Category Archives: News Releases

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NEWS: New fertilizer container recycling program for farmers launched

(April 22, 2013, Etobicoke, ON) – A popular recycling program for farmers is being expanded to include new products

In addition to accepting empty, clean pesticide containers, CleanFARMS will now also accept plastic fertilizer jugs and pails under 23 litres as part of its annual recycling program.

“Over the years we have seen farmers bring fertilizer containers into collection sites so we knew there was a need to expand our program. It’s great to see members of the fertilizer industry step up and support this new initiative,” says Barry Friesen, general manager of CleanFARMS, the industry stewardship organization that operates the program.

The empty pesticide container collection program was first developed almost a quarter century ago by Canada’s plant science industry to take responsibility for the full lifecycle of its products. CleanFARMS, which is now responsible for the programs, is committed to helping farmers properly manage and dispose of agricultural waste.

“The empty pesticide container recycling program has had a huge impact in terms of keeping waste out of landfills and protecting the environment. The empty fertilizer container collection program will build on this,” says Friesen.

Every year, approximately 4.5 million empty, triple-rinsed plastic pesticide containers are safely recycled into items that can be used back on the farm, such as farm drainage tile.

CleanFARMS encourages farmers to follow three easy steps in order to ensure the containers they’re returning, including fertilizer containers, can be properly recycled. Farmers are asked to triple or pressure rinse containers to remove all product, remove the cap and label, and return the containers to the nearest collection sites. A full list of collection sites can be found at http://www.cleanfarms.ca.

“We’ve tried to make this as easy as possible for farmers. They follow the same preparation steps they’re used to and simply bring their fertilizer containers along for the ride when they’re recycling empty pesticide containers this year,” says Friesen.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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NEWS: Canada and Ontario announce Growing Forward 2: Governments supporting success in Ontario’s agri-food sector

The federal and provincial governments are working to help Ontario’s agri-food industry grow profits, expand markets and manage risk through Growing Forward 2.

The governments of Canada and Ontario have signed a five-year, multi-million dollar bilateral agreement focusing on innovation, competitiveness and market development. It includes $2 billion for federal-provincial-territorial strategic initiatives, which is a 50 per cent increase in cost-shared funding.

Ontario’s Growing Forward 2 programs will help the industry capitalize on opportunities and contribute to the economy. Information sessions and workshops will be available in April and May, 2013, with applications opening in June 2013 for provincial programs.

Governments will continue to offer ongoing funding for a complete and effective suite of business risk management programs under Growing Forward 2, to ensure farmers are protected against severe market volatility and natural disasters.

Providing the right climate to attract investment, create jobs and expand industries is a key priority for the Governments of Canada and Ontario to help build a strong economy.

For more information, click here.

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NEWS: Landowner views on wetland enhancement & restoration in and adjacent to the Credit River Watershed

(March 21, 2013) – Nearly half of all rural landowners surveyed in the Credit River watershed have wetlands on their properties and have a strong appreciation for the ecosystem function they provide, according to a new study by Credit Valley Conservation (CVC).

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CVC, with funding from the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, conducted a study of rural landowners (farm and non-farm) to determine how they manage wetlands on their properties. The study looked at their attitudes towards wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide, their willingness to take on wetland restoration projects and their preference for incentives to take on such projects.

“Rural landowners value the critical services provided by wetlands, such as water filtration,” said Tatiana Koveshnikova, Project Coordinator, Ecological Goods and Services for CVC, who coordinated the study.

Wetlands are known to improve water quality, allow water to collect and recharge into the ground, regulate climate; limit flooding drought and erosion; provide opportunities for fishing and hunting; and provide aesthetic, educational, cultural and spiritual benefits.

The number and area of wetlands in the Credit River watershed is decreasing, threatening the ecosystem services they provide to residents. If past trends continue, 18 per cent of the remaining wetlands in the watershed could be lost by 2020. Despite these facts, most landowners surveyed felt that the current state and health of wetlands in the Credit River watershed was good.

“Our research found a gap between people’s perceptions of wetland health and the actual facts on the ground,” noted Koveshnikova. “There’s a need for more outreach and education on the status of wetlands in the watershed.”

Research indicated that farm and non-farm landowners share similar positive perceptions of wetlands and the services they provide but their opinions on monetary forms of incentives to take on restoration projects differ. Farmers largely indicated that financial compensation would be required for wetland restoration to offset lost crop production or pasture land. About two thirds of non-farm rural landowners indicated they would not require additional payments if upfront costs to restore wetlands were fully covered by a third party.

