DNA barcoding provides quicker, more accurate results
Ontario's flower growers are one step closer to having barcode
technology at their fingertips to identify unwanted pests in their
greenhouses, thanks to a new tool being developed by Flowers Canada
(Ontario).
"This project will help identify pests quickly and accurately
so we can improve bio-security in the floriculture sector in Ontario,"
says Jamie Aalbers, research director for Flowers Canada (Ontario),
which represents 240 greenhouse flower growers.
Aalbers explains that Ontario producers often source plant materials
internationally, which could potentially open the door to alien
invasive species that are not easily identified. These unwanted
visitors can go undetected until too widespread to eradicate, which
can put the entire sector at risk. Barcoding technology is one way
to quickly identify the intruders and improve response protocols
to eradicate them.
Light years ahead
Having an actual handheld barcode unit still lies ahead, but the
Flowers Canada project is laying the foundation for it. Pest samples
are sent to the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding at the University
of Guelph to identify the DNA barcode. These are then matched in
the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) database to determine the
species.
"An important part of the project is developing a database
with all of the known pests in greenhouse production," says
Aalbers.
To date, a list of more than 1,000 pests recognized by national
and international regulatory bodies, and identified pest species
not yet genetically profiled on BOLD has been compiled. This technology
is light years ahead of what happens in most greenhouses today.
Currently, most pests in greenhouses are identified the old-fashioned
way by just looking at it. A trained entomologist can typically
identify a pest by looking at the legs or antennae. But there are
limitations to this system, which relies heavily on entomologists'
knowledge of uncommon pests and whether or not the expert is available.
DNA barcoding significantly speeds up the process and eliminates
the potential of mistaken identity.
In this project, a protocol was developed in which growers sent
the cards to the University of Guelph's barcoding lab, which provided
positive identifications in as little as four hours.
Export market potential
Aalbers looks forward to having the technology provide a marketable
advantage for the Ontario greenhouse industry.
"From a research perspective, we're working towards having
a handheld DNA barcoding unit growers can use right in the greenhouse,"
he says. In simple terms, they would put a pest in the unit and
it would instantly kick out the name of the species.
The handheld unit also has great potential at the Canada/U.S. border.
Ontario growers annually export approximately $300 million worth
of flowering plants into the U.S. Currently, if border security
guards spot a pest they don't recognize, they must send it to an
entomologist in New York City for identification.
"Essentially, the shipment is sent back to the grower. You
can't afford to have a truck sit for four days with flowers in the
back and wait for an answer," says Aalbers.
With the handheld unit, the response time would be shortened to
four or five hours. Quicker pest identification will mean shipments
can pass through without delay and potentially increase revenues
for Ontario growers.
Aalbers says it will be a few more years before the handheld units
become reality. He recognizes the industry has come a long way thanks
to this project. "We're getting there, it's just a matter of
keeping the work going."
This project received support from Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial
initiative.
Bolserting industry's businesss skills
New program has food and beverage manufacturers "Managing
for Success"
Ontario's food and beverage manufacturing sector is a crucial component
in the province's agricultural industry. The sector employed more
than 94,000 people at more than 3,000 companies and contributed
$9.9 billion to the province's Gross Domestic Product in 2011.
Despite its size and breadth, approximately 70 per cent of the
sector consists of small to medium-sized enterprises - individual
companies with fewer than 50 employees. Many successful businesses
start small and develop over time, so they do not always think about
planning and training for long-term business success.
That's where Managing for Success comes in. This business development
program from the Alliance of Ontario Food Processors (AOFP) is designed
to increase the use of best management practices in the sector,
and is funded through Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial
initiative. The AOFP is a non-profit association of food and beverage
processing companies and industry organizations.
"Managing for Success has been extremely valuable for Ontario's
food and beverage industry," says John Cruickshank, project
manager at AOFP. "The program is a cost effective way to help
sharpen the business skills that manufacturers need to take their
businesses to the next level."
Identifying knowledge gaps
The program, now in its third year, began with confidential, in-depth
reviews of 40 Ontario food and beverage processors. These assessments
were conducted by experienced business advisors who examined best
management practices in eight different areas, from strategy and
leadership to marketing, sales, human resources and operations.
