AdvisorsOMAFRA Advisors Next Issue: May 20, 2015 PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Les programmes, les services et les ressources du ministère de l'Agriculture et de l'Alimentation de l'Ontario et du ministère des Affaires rurales sont également disponsibles en anglais.
The programs, services and resources of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs are also available in French.
ced101Learn about Community Economic Development (CED 101) Have you heard the term Community Economic Development but you're not sure exactly what it means? Its not a simply the application of a "do this and you'll get that" strategy but rather a process that a community can undertake to identify and use specific resources to attract capital and increase physical, commercial, and business development and job opportunities for its residents. CED involves a broad spectrum of activities that are designed to engage business owners, consumers, local residents and policy makers to develop strategies and activities to foster economic growth.
"I thought your presentation was extremely thorough for the allotted time". EDO Township of Whitewater Region
OMAFRA's Regional Economic Development Branch is offering a series of CED 101 seminars across the province this spring to bolster understanding of the principles of economic development at the community level. Municipal staff, councillors and those involved in business development related boards and committees are invited to participate in a free interactive one-day workshop. Participants will learn how to help their local municipality develop & implement an economic development strategy.
"Just a short note to thank you for putting on the seminar this past Friday, I found it to be clear and concise." Chair Pembroke BIA, Economic Development Committee City of Pembroke, Planning Review Board City of Pembroke
During the workshop we will: Provide a model of how to understand basic economic activity in your community Increase your understanding of the potential scope of economic development activity Provide you with some practical tools to assist in your economic development efforts Dates and Details for CED101
Region Date Time Location Grey, Bruce April 23 9-12 Meaford Hall, 12 Nelson Street East, Meaford N4L 1N6 Muskoka, Simcoe April 27 9-12 Simcoe County Museum, 1151 Highway 26, Minesing, L0L 1Y2 C-K, Essex, Lambton April 29 9-12 John D. Bradley Convention Centre, 565 Richmond Street, Chatham N7M 1R2 Durham, York April 29 9-12 Township of Uxbridge Municipal Offices, 51 Toronto St. S., Uxbridge L9P 1T1 Alfred - French Session April 30 9-12 Alfred College, Room 264, 31 St. Paul Street, Alfred
To register go to ontario.ca/b7qx or for further details call1-877-424-1300.
stratplaningStrategic Planning Pilot: Train-the-Trainer project is looking for participants
Last month we introduced you to OMAFRA's Train-the-Trainer pilot project.
Phase 2 of the Pilot will occur this spring/summer. OMAFRA is looking for organizations that are interested in participating and volunteers to become trainers for the program. To participate, organizations must: have five volunteers who will commit to attend all the training sessions, have approval from their board, and not be in a crisis situation. Sessions will be hosted using webex and teleconference. There will not be a charge to clients to participate in this program.
For organizations participating in the program training dates and times are: Thursday, April 30 at 7 pm - Session 1 Thursday, May 21 at 7 pm - Session 2 Thursday, June 18 at 7 pm - Session 3 Thursday, July 9 at 7 pm - Session 4 Organizations are expected to participate in all 4 sessions.
Participating organizations will need todownload the Strategic Planning Resource at: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/rural/edr/sp/index.html
If you have any questions, please contact Helen Scutt, Agriculture Organization Specialist at 1-888-466-2372 x 519-826-3115 or 519-826-3115 or helen.scutt@ontario.ca
Pilot project recap OMAFRA partnered with the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies to deliver a strategic planning 'Train-the-Trainer' project in 2014. The purpose of this pilot project was to build the organizational capacity of individual agricultural societies. It was important that the strategic planning process be cost-effective and embedded in the society's organizational culture.
The goals of the Strategic Planning Pilot Project were to: Increase the organizational effectiveness and economic impact of organizations Build networks of volunteers/leaders to support each other Provide opportunities for current and emerging leaders of organizations to develop leadership skills (leaders tend to volunteer with more than one organization - multiplier effect) Build ownership and commitment of the strategic planning process within the organization The training sessions included: Preparation for the strategic planning process Developing a vision and mission Collecting and analyzing information Developing goals and realistic action plans Learning how to implement and monitor the plan A total of 50 volunteers participated, and their evaluation shows a significant increase in their leadership skills, knowledge and confidence with developing a strategic plan. To date, most societies that took the training have completed their strategic plan.
