FarmStart Training & Events - Details
1. Digging into Farming
The Digging into Farming course is for new farmers who are actively committed to farming as a business and are looking for support in starting to plan a farm businesses.
This is a 2-day course facilitated by farmers who have gone through a similar process of starting their own farm business. Key take-away lessons or tools include:
•simple framework for understanding farm business planning.
•sharing lessons learned by experienced farmer facilitators and panelists.
•representatives in the banking and accounting sector, speak to questions of financing, taxation and business structure.
•completing an online Action Plan.
•access to a comprehensive website of business planning resources for new farmers.
•Note: you will not prepare a business plan during the course, however you will come out of the course prepared to do this.
When: Saturday, November 22 & 29th
Time: 10am – 3:30pm
Where: County Heritage Park (Niagara Room), 8560 Tremaine Rd, Milton.
Cost: $200 (+HST) per person or $360 (+HST) for two people from the same “farm business ” (ex: family, business partners).
Registration: click here
2. McVean Farm Vegetable Grower Training Program
Do not miss this one of a kind opportunity! Convenient urban location, accessible by transit, part- time flexible learning, without interruption of employment. Learn small scale, sustainable intensive farming methods over a full growing season.
Topics covered include:
- raising seedlings
- managing weeds
- creating fertile soils
- harvesting techniques
- marketing and more...
Included in the program are a Winter Workshop Series, 7 months part-time, hands on growing internship, and a free small garden plot to hone your skills, experiment on and feed yourself!
This is a great opportunity to learn, cultivate relationships and become part of the local, sustainable food community at McVean Farm.
For application and fee information contact: Sri Sethuratnam sri@farmstart.ca or 519-766-7493
3. Start Up Farms Applications
Through our two Start-Up Farms we work ‘on the ground’ with new farmers to provide critical support including access to land, infrastructure, and equipment as well as technical training, business planning skills development, and mentorship during the first 6 years of your enterprise start-up.
FarmStart takes care of the land, provides important on-site infrastructure and equipment and supports you in your farm business planning, growing and marketing. Through one on one consultation, courses and workshops we provide access to mentors, business development and production advice and resources, technical training and farm succession support.
2015 Season applications to the Earth To Table Farm (Flamborough) are now being accepted!
For more information: click here
4. Ecological Farmers of Ontario Conference
This conference is presented in partnership with The EFAO along with supporting partners Farms at Work, Everdale and The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security. The vision for is “to support and promote a vibrant community of ecological farmers through education, training and knowledge sharing.”
Join over 250 ecological growers from across the province and participate in the over 30 intermediate and advanced level workshops.
Do not miss what promises to be the ecological farming event of the year!
When: December 4-6, 2014
Where: Orillia
Registration: https://conference.efao.ca
Pastured Pigs
Join Tarrah Young of Green Being Farm as she shares lessons from her own experiences raising heritage pigs, includes her new Kune Kunes! She will share valuable and innovative information on how to profitably raise healthy pigs on pasture.
When: Thursday Jan 29, 2015
Time: 9am-12pm
Where: Guelph
Cost: Members $45, Non-Members $65
Contact: www.efao.ca
Labour and the Market Garden: Panel Discussion
Managing labour is a critical skill for most market gardeners, and one for which farmers rarely receive training or support. Topics will include finding and retaining good workers, techniques, and legal requirements.
When: Thursday Jan 29, 2015
Time: 10am-3pm
Where: Guelph
Cost: Members $65, Non-Members $85
Contact: www.efao.ca
Holistic Grazing
Originally developed as a way to restore deserted land, holistic grazing, is a decision making framework which uses six steps to guide the management of resources. In addition to mapping out how often to move livestock on pasture, a holistic grazing approach goes deeper, taking into account the entire farm, including the social and monetary circumstances. Instructor: Tony McQuail.
When: Thursday Jan 29, 2015.
Time: 1:15pm-4:15pm
Where: Guelph
Cost: Members $45, Non-Members $65
Contact: www.efao.ca
Other Training
Farm Credit Canada
Creating a Strategic Plan: A Simplified Approach
Over three sessions, Victor Aideyan will help you build a multi-year marketing plan to help you manage the business of buying and selling. It’s Victor’s expertise and engaging presentations – from home! Register for all three webinars, or choose a session that interests you. Space is limited.