“We were able to gain a cross section of the industry,”
says Cruickshank. “The business assessments revealed some significant
strengths – and some real weaknesses – across the board.”
For example, when the advisors delved into financial management,
they discovered that more than two thirds of the businesses interviewed
had basic financial tools such as a budget only because they were
required by their financial institution.
Resources tailored to food and beverage processors
Armed with data, the program team was able to develop resources
for addressing key challenges. But business advisors also identified
a universal challenge: owners and managers are so busy with day-to-day
plant operations that it’s difficult for them to undertake
long-term planning or outside training.
To address the need for training, the team developed a series of
educational opportunities for both managers and employees. Owners
and senior managers were invited to attend an executive series of
full-day sessions on areas such as strategic planning. Employees
were invited to participate in partial day in-person workshops on
subjects like branding and marketing, or webinars on specific topics
such as point-of-sale marketing.
“We know that food and beverage manufacturers don’t have
a lot of time to devote to training exercises and education so we
tried to make each one relevant to their day-to-day business,”
says Cruickshank. “We learned along the way that the more tangible
we can make the items we offer, the better they’ll be received.”
While the strengths and weaknesses of businesses varied, interest
in innovation was universal, says Cruickshank. And analysis revealed
that entrepreneurial companies are particularly strong in innovation.
“Innovation doesn’t have to be a new product,” Cruickshank
says. “It could be a new package, a process, or any way to
drive costs out of the system. That’s what food and beverage
processors seek most, and it’s what will keep them competitive.”
The way forward
Following the initial 40 confidential in-depth business assessments,
an additional 20 Managing for Success assessments will be finalized
under the program by March 30, 2013. All 60 slots were filled in
a matter of weeks, which Cruickshank says speaks to the demand for
programs like this. Now that the Managing for Success brand has
gained some traction within the sector, there is a growing interest
in the resources available.
The program has also led to the creation of an industry working
group, comprising representatives from academia, industry and government,
to look at next steps. Cruickshank says partnerships will be key
for any new initiatives developed in the future.
“This program has been a success for the sector and I think
it gives it an edge and some resources that directly impact the
bottom line,” Cruickshank says.
Entire value chain benefits from processing vegetable trials
All vegetables are not destined for the fresh food market. There
is a strong industry in Ontario for processing vegetables - those
grown specifically for the canned or frozen market. And ongoing
research to determine if new vegetable varieties are suitable for
this market is benefitting everyone involved in Ontario's processing
vegetables value chain - from seed companies through to consumers.
For the past four years, researchers have been identifying and
evaluating different varieties of peas, snap beans and sweet corn
to determine the crops' suitability for processing, based on the
growing conditions in Ontario. These trials are coordinated by the
Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG).
"We are essentially looking for how various varieties of these
crops work in the field," says Al Krueger, executive assistant
for OPVG and trial coordinator. In 2011, the agronomic performance
(including yield, crop quality, ease of harvest, heat tolerance
and disease resistance) of more than 173 different varieties of
peas, snap beans and sweet corn was tested by researchers at the
University of Guelph's Ridgetown Campus and at Cornell University
in Geneva, New York.
Knowledge advantage
Third-party trials provide useful knowledge for the entire value
chain. Seed companies can see how their varieties stack up; processors
can confidently select new varieties to pack, and growers gain valuable
production information. In the end, consumers benefit too - with
access to high-quality local vegetables in step with food trends.
"Growing everything on the same spot allows us to assess
how the varieties do when you take out some of the variables such
as weather," says Krueger. "It's a means by which the
industry is able to look at agronomic characteristics such as size
or growing habit, the way the plant looks, which has an impact on
ease of harvesting and, of course, yield."
Without the trials, there would be a huge information void about
the growing characteristics of new varieties, which are constantly
evolving to provide agronomic benefits (e.g. disease resistance,
heat tolerance, higher yield) or end-user benefits (e.g. flavour,
colour, shape or size).