Information on how wetland decline affects landowners personally was ranked the most important non-monetary motivator for both farm and non-farm rural landowners. Technical assistance was reported to motivate landowners more than public recognition of their work.

“Wetlands provide significant benefits to the public such as flood control and filtering pollutants,” said Burkhard Mausberg, CEO, Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation “This leading research, conducted in Ontario’s Greenbelt, enables groups like CVC to engage more landowners in activities that have the biggest impact on restoring wetlands.”

Overall, the study indicated that with the appropriate program design and incentives, a large number of landowners in the Credit River watershed would be willing to participate in a wetland enhancement or restoration program.

For a copy of the full report “Landowner Views on Wetland Enhancement and Restoration in and Adjacent to the Credit River Watershed” , visit www.creditvalleyca.ca/egs.

Conservation Authorities are a provincial/municipal partnership. CVC was established by an act of the province in 1954 with a mandate to protect all natural resources other than minerals in the area drained by the Credit River. We have been working for over 50 years with our partner municipalities and stakeholders to protect and enhance the natural environment of the Credit River Watershed for present and future generations. 

For more information:

Tatiana Koveshnikova, Project Coordinator, Ecological Goods and Services, Credit Valley Conservation
Phone: 905-670-1615 ext 443
Email: tkoveshnikova@creditvalleyca.ca 
Website: www.creditalleyca.ca

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NEWS: Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner releases report: “Investing in soils for a sustainable future”

(Toronto, March 27, 2013) – “Our soil is a great resource, and we need to change our vision of how we manage it.” This is one conclusion from a roundtable held by Gord Miller, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, which brought together experts and stakeholders to discuss the opportunities and challenges of increasing soil carbon and building healthy soils.

The report from the event, “Investing in Soils for a Sustainable Future,” released today, outlines the great potential in increasing the carbon content of our soils.

“Farmers are vulnerable to climate change,” said the Commissioner, “but they are not helpless. As one roundtable participant put it: agriculture is 10 percent of the problem, but 20 percent of the solution. These numbers may be rough approximations, but they convey an important truth: there is much that farmers can do to both mitigate climate change and to adapt to it.”

Through the careful management of soil alone – by raising the organic-matter level in soils – farmers can help mitigate future climate change and adapt to change happening already, while at the same time cleaning water, guarding biodiversity, and ensuring productive farmland for future generations.

The science of good soil management, however, is evolving. Evolution means change and change means new practices, new equipment, new costs, and more risks. “Our roundtable revealed a high level of agreement that society should share these new costs and risks with farmers,” said Miller. “The important question that remains is how to go about doing that fairly and cost-effectively.”

The report summarizes the presentations made at the roundtable by a group of international experts; the discussions, prompted by these presentations, of a mix of Ontario stakeholders, including farmers, academics, and government; and the Commissioner’s own take on the proceedings.

You can download the report and watch videos of the presentations at http://www.eco.on.ca.

The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario is the province’s independent environmental watchdog. Appointed by the Legislative Assembly, the ECO is tasked with monitoring and reporting on compliance with the Environmental Bill of Rights, and the government’s success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and in achieving greater energy conservation in Ontario.

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FarmSmart celebrates 15th anniversary with continued success

FARMSMART 2013 logo on brocure

The 15th anniversary edition of the FarmSmart Conference was an overwhelming success. Strong producer confidence and agriculture industry enthusiasm drew over 1200 farmers, agri-business representatives, faculty and students to Guelph for what will be remembered as the largest FarmSmart to date.

For many attendees, FarmSmart is an annual don’t-miss-it event.

Tom Hayter, of Hayter Farms, says he has attended every January conference since its inception and describes it as a “world class event”. “It provides information beyond the normal farming information we receive at local meetings and includes topics that we need to be aware of if we are to be successful in business,” Hayter says.

The FarmSmart conference is an excellent opportunity to profile some of Ontario’s own homegrown industry success stories, but organizers also seek high-caliber speakers from beyond Ontario’s borders to provide a robust program and give producers as many new learning opportunities as possible. “This gives our participants a broader perspective and access to different points of view (and) this year’s great contingent of international speakers did not disappoint,” says Ian McDonald, applied research coordinator with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and FarmSmart co-chairman.

