Workshops Coming Soon
Environmental Farm Plan: Wikwemikong, November 5 and November 12; Mindemoya, November 6 and November 13. Traceability: Manitoulin March 3 and March 10, 2016. Biosecurity for beef producers: Sudbury November 7. Growing Your Farm Profits: Mindemoya, October 22 and October 29; Wikwemikong, November 20 and November 27. Food Safety: Manitoulin, November 19 and November 26.  Register for courses at
http://registration.wildapricot.org Contact: Mary Scott mscott@ontariosoilcrop.org or 705 561 6415.
Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program
The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association currently has funding available through the Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program (SARFIP) that might be of interest to Ontario beef farmers, as many of the supported Best Management Practices are of particular relevance to beef farmers. Funding can support eligible projects implemented between April 1, 2015 and December 15, 2015. Some of the activities that are supported include: fencing to exclude livestock from forested areas or aquatic (water and wetlands) areas; cross fencing to introduce a rotational grazing system for your livestock (this would include a watering system to support this activity); native tree planting (can be for spring 2016 plantings, see page 13 of the brochure for details); alternate watering systems (in-field, to remove livestock from natural ponds, streams, wetlands, etc.); invasive plant species control (a list of the target species is provided in the SARFIP 2015 brochure); and bat boxes (especially important at this time of year to give bats a cozy space to roost over the cold winter months). More information is available at:
http://www.ontariosoilcrop.org/en/programs/species_at_risk.htm
GF2 Program updates for producers
Did you know? All GF2 funding opportunities will be assessed based on Merit-based Application Evaluation Criteria. All project categories have different criteria, including completion of a Growing Your Farm Profits Workshop and Action Plan Review within the last five years for some, completion of a third or fourth edition Environmental Farm Plan Workshop and Action Plan Review within the last five years for others, etc. (see program guide for details). Cost-share caps per project have been introduced for each eligible project category. To be eligible, cost-share funding will only apply to invoices dated after a letter approving a funding allocation has been issued by OSCIA. To view the Program Guide: http://www.ontariosoilcrop.org/en/programs/growing_forward_2_new.htm
To attend courses, go to http://registration.wildapricot.org