"There is always something new out there," says Ridgetown's
John Zandstra, the research horticulturist who coordinates the pea
trials. "There are two or three varieties that we always use
as industry standards. But I would say that at least 60 per cent
of the varieties we test on any given year are vegetable varieties
we've never seen."
Quality and yield potential
In 2012, Zandstra and his team tested 50 pea varieties sourced
from six different seed companies. It's labour intensive yet important
work for the cool climate crop that now exceeds 15,000 planted acres
in the province - one of Ontario's largest processing vegetable
crops.
"We take extensive notes on what time of season they come
on; how they do under hotter conditions; and the size of the pea
at maturity. Growers are particularly interested in knowing if varieties
'flare,'" says Zandstra referring to how quickly the pea matures.
"If these varieties are mature at 10 a.m. then are over mature
at 2 p.m. - it's a really tricky window that producers have to find."
This type of insight for growers is invaluable. "We can give
them an idea of how the season will go and what the quality and
yield potential is for them," says Zandstra.
It's ultimately the processors who decide what to grow, but growers
also benefit from these trials, says Krueger. "Growers want
information about what a third-party thinks a variety will do,"
he says.
An added benefit is that OPVG can use the information as a contract
tool. "If we know from the trials that a particular variety
has a characteristic that may impact on grower returns, then we
can put something in the contract to address that issue."
U.S. expertise
Similar production notes for snap beans and sweet corn are collected
in a well-established research program south of the border. There
the OPVG taps into the expertise of researcher Jim Ballerstein at
the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station based at Cornell
University.
"Geneva, New York has very similar growing conditions to Ontario,"
explains Krueger. "We wanted access to those results and the
ability to put certain varieties in the trial."
The fact that cultivars grow well in the field doesn't guarantee
they will also process well. However, the New York State trials
are a little more extensive than those for peas because they follow
through to the processing end, notes Krueger.
All of this testing and evaluation ultimately adds value for each
member of the processing vegetables value chain.
"These trials will certainly play a key role in taking these
new varieties from the field to the table," says Zandstra.
This project is supported by the Farm Innovation Program (FIP),
a federal-provincial-territorial program under Growing Forward.
Safe food in any language
New resource provides training opportunity for multicultural
workforce
Ontario's food processing sector provides meaningful employment
opportunities for many Canadians - including those who are new to
the country. Having a large and diverse employee population means
making sure everyone knows and follows important safety and training
procedures, no matter what language they speak.
A new project for Ontario's food and beverage processing partners
led by the Ontario Independent Meat Processors (OIMP) promises to
break down communication barriers in employee training. The project
has led to the translation of key food handler training materials
into nine languages - those most commonly spoken among food and
beverage manufacturing employees across the province.
"Our businesses rely on the hard work of a large workforce
that is sometimes not traditionally English-speaking," says
Laurie Nicol, executive director of OIMP. "We saw the need
to provide our standard training materials in a variety of languages
to ensure the high standards in Ontario food and beverage processing
facilities never suffer from a language barrier."
OIMP began the process by updating and translating Food Handler
Training materials into French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese,
Punjabi, Spanish, and traditional and simplified Chinese. The translated
materials include an extensive range of resources, including a food
safety pre- and post-test, workshop slides, student workbooks and
examinations.
"The industry is currently experiencing a higher than average
employee turnover rate, which means that continuous training must
be available in an easily accessed self-directed learning course,"
says Nicol. "These multilingual materials and flexible delivery
options will help keep Ontario's food processing workforce informed
and up to date. This in turn will ensure a steady supply of safe
and healthy food for Ontario consumers."
OIMP tested the materials within the meat industry by hosting
a pilot workshop. In the post-test conducted by the 12 participants,
food safety knowledge increased more than 50 per cent from the pre-test
exercise. All participants performed very well on the course's final
exam, with scores in the high 80s.
After the pilot training, workshops and webinars were offered to
the broader food processing industry. To date, 279 food handlers
(including workshop supervisors and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs meat inspectors) have completed the food
handling training. "On every single workshop, there is a noticeable
improvement on pre- and post-tests," says Nicol.