Part 1: Defining goals and setting financial targets
Wednesday, November 12
12 p.m. EST
60 minutes
Part 2: Linking goals to your annual selling plan
Wednesday, November 19
12 p.m. EST
60 minutes
Part 3: Financial statements, cash flow and making adjustments
Wednesday, November 26
12 p.m. EST
60 minutes
To register: click here
Food Secure Canada
Treating Human Resources Like Human Beings... and Getting the Job Done
Presenter: Russ Christianson. Food businesses have a bad reputation for chewing up and spitting out their workers. Community food organizations that have a social justice and food security mission need to make their people a number one priority. Motivated, happy people are more productive, more collaborative and more creative. This workshop will cover the main motivations for people in workplaces, the importance of the social aspects at work, fair pay for good work, hiring (and firing) decisions, job descriptions that matter and performance appraisal. Please bring your burning questions to the webinar.
When: Monday November 24th
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET
To register: click here
USC Canada
Quality Assurance in Ecological Seed Production
Each seed a farmer purchases and plants is an investment in the harvest, on which their livelihood depends. Seed producers need to provide adequate assurance so that farmers trust that their seed will be high quality, and reliable. This webinar will provide information on how to provide quality assurance, Presenters will speak to such topics as: storage criteria, viability (including moisture content and germination tests), and seed vigour, varietal purity and seed lot characteristics, inc. pathology monitoring and testing, ethics and quality assurance.
When: Wednesday November 26th
Time: 4:00 pm to 26:00 pm ET
To register: click here
Of Interest
Exciting New Farmland Opportunities for 2015 – from FarmLINK.net
Monforte “Home Farm” Seeks Farmers/Growers for Long-term Lease on Small Parcels – Stratford
Lease-to-Own Opportunity: 87 Acre Biodynamic Farm - Elmvale
If you have farmland to share with a farmer looking for land, or you are hoping to find a responsible successor for your farm, consider listing on FarmLINK.net. Your farm could become part of the next generation of family farms. One example is: An experienced couple looking for 200 or more acres of crop land to expand their work with organic grains.
Oxford Organic Growers Meeting
Oxford Organic Growers would like to invite everyone to our fall meeting. The meeting will be an open forum with Dan Scheele moderating. We ask that you come with your ideas, problems, and things that did or didn't work this year. We also have a couple select farmers that will share cropping results with us. Lets learn from each other!
When: December 2nd
Time: 8:00 pm.
Where: The Driesse home, 325569 Norwich Rd., Norwich
Contact: please call 519 424-3113
Call for Volunteers:
Eco Farm Day, 2015
Volunteers are currently being invited to join the Eco Farm Day Organization Team to complete the plans and take on various essential roles to make this conference happen for organic farmers in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec.
For more information about Eco Farm Day 2015, please visit the COG website at: http://cog.ca/ottawa/eco-farm-day/
When: Saturday, February 21, 2015
Contact: Coordinator of Volunteers, Johanna at cogoso.volunteers.jc@gmail.com and cc Gary Weinhold at weinhold_g@yahoo.ca.
Organic Inputs Directory
A service of the Organic Federation of Canada (OFC), the directory is Canada's nationwide, searchable directory of products that are either approved for use or have been found compliant with the Canadian organic standard.
http://www.organicinputs.ca/en/
Upcoming Conferences & Events
Local Food Forum
November 19, 2014
Location: Hamilton
Contact: click here
Ontario HORT - Fruit & Vegetable Growers Show
November 19 & 20, 2014
Location: Hamilton
Contact: click here
10th Anniversary Farmland Celebration
November 20, 2014
Location: Milton
Contact: click here
GMO Free Symposium
November 22 & 23, 2014
Location: Ottawa
Contact: Facebook
Eastern Ontario Local Food Conference
November 24-25th, 2014
Location: Kingston
Contact: www.eastontlocalfood.ca
Ecological Farmers Conference 2014
December 5 & 6, 2014
Location: Geneva Park YMCA, Orillia
Contact: https://conference.efao.ca
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