Mark Your Calendars!
December
Registration Closes Monday December 1!
December 4th - 6th YMCA Geneva Park Orillia, ON
Join us next weekend in Orillia to celebrate 35 years with the EFAO. With over 30 intermediate- and advanced-level workshops in streams ranging from Business & Marketing, Diversified Grain, Soil, Stewardship & Energy, Vegetables, and Seed Production, the vision for this year's conference aligns with EFAO’s core mandate: “to support and promote a vibrant community of ecological farmers through education, training and knowledge sharing.”
Also featured will be Keynote speaker, Abe Collins, a Vermont-based grazier and educator, who will offer his insights into grazing management, topsoil creation, environmental monitoring and modelling technologies. There will also be plenty of great food and entertainment available throughout the conference as well.
We expect over 250 ecological growers from across the province to attend, and are lucky enough to be hosting dozens of knoweldgeable speakers from across North America. So join us for what promises to be the ecological farming event of the year!
To register, visit the conference website: www.conference.efao.ca
H-3 Workshops
Healthy Soils, Healthy Farms, Healthy Environment
Soil testing and what the results mean for your farm!
Douro Community Centre | 2893 Hwy 28, Peterborough, ON
- Tuesday December 16, 2014
- 11:00am - 3:00pm
- Focus: fruit and vegetable production
- Featured speaker: Christoph Kessel, Nutrition - Hort Crops, OMAFRA
Ops Community Centre | Hwy 7, Lindsay (1.5km east of intersection of Hwy 7 and 35 south)
- Tuesday December 16, 2014
- 7:00pm - 9:30pm
- Focus: pasture and forages
- Featured speaker: Jack Kyle, Grazing Specialist, OMAFRA
Goodwood Community Centre | Intersection of Hwy 47 and Regional Road 21, Durham Region
- Wednesday December 17, 2014
- 11:00am - 3:00pm
- Focus: field crop production
- Featured speaker: Bonnie Ball, Soil Fertility Specialist, OMAFRA
There is no cost to attend these workshops, but pre-registration is required. For more information, visit: www.regionalscia.org/partner.html or contact Peter Doris: peter.doris@ontario.ca | (613) 475-5604
February 2015
3rd Annual Kawartha Farm Stewardship Workshop
When: Saturday February 7, 2015 | 9:00am – 4:00pm
Where: Rolling Hills Public School | 694 Highway 7a, Bethany, ON (20 minutes west of Peterborough, corner of 35 & 7a)
Brought to you by the partners in the Kawartha Farm Stewardship Collaborative, this full day workshop will feature presentations by farmers and stewardship professionals on topics including:
- Innovative tile and land drainage solutions that include wetlands
- Interesting alternative watering solutions for livestock
- Greg Stewart from OMAFRA will explain where and when neonicotinoid pesticides are economically valuable and realistic options for reducing neonicotinoid use
- Further details available soon!
Early bird deadline: Register by January 19 to receive a complimentary satellite map of your farm property (1 per registration).
For more information visit: www.kawarthaconservation.com/workshops, or contact Holly Shipclark: (705) 328-2271 x 240 | hshipclark@kawarthaconservation.com
March 2015
OFT Annual Farmland Forum
When: Friday March 27, 2015
The Ontario Farmland Trust’s Annual Farmland Forum will be held in the Peterborough area for the first time in the spring of 2015. OFT’s mission is “to protect and preserve Ontario’s farmlands and associated agricultural, natural and cultural features of the countryside through direct land securement, stewardship, policy research and education for the benefit of Ontarians today and in future generations.” Past forums have explored issues of farm economics and rural resilience, balancing agricultural and resource demands, and other similar topics. Next year’s event promises to be just as engaging. Farmers, land use planners and others are invited to discuss topical issues related to the protection of Ontario’s farmland. For more information, visit: www.ontariofarmlandtrust.ca.