She notes that improved awareness and knowledge of food safety
is vital for reducing food safety risk. "This project has made
it easier for us to communicate our high food safety standards with
our highly diverse workforce, and that's great news for everyone."
Among the lessons learned, the industry discovered that webinars
were not an effective way to deliver this type of training - and
that in-person workshops provide the best training environment.
The industry also worked with Toronto Public Health, and made some
modifications to material to ensure the information was consistent
and recognized by that organization.
OIMP is committed to enhancing the accessibility of food handler
training to Ontario's food processing industry, and will continue
to promote the program.
"Whatever the language, the message is the same - following
established food handling practices ensures a healthy and safe food
supply for Canadian consumers," Nicol says.
This project is funded through Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial
initiative, as part of the Food Safety and Traceability Education
program.
Biosecurity and traceability technology advance a third-generation
farm
Turkey production practices may change and evolve but a strong
commitment to bird health and product quality remains unchanged.
This is especially true at Hayter’s Farm – a family-owned
turkey operation in Dashwood, Ontario founded by patriarch Harry
Hayter in 1948.
Today, Hayter’s grandchildren play a key role in making sure
the 60-year-old operation maintains the highest standards and the
farm’s technology keeps pace with business growth and consumer
demands.
“It’s always evolving. As we grow, we find different
areas where we can improve our processes,” says grandson Sean
Maguire, operations manager for Hayter’s Turkey Products. From
one location and with 65 full-time employees, Hayter’s Farm
operates a full value chain – from the arrival of one-day-old
poults to the finished consumer-ready product.
Maguire’s cousin Justin Hayter, who is a production lead for
the livestock aspect of the business, explains the logistics involved.“We
are currently running 24 flocks through our barns,” says Hayter.
“We have nine grow-out barns on location and three brooder
barns. We get our poults at one day of age. We raise them until
four weeks in our brooder barns and then we move them to our grow-out
barns and they stay there until they’re 16 weeks old and ready
to market.”
Proactive approach to bird health
That’s a lot of turkeys to keep track of – 162,000 birds
annually to be exact. One tool that has helped Hayter keep a close
eye on bird health over the past three years is the use of water
meters hooked up to Platinums (essentially, special computers for
the barn).“When something goes wrong with the birds, they go
off water right away,” he explains.“Every morning we check
the daily consumption. If we see that water intake has dropped,
it can be an early sign of a health problem. So we can be proactive
and catch it before there is a big issue,” says Justin.
Funding through Growing Forward’s biosecurity initiative allowed
for the purchase of this technology. “We are very fortunate
for these grants because this equipment is very expensive,”
says Hayter.“We appreciate the government being proactive and
making sure that animal health and food safety are top priorities.”
The monitoring system also has the capability to electronically
weigh the feed tanks – something Hayter hopes to include in
his knowledge arsenal in the future. “If the birds ever went
off feed, that would be another flag that something was wrong,”
he says.
Sophisticated traceability system
Knowledge is equally important on the processing side, which has
evolved considerably since the plant started in 1984 as a whole-bird
processing facility and became federally inspected in 1990.
“In the last five to 10 years, we have really grown into the
further processed side of the business,” says Maguire. “We
are now making burgers, sausages and filets for the retail market.
And that’s what spurred the need to have sophistication in
our traceability.” Hayter’s Turkey products supply major
food service distributors and also private label products for a
regional supermarket chain.
Through the help of another Growing Forward project, Hayters developed
their electronic food safety and traceability programs, including
the purchase of a scale and scanners to help label and track the
inventory. When they carried out a mock recall under the new system,
they found the process to be streamlined and a whole lot easier.
“We always had a recall system in place, but it required
running multiple reports from different databases and then having
to manually corroborate all that information. Now it’s all
done at the click of a mouse,” says Maguire.
Since implementing the digital system, he has witnessed other benefits,
too.“It gives us a better handle on our day-today production.
We can track product flow and we can better cost analyze our process,”
he says. “The driver for this project was food safety, but
we have also benefited from the knowledge it provides. The more
information we can have to look at our processes, the better.”
Continuous improvements will help carry this 60-year family business
of caring for turkeys and creating top-quality products well into
the future.