Ruralsummerjobs2015 Rural Summer Jobs Service - Application deadline extended
The deadline for applications has been extended to April 30, 2015.
The goal of the Rural Summer Jobs Service (RSJS) is to encourage rural employers to create summer jobs that enhance the life skills and work experience of students in Ontario. In 2014, over 1,500 employers participated in creating over 4,600 rural summer jobs. The RSJS is part of the Ontario Government's Ontario Summer Jobs Strategy to assist students across Ontario.
What does the Rural Summer Jobs Service offer? The Government of Ontario provides a $2/hour hiring incentive to eligible, rural employers who can create summer jobs for rural students between the ages of 15 and 30. The program offers an opportunity for employers to hire a student and receive reimbursement for the time worked between April 1st and September 30th. Rural employers may receive the hiring incentive for up to 560 hours per eligible summer employee.
Application - Consists of three pages including an updated employer declaration. To ensure acceptance into the program, please make sure that all fields are completed in full.
Important Dates: April 1, 2015: First day of eligibility for subsidized employment for student positions April 30, 2015: Deadline for submission of Employer Application forms May 2015: Student Checklist and Claim forms will be posted on the OMAFRA webpage May 30, 2015: Applicants will be notified of application status and number of positions approved July 31, 2015: Deadline for submission of the Student Eligibility Checklists September 30, 2015: Last day of eligibility for subsidized employment for student positions October 23, 2015: Deadline for submission of Employer Claim forms either by email, fax or by mail http://ontario.ca/bd2f creatingCreating New Agri-food Trade Opportunities in China Ontario is fostering new opportunities for its agri-food sector with a 10-day agri-food focused trade mission to China. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Jeff Leal, and Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade, Michael Chan are currently leading the 2015 Agri-food Trade Mission from April 15 to 25.
Accompanying them are 22 delegates from Ontario's agri-food businesses and commodity groups.
The mission will build on the success of Premier Wynne's 2014 China Trade Mission.
In the past week, a number of important Ontario-China business agreements have come to fruition: Ontario's Futurevic Global Sourcing and China's Shijiazhuang Junlebao Dairy Company have committed to purchasing $2 million worth of Ontario maple products over the next two years, an amount greater than Ontario's total 2014 global exports of maple products. Ontario's Pillitteri Estates Winery and China-based Hare Wine Company have signed a $6 million agreement that will bring more Ontario Icewine to China. The investment from Hare Wine Company will establish a new vineyard and build a new winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Ontario's Vineland Estates Winery will now sell its wines at a retail outlet in Tai'an, a city in China's Shandong province. Residents of Tai'an will now have easier access to Vineland Estate's award-winning VQA wines. China is Ontario's second-largest export market for agri-food goods. In 2014, Ontario's total agri-food sales to China, including exports to Hong Kong, reached $832 million.
Ontario exports a variety of valued-added products to China including wines, confectionery products, frozen products, shelf-stable foods, beverages and snack foods. Meat, ginseng, food-grade soybeans and genetics are also exported in significant quantities.
The mission is part of Ontario's Going Global Trade Strategy to help the province's businesses - particularly small- to medium- sized enterprises - expand into priority markets such as China.
buildBUILDing Leadership in Ontario Barry Potter, OMAFRA Agriculture Development Advisor
Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) and the Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) delivered a leadership training workshop called BUILD in New Liskeard during the first week of April. The knowledge and skills developed through participation in this program include a focus on the individual, on effective meetings, and on the organization.
The curriculum was delivered in three consecutive sessions over three days preceded by an evening welcome session. Each session built upon the previous session's learnings. The knowledge and skills developed will include a focus on the individual, on effective meetings, and on the BFO organization.
This is the fourth offering of BUILD in Ontario. OMAFRA assisted with finding key leadership candidates for the course, as well as logistical support. Providing support for northern leaders is a key initiative of OMAFRA's northern opportunities development plan.