Joe Schwarcz, Director of McGill University’s “Office for Science and Society” and Bob Weaber, the Cow-Calf Extension Specialist with Kansas State University shared headline duties as feature speakers. Other international speakers included – Dr. Shawn Casteel, Purdue University; Rita Emmett, Chicago; Dr. Frank Gibbs, Ohio; Dr. Willie Huot, North Dakota State University; Dr. Joe Lauer, University of Wisconsin; Odette Menard, Quebec and Dr. Jack Rabin, Rutgers University, New Jersey.

But while attendees look forward to the speaker presentations, the speakers themselves left the event with very positive impressions. “Canadian agriculture has a lot to be proud of,” says Gibbs, sentiments echoed by Emmett.

“As a professional speaker, I have participated in hundreds of conferences over the years (and) the FarmSmart Conference is one of the very best I’ve ever attended. The people I met are sharp, positive, intelligent, enthusiastic, and committed to finding more and innovative ways to making this a better world through farming,” she says.

Organizers are always looking to present expanded and innovative programs for their participants and two years ago the Beef Symposium joined with the FarmSmart Conference, a partnership which continues to prove successful. “We were pleased with the attendance including those that were able to connect in northern Ontario through Webex and encouraged by the number of young producers that participated,” says Brian Pogue, OMAFRA beef cattle lead. “The quality of this year’s speakers seemed to resonate well with producers and we look forward to building on this momentum for next year’s program,” says Pogue.

The newest addition to the FarmSmart family for 2013 was a dedicated day on the Friday before the main conference to host Ken Ferrie from Crop-Tech Consulting Incorporated of Illinois in a program named CornSmart. “The expansion into a full day program on the Friday before the conference adds to the value of the FarmSmart franchise to all who participate in our events,” says McDonald. Ferrie was a popular presenter at the 2012 FarmSmart Conference and for this special day-long workshop he spent the entire day with over 250 corn producers and agri-business people, enlightening them on his knowledge of corn production. “CornSmart was such a success that we will immediately make plans for a similar program next year such as SoySmart, WheatSmart, SoilSmart, depending on the feedback we find in the CornSmart evaluations,” says McDonald.

The FarmSmart philosophy has always been to develop a program that would appeal to the whole family and the youth program continues to be popular with attendees. This year the youth program explored the University of Guelph campus, including the recently expanded Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and the Controlled Environment Research Systems Facility. “The passion of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) student volunteers was contagious,” says OMAFRA’s Shannon McCarthy, coordinator of the FarmSmart Youth Program–an enthusiasm that she says is positive for fostering and attracting future attendees to the University campus. “It was exciting to hear one youth program participant indicate her intention to pursue an agriculture degree at the University of Guelph because of exposure to its programs and facilities in past youth programs,” says McCarthy.

In response to the suggestion last year of some young adult participants that they would like to see some programming options unique to their demographic, this year organizers also developed a special Young Farmers Forum, which provided sessions and topics of interest to participants aged 18 to 29. Response was positive to this new initiative.

A special highlight at this year’s conference was the presentation to OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough, named as this year’s recipient of the T. R. Hilliard Distinguished Agricultural Extension Award. Named in memory of the late T. R. (Dick) Hilliard, a former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, the annual award was established by the OAC Alumni Foundation to recognize persons who are making outstanding contributions to agricultural extension in Ontario. Previous winners of this unique and coveted award include some of the best-known names in Ontario agriculture and Mike joins a very distinguished list of honourees.

“Mike is very good at finding ways to connect with stakeholders and has moved the bar on weed science extension in the province in his relatively short time with the ministry. He is a very valuable and valued resource,” says McDonald, congratulating his colleague on the recognition.

The next FarmSmart event will be the in-field crop diagnostics and demonstration day offered at FarmSmart Expo on Thurs. July 11, 2013. The FarmSmart Expo youth program will follow on Fri. July 12. Follow on Twitter @FarmSmart1 for details on this summer event.

Plans are already in motion for the 2014 FarmSmart Conference scheduled for Sat. Jan. 18, 2014.

FarmSmart is a partnership of the Golden Horseshoe and Heartland Regional Soil and Crop Improvement Associations, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) of the University of Guelph, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), and various agri-business sponsors including Presenting sponsor DuPont Pioneer and Platinum sponsors BASF Canada Inc., Bayer CropScience, DEKALB, Farm Credit Canada and Syngenta Canada Inc.

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