Back to school
Commitment to continuous learning puts Sunholm Farms at the top
of the class
Owning and operating a busy farm that produces milk, beef, poultry,
pork and eggs doesn’t stop Grant and Pam Martin from taking
the time to learn something new.
“We strive to produce the best food possible and are constantly
learning and improving our skills,” says Grant.
The pair met while earning their honours degrees in agriculture
at the University of Guelph in the late 1990s. Today, they own Sunholm
Farms – a certified organic dairy farm in Ethel, Ontario. The
operation includes 65 dairy cows, as well as beef cattle, chickens,
turkeys, pigs and nearly 600 acres of crop, pasture and woodlots.
Their meat and eggs are sold directly to consumers while their milk
is processed and marketed through Harmony Organic.
“In all that we do, we always strive to do a good job,”
says Grant, a recipient of two industry awards in the past year
(see sidebar). The farm’s success is a combination of hard
work and a commitment to continuing education. “After we received
our degrees, we wanted to keep learning.”
After buying their farm in 2003, the Martins learned what it would
take to become certified organic and received the designation in
2006. “Transitioning the farm to organic wasn’t difficult
because it had been managed sustainably since the 1970s,” says
Grant. His late father, Lyle, was one of the founders of the Ecological
Farmers of Ontario.
Growing Your Farm Profits
In 2008, the Martins’ continuing education took the shape
of a Growing Your Farm Profits workshop funded by Growing Forward.
The two-day session delivered by the local Ontario Soil and Crop
Improvement Association helped the Martins assess their farm management
practices and prioritize their business goals.
“After completing the workshop, we were able to access cost-share
funding for advisory services to help develop an action plan,”
says Grant. The couple worked with Carl Moore, a farm advisor from
Woodstock, Ontario, and appreciated the combination of agriculture
knowledge and business savvy that he brought to the table.
Grant praises Moore for bringing a fresh perspective to the farm
business. “He gave us many new ideas as well as information
that helped us in the decision-making process,” says Grant,
who worked with Pam to weigh each option. Marketing organic livestock
and diversifying some of their farming enterprises were two changes
suggested by Moore that have had positive impacts.
Crunching numbers was also part of Moore’s job, including
farm financial ratios such as solvency, profitability and debt.
He now follows up on an annual basis to help the Martins gauge their
progress and often offers new ideas that sometimes spark the need
for more skill development.
Developing skills off the farm
With additional cost-share funding through Growing Forward, Grant
has been able to pursue other educational opportunities, including
a cheese-making course in British Columbia.
“I learned a lot about cheese making during those three days,”
he says. “But I also learned that I don’t want to be a
cheese maker.” While some of the milk produced on the Martin
farm is destined to become cheese, Grant leaves that job up to established
organic cheese makers.
Grant also participated in a pasture management course in Alberta,
bringing home valuable tips and techniques that he has put to use
on the farm. “It was a good seminar with a really good teacher,”
he recalls. Pasturing plays an important role at Sunholm Farms.
“We not only want to protect our environment, but to improve
it. Grass farming and pasturing is the best way to achieve this
goal,” says Grant.
The Martins believe that organic and pastured agriculture must
play an important role in the future of the planet. “We strive
to create a farm that is sustainable. This means providing for and
nurturing the next generation of our family, our crops and our animals,”
he says.
Pam and Grant’s four young sons already play active roles
on the farm. The Martins are currently in the process of succession
planning – yet another new knowledge area for the couple. With
a succession plan in place, they can be assured that opportunities
will be available for their boys – and that passion for learning
will undoubtedly be passed on.
Becoming more Biosecure
Veterinary technician students put biosecurity knowledge
to work
Biosecurity is fast becoming a household word. Ensuring that best
practices for biosecurity are followed is a shared responsibility
among all participants in any value chain. A group of second-year
college students working towards becoming Registered Veterinary
Technicians (RVTs) have been given a unique opportunity for hands-on
learning about the role they can play.