For more information see the Beef Farmers of Ontario website at http://www.ontariobeef.com/programs/leadership-development.aspx or the Rural Ontario Institute at http://www.ruralontarioinstitute.ca/
Gf2Growing Forward 2: What's New! Growing Forward 2 (GF2) offers cost-share funding assistance, free workshops and training for Ontario producers, processors, organizations and collaborations.
What's New for GF2? This year we've made it easier for clients to put together a good project application by making the following changes to the program: Priorities are clearly identified in the program guides All projects will be assessed on merit Cost-share funding will be capped depending on the project category Some project categories have prerequisites as a required condition before clients can apply Approval of your project is needed before costs can be incurred and paid New Dates for GF2 GF2 cost-share funding assistance application intakes for producers and processors are: May 1 to May 21, 2015 August 10 to August 27, 2015 November 16 to December 3, 2015 For more information visit www.ontario.ca/growingforward2
NmanOMAFRA launches the Ontario Agricultural Planning Tools Suite (AgriSuite) an updated version of NMAN
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) launched the nutrient management software, NMAN, in 1994 as a tool to help farmers implement nutrient management best practices on their farms. The free software helps farmers get maximum value from manure applications, balance nutrient needs for crop production, and consider management options that will reduce the environmental risk of soil and nutrient loss.
On March 13, 2015, OMAFRA launched the Ontario Agricultural Planning Tools Suite (AgriSuite). AgriSuite is a new system that hosts NMAN. AgriSuite will also host the Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) Formulae Calculator. The Calculator is expected to be released in the fall of 2015.
Why did we create AgriSuite? This new system allows us to easily keep NMAN and MDS up-to-date, share databases and add new functions when available, allowing you to have the most current information.
With the launch of AgriSuite comes an updated version of NMAN. In addition to the existing NMAN worksheets, AgriSuite includes a new Greenhouse Nutrient Feedwater (GNF) worksheet that will help you prepare GNF strategies and plans.
As before, you can use NMAN in your web browser or you can download the software to use offline. If you are using the current version of NMAN offline, the upgrade to AgriSuite will not be automatic. You will need to access the program in your web browser and save AgriSuite to your desktop.
NMAN gives information (such as identifying best management practices) and can help you meet the requirements of the Nutrient Management Act. The updated version of NMAN must be used after June 13, 2015, when preparing all agricultural strategy and plan submissions for OMAFRA.
Contact the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca, or visit the AgriSuite web page www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/nm/nman/agrisuite.htm, for more information and for help with downloading and installing the system.
accessibilityThe Accessibility Conference May 26 and 27, 2015 at the University of Guelph
OMAFRA is involved in organizing this annual event at the University of Guelph to raise awareness and promote learning about accessibility. The conference schedule offers public and private sector organizations, groups and/or individuals an opportunity to learn about reducing barriers to people with disabilities through engaging, action oriented sessions on Accessibility in the Workplace; Bridges over Barriers and the Built Environment; Countdown 2025: Accessibility in Ontario; Document and Media Accessibility; Inclusive Teaching and Learning; Leading for Inclusion; Web Accessibility.
The conference aims to help create a culture of inclusion to reach the goal of an accessible Ontario. Please consider registering on-line or sharing this with others who may be interested. Everyone is welcome!
For more information go to http://accessconf.ca/ TECHNICAL UPDATES
EstablishingEstablishing a New Pasture Jack Kyle, Pasture Specialist, OMAFRA
Reasons to establish a new pasture include moving from annual crops to perennial pasture or forage, or to improve an existing pasture that is not producing very well. When planning to seed new pastures there are a few questions that you should ask yourself before actually starting the process. An existing pasture that is not very productive may respond to the application of fertilizer, but the response will not be nearly as significant or long term as reseeding and getting productive species established in the field.
