On-Farm Food Safety Webinars Delivered
by OSCIA
Are you looking to keep up-to-date on the latest food safety practices? Want to assess your operation and identifying areas where you might be at risk for a food safety hazard? Join us for any or all of the food safety webinars, covering a variety of important food safety topics including: November 13, 2014: pre- and post-harvest water; November 27, 2014: soil amendments; and January 2015 (exact date TBD), worker practices. During each webinar, we discuss on-farm food safety risks and the good agricultural practices (GAPs) that can be used to mitigate those risks. Growing Forward 2 funding opportunities are also discussed, including how to assess your operation and work towards a food safety action plan. All workshops are offered as free webinars online, taken from the comfort of your home or business. All you need is an Internet connection and phone. For more information contact foodsafety@ontariosoilcrop.org or phone 1-800-265-9751.
Looking for information on cover crops?
Cover crops have a lot of places where they can fit in horticultural crop rotations. Before late planted crops like pumpkins to provide weed suppression. After early harvested crops like peas or snap beans to cover and protect the soil while enhancing soil structure. After winter wheat to suppress resistant weeds in the rotation or as a part of the overall crop rotation to suppress nematodes in preparation for planting strawberries. Looking for more details on how a cover crop can fit, herbicide concerns or the basics on a particular cover crop species? There is an improved version of the Purdue Midwest Cover Crop Field Guide available now. The pocket guide, released September 22, is produced by Purdue University and the Midwest Cover Crops Council. The first cover crops guide was released in February 2012. The updated guide is in response to the increasing interest in cover crops in the Midwest and to requests for additional information. Topics include: getting started in cover crops; rationale for fitting cover crops into different cropping systems; suggested cover crops for common rotations; cover crop effects on cash crop yields; climate considerations including winter hardiness and water use; adapting seeding rates and spring management based on weather and “Up and coming” cover crops. The guide’s second edition is available at Purdue Extension’s The Education Store at www.the-education-store.com. Search by the name of the publication or product code ID-433.