In Ontario, RVTs are governed by the Ontario Association of Veterinary
Technicians (OAVT). It was the forward-looking approach of this
association – with the collaboration of Growing Forward, a
federal-provincialterritorial initiative – that started the
process of offering interested student veterinary technicians a
hands-on biosecurity experience with large animal veterinarians.
After a successful pilot project with 10 Georgian College veterinary
technician (VT) students about three years ago, the OAVT applied
for Growing Forward funding to offer a large animal externship in
the 11 accredited VT colleges across Ontario.
The goal of the new program was simple: connect VT students with
large animal veterinarians for a 10-day externship (practical training
opportunity) where students would learn basic knowledge and best
practices about biosecurity. The program was offered over two years,
to two groups of applicants. Judging by the number of students successfully
completing their field study, the new learning opportunity offered
valuable professional development– with 25 students in the
first year and 28 in the second.
Making connections
“The externship provided an excellent opportunity for mutual
learning between the students and the practitioners,” says
Rory Demetrioff, executive director and registrar with OAVT. “Large
animal veterinarians had the opportunity to work with potential
hires, and have an extra set of hands. Students gained large animal
field experience while testing out the biosecurity information they
learned through a best practices manual we provided to participants.”
The idea for the program evolved from discussions among biosecurity
stakeholders– government, veterinary profession and producer
organizations. For large animal veterinarians, there are two distinct
pools of biosecurity risks – on farm and between farms –
that must be minimized with all available precautions. As increased
biosecurity measures are required, RVTs were identified as a group
of professionals that could play an important role, with proper
training. Enter the externship approach.
Better biosecurity
The externship focused specifically on biosecurity – a topic
that is generally recognized as becoming increasingly vital for
agriculture. “It was important to focus the externship on a
specific area – to help set up expectations about what the
students were there to learn more about,” says Demetrioff.
A manual of biosecurity best practices gave students some theoretical
background that they could discuss with the veterinarian and experience
in practice during their 10 days in the field.
Building capacity
OAVT coordinated the two-year program, available to any final
year VT student attending an accredited college in Ontario.
Interested students completed a formal application to participate
in the program and, if accepted, were provided with an overview
of basic biosecurity principles and best practices.
OAVT compiled a list of large animal veterinarians across the province
who had expressed interest in taking part in the externship program.
Selected students were provided with the list and encouraged to
make their own connections directly with potential placements. Program
funding was provided to participating students to cover the costs
of relocating for their 10-day externship.A daily stipend was provided
to the veterinarians.
“Interest was quite high in the program,” says Demetrioff.
“This program was just one spoke in a big wheel that is animal
health care delivery. We felt it was extremely important to demonstrate
the role that RVTs can play in biosecurity in large animal practices,
and we’re committed to finding a way to keep this program running.”
As a provincial association and regulatory body for Registered
Veterinary Technicians in Ontario, OAVT must continually find new
ways for RVTs to contribute to veterinary medicine delivery. As
food production needs change, there is expected to be an ongoing
need for high quality veterinary care professionals. And 10 days
spent in the field is helping Ontario graduates become better qualified
veterinary technicians with these additional skills in biosecurity.
Getting on the "must do"
list: EFP helps producers identify on-farm improvements
In the past six years, a total of $310 million was invested
in the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) in Ontario, including 22,000
completed on-farm projects and 13,000 farm businesses that participated
in an EFP workshop and completed peer-reviewed action plans. What
is most notable is that 66 per cent of investments in these environmental
improvement projects were contributed directly by farmers (Source:
OSCIA, from April 2005 through December 2011).
For Stan and Barb Van Deuren, who co-own (with their son, Jeff)
a mixed livestock farm in Coldstream, Ontario, the EFP and its associated
cost-share programs enabled them to undertake projects that improved
not only their farm but the environment also. The Van Deurens own
Bowood Farms– an operation with 2,200 finishing hogs,150 red
veal calves and 850 acres in corn, soybeans and wheat.
In early 2009, when the Van Deurens signed up for an EFP workshop,
they were looking for ways to improve their on-farm fuel storage
system and address soil erosion concerns on their farm. But what
they got was a whole lot more. The two days they spent at the formal
EFP workshop sessions were just the beginning of an extensive process
that would see them examine and improve other environmental and
business practices on their farm.