What is the intended purpose of the new seeding? Do you want early-season grazing or late-season grazing? Are you going to cut it for stored forage sometimes ? Is this pasture going to stay down for many years or is it part of a farm crop rotation plan and will be planted to another crop in less than 10 years? Pasture Species If you want late-season and stockpiled grazing to be the main use of this pasture, then trefoil and tall fescue should likely be your predominant species. If you want early season pasture, then clovers, alfalfa and orchard grass should form the basis of the mix. Alfalfa will do very well on well drained soils, while poorly drained soils are better to be seeded to clovers and trefoil.
Many people are overly cautious about including alfalfa in a pasture. With proper management, an alfalfa based pasture will give you the best animal performance along with the highest yields of quality forage. Alfalfa's deep roots and heat tolerance make it the obvious choice for mid- to late-summer grazing. With a good rotational grazing system and best management practices, it will be very successful.
There are a number of grass species that should be considered. My preference is for orchard grass because of its early spring growth, rapid regrowth, and once the seed head is removed it stays vegetative for the rest of the growing season. Meadow brome is also an excellent pasture species. Timothy is often found in mixes but it has poor summer re-growth. Other grass species that warrant consideration include ryegrass (especially for a short duration pasture), reed canary grass, festolium (cross between ryegrass and fescue) and possibly bluegrass (especially for a long term pasture). There is a good description of forage species in the OMAFRA Publication 811, Field Crop Agronomy Guide at www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/3species.htm
Soil Fertility Soil fertility is a major consideration. The new seeding will not perform very well if the pH is too low, or if the phosphorous and or potassium levels are low. Pasture fertilizer rates based on soil tests are also in the Agronomy Guide. www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/3fertility.htm
Seeding Forages can be no-tilled or planted into a tilled seed bed. The seed bed should be firm enough to allow for good depth control and seed-to-soil contact. Forage seeds are very small and should be planted 7-10 mm (1/4 - ½ in) deep. The use of a companion crop is optional. If using a companion crop, consider using oats harvested as haylage or baleage at the boot to very early heading stage. This will eliminate the competition effect from the companion crop and allow the new seedling every opportunity to grow during July and August. The field should not be grazed until the forage plants are well rooted. Cattle tear the pasture plants off, and if they are not fully anchored in the soil they will be pulled out!
Planting the appropriate species into a reasonably fertile seed bed should give you a productive pasture for many years.
ConsiderConsider Seeding Red Clover In Spring Wheat Scott Banks, Emerging Crop Specialist, OMAFRA
In recent research, red clover underseeded into spring wheat provided up to an extra $100/acre in grain corn yield the following year without reducing spring wheat yields! A four year study (2009 - 2013) was initiated at the Winchester Research Station to look at the effect of underseeding red clover into spring wheat and its impact on the spring wheat yield as well as the corn yield the following year. The red clover was broadcast seeded at four different times: at planting, at herbicide application (Zadok's 26-30), flag-leaf emerged stage, (Zadok's 37 - 39) and after wheat harvest. Single-cut and double-cut red clover was broadcast into the spring wheat at 7 lbs/acre. Nitrogen was applied to all treatments at 90 lbs/ac in the spring wheat crop and at 100 lbs/ac in the corn crop the following year.
Results Table 1 summarizes 3 year average corn yield for each of the previous year's red clover treatment. Based on a corn value of $4.50/ bushel, red cover added $33 - $100 per acre as compared to where no clover was underseeded in the spring wheat. As expected, red clover underseeded at earlier spring wheat stages (at planting or at herbicide application) rather than at flag-leaf or after harvest, provided more yield benefit to the following corn crop.
Table 1: Average Corn Yield (2010, 2011 & 2012) following red clover underseeded in previous year at various spring wheat stages. Treatments (Timing of Red Clover Seeding) 3 Year Average Yield (bu/ac) Yield Difference from No Clover (bu/ac) Additional Value of Red Clover Per acre with Corn @ $4.50 per bushel No clover 144 Single Cut - @ planting 167 23 $102.47 Double Cut - @ planting 163 18 $80.64 Single Cut - with herbicide 160 15 $68.96 Double Cut - with herbicide 157 12 $53.60 Single Cut - flag leaf emerged stage 161 17 $74.90 Double Cut - flag leaf emerged stage 152 7 $33.71 Single Cut - post-harvest 154 9 $39.81 Double Cut - post-harvest 157 12 $54.14
Due to the high yield variability the 2013 corn yield, it is not included in the above table.) Single cut red clover appears to have greater yield advantage in corn than double cut red clover, however the difference was only statistically significant in 1 of the 3 years.
Spring wheat growers are often reluctant to underseed red clover in spring wheat due to concerns that the red clover will compete and suppress the spring wheat grain yield. Table 2 summarizes the average spring wheat yield of each treatment.
Table 2: Spring Wheat Average Yield (2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012) with red clover underseeded at various spring wheat stages. Treatments (Timing of Red Clover Seeding) Average Yield (bu/ac) Yield Difference to No Clover (bu/ac) No clover 53.9 Single Cut - @ planting 58.4 4.5 Double Cut - @ planting 55.5 1.6 Single Cut - with herbicide 58.4 4.6 Double Cut - with herbicide 57.7 3.8 Single Cut - flag leaf emerged stage 57.5 3.6 Double Cut - flag leaf emerged stage 57.5 3.6 Single Cut - post-harvest 59.4 5.5 Double Cut - post-harvest 58.1 4.2
Although the yield numbers showed that the inclusion of red clover slightly increased wheat yield, statistically there was no difference in yield of the spring wheat with or without red clover. Summary: Underseed red clover in spring wheat, The best time to seed red clover is with the spring wheat Use either single cut or double cut red clover For more information go to: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/news/croptalk/2015/ct-0315a7.htm RESOURCES There are lots of resources available on the web at the OMAFRA website www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/ag.html as well as others to help you with your decisions. omafraOMAFRA Economic Development Programs and Resources
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Regional Economic Development Branch provides economic development services through its regional advisory staff to support agricultural and rural organizations through: Integrated delivery of agriculture and rural economic development resources and programs Coaching, training and stakeholder facilitation services Program implementation through an array of government resources Networking to build regional economic development collaboration and best practices New program development and research on emerging programs Connecting clients to OMAFRA resources that enable economic growth Coordination of information, resources, tool and programs to a number of client groups including: Rural Municipalities Regional Economic Development Organizations Chambers of Commerce Business Improvement Area Associations Rural Businesses Innovative Agricultural Producers Regional Stakeholder Groups/Local Committees Other Ministries For more information on OMAFRA's economic development programs and services contact your local REDB advisor http://ontario.ca/bglf or visit http://ontario.ca/b83f
TwitterFind OMAFRA Specialists on Twitter Lists
Field Crop Team and Livestock Specialists https://twitter.com/onfieldcrops/lists/field-crop-team/members
Hort Crop Team: https://twitter.com/onhortcrops/lists/hort-crop-team/members
factsheetsFact Sheets and Publications To order OMAFRA publications and factsheets:
Visit any OMAFRA Resource Centre / Northern Ontario Regional Office or ServiceOntario location http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/offices/ouroffices.html Visit the ServiceOntario website at: www.serviceontario.ca/publications or call 1-800-668-9938 Visit the OMAFRA website at:http://ontario.ca/b83g or call: 1-877-424-1300 NEW Publications 2015 Field Crop Budgets http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/facts/pub60.pdf Guide to Fruit Production Supplement Publication 360S http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub360/sup/pub360sup.pdf NEW Factsheets 14-043 Programs and Services for Ontario Farmers http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/facts/progserv.pdf 13-059 Lease Agreements - Farm Equipment http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/facts/13-059.pdf ElectronicBuElectronic Bulletins and Newsletters Ag Business Update http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/news/index.html Virtual Beef http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/beef/news.html Pork News and Views Newsletter http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/swine/news.html CropPest Ontario http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/news/news_croppest.html CEPTOR - Animal Health News http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/ceptor/news.html ONVegetables (Vegetable Viewpoint) http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/hort/news/news_vegview.html Ontario Berry Grower http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/hort/news/news_berrygrower.html Hort Matters Newsletter http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/hort/news/news_hortmatt.html On Organic http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/organic/news/news-organic.html Specialty Cropportunities