“The EFP workshop gave us a better understanding of the environmental
concerns on our farm, and the need to find the best solution to
address these risks,” says Barb Van Deuren.
Over the course of the workshop they completed a farm review, identified
areas of concern, developed an action plan and prepared emergency
plans for their operation. “We discovered other areas that
needed to be addressed, including decommissioning an old dug well
and improving our two current wells,” says Barb.
Improvements identified through the EFP process may be eligible
for cost-share funding through the associated Canada- Ontario Farm
Stewardship Program (COFSP). Both EFP and COFSP are supported by
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs through Growing Forward,a federal-provincial-territorial
initiative.
In early 2010, the Van Deurens received COFSP funding to complete
the following key projects they had identified through the EFP process.
They also applied for additional funding from the Upper Thames River
Conservation Authority’s Clean Water Program.
Grassed waterway
A natural depression in the landscape was carrying off valuable
soil when heavy rains hit the Van Deuren’s crop land. Cost-share
funding from COFSP helped them hire a professional contractor to
reshape, grade and seed a new grassed waterway for effective erosion
control. Improving the slope of the waterway, adding a berm to reduce
flow speed and the addition of grass all help slow the water flow,
allowing excess water to be absorbed into the ground.
New farm well
The Van Deurens identified concerns with sand and silt leaking
through their well casing into their tap water, so they were able
to access funding support to drill a new well, and seal and cap
off their old well. These improvements have delivered a well that
operates much more efficiently and an improved, consistent water
source for the farm family.
Fuel storage system
Through the EFP workshop, the Van Deurens identified a number
of improvements to be made to their fuel storage system including
the distance the tanks were located from buildings and waterways.
They turned to their fuel supplier, Hensall District Co-operative,
for advice and assistance to construct a coverage storage unit that
now houses three new fuel tanks and adheres to current regulations.
The new permanent structure is conveniently located close to their
equipment shop and provides easy access for their supplier for refilling.
A helping hand
“There is no question that the EFP workshop and opportunity
to access cost-share funding from COFSP provided a great jumpstart
for our on-farm improvements,” says Barb. Like any business
manager, investments must be weighed for cost-benefit and compared
to other priorities. “We tend to complete projects first that
will generate more farm income or lower farm expenses, but with
the support of COFSP we were able to address other priorities which
benefit the farm and the environment.”
With EFP and the associated COFSP, the Van Deurens also benefited
from using professional services – people with expertise in
specific project areas – to get the job done faster than if
they had to find the time themselves.
Biopesticides for turfgrass could
make it easy being green
Keeping grass healthy, green and chemical-free is an ongoing challenge
for Ontario landscapers and homeowners who are dealing with increases
in common grass-destroying weeds and pests in many parts of the
province.
New research from Vineland Research and Innovation Centre and the
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
is taking a holistic approach to turfgrass health by developing
a better understanding of what lawns need to be healthy, including
tools that use natural organisms to fight natural predators.
“A lawn is a functioning, living breathing organism, and has
specific requirements to be at its healthiest,” says Michael
Brownbridge, a researcher at the centre.
“When weeds move in, they’re taking advantage of a weakness
that already exists. Our work on biopesticides and other turf management
practices allow us to take a preventative rather than curative approach.”
Brownbridge is working with Pam Charbonneau from OMAFRA to test
biopesticides – which are based on naturally occurring microorganisms,
nematodes and plant-derived products – to assess how effective
they can be in fighting common turfgrass problems such as white
grubs, chinch bugs and various weeds. The researchers have seen
variable success with a number of products that are already on the
market, and through their research have produced some tangible results
the lawn care industry and homeowners can use today.
“We’re looking at existing bio-control agents because
the industry needs tools for the very near term,” Brownbridge
says. “There is good information to suggest combining bio-control
agents is better, and now we’re experimenting with different
delivery techniques and treatments.”
Living organisms and products require more user management than
traditional broad-spectrum pesticides, Brownbridge says. Nematodes,
for example, are living organisms that lawn care providers spray
onto grass. To ensure good performance, applications should be preceded
and followed by irrigation to help move the beneficial control down
into the soil where pests such as white grubs live. Similarly, applications
of nematodes can effectively control chinch bugs, and also require
irrigation before and after treatment, especially during the hot,
dry months when chinch damage is rapidly evident.
Other products, including a corn gluten/ neem tree seed product
have worked as an effective pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer.
Now the researchers are learning what they can about the best time
to apply biopesticides, and how these natural products can impact
common pests at various stages in their life cycle.
“The research really requires a better understanding of the
insect’s physiology, behaviour and lifecycle,” Brownbridge
says. “They behave differently and respond differently at various
ages.”
Getting all of these parameters lined up is tricky, but necessary
if these products are going to work. White grubs, for example feed
on the fibrous roots of turf grasses. Young white grubs tend to
live closer to the soil surface, whereas the older grubs go deeper
and are more difficult to reach with any surface-applied treatment.
Soil temperature is also important. Nematodes work best at soil
temperatures over 12°C. This means that applications of nematodes
should (ideally) be made in the late summer/ early fall, when grubs
are more susceptible, easier to reach and soil temperatures are
conducive to infection.
Other pests, such as the hairy chinch bug, feed at the base of
the grass stem primarily, when grasses are water-stressed and summer
temperatures are highest. “But they can be dealt with; it’s
a matter of selecting the right nematode or other product, or combination
of the two,” says Brownbridge, whose work this year will include
testing a range of new biopesticides that may fit within a chinch
management program.
“In many cases, the sooner biopesticides are applied to a
lawn, the more effective they can be at preventing common pests
from thriving and weakening grass,” Brownbridge says. “Our
immediate focus is on getting effective lawn care solutions into
the hands of lawn care providers, and we have the cooperation of
companies and individuals as we work toward that goal.”
The work is supported in part by organizations such as the Ontario
Turfgrass Research Foundation, Landscape Ontario, Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada through its AgriScience Research Cluster Program,
the Cosmetic Use Pesticide Research and Innovation Program and Growing
Forward.
Through Growing Forward, the governments of Canada and Ontario
invested $15.6 million over five years in Vineland Research and
Innovation Centre to coordinate and deliver commercialization opportunities
to the horticulture sector, including faster access to new plant
varieties that will help producers remain innovative and competitive.
Making way for a fifth generation
on the farm
He may have reached an age when most Canadians are considering
retirement, but at 65, Lambton County grain farmer Bryon Sparling
is just hitting his stride. His father farmed until he was in his
90s, and Bryon suggests as long as he remains in good health, he
wouldn’t mind doing the same.
But Bryon also knows the value of planning ahead for the day when
he will be ready to move away from the day-to-day business of the
farm, and put it into good, capable hands. He and his family have
already taken some initial steps to prepare for that time.
Bryon and his wife Dorothy farm 740 acres of corn, seed soybeans
and seed wheat. Until 2006, they also raised turkeys and had a beef
feedlot. As a young child, Bryon’s first chore with his father
was collecting turkey eggs on the farm. With his uncle and cousins
farming across the road, there was always an extra hand to help
on either farm when it was needed.
For the Sparlings, the farm is very much a family affair with a
proud history of four generations working the land. Their two daughters,
Dorinda and Bonita, began helping on the farm when they were young,
made possible by the family’s decision to home school. The
girls accompanied Dorothy when meals were brought out to the fields,
and would often join their father or grandfather in the tractor
and combine.
“The girls got to know the sounds of the equipment at an early
age,” Bryon says. “They would sit beside my dad on the
buddy seat while he worked, and later when his vision started failing
they were able to help by taking over at the wheel.”
Dorinda remains Bryon’s go-to employee for helping to operate
the farm’s combine and payloader. She recently returned to
the home farm after her grandfather’s passing. In 2010 she
married her husband Mike, who has taken a major role in maintenance,
crop storage and grain shipping. Although Mike and Dorinda have
full-time, off-farm jobs – he’s a mechanic and she works
with special needs children – their goal is to make the family
farm their main Bryon Sparling and his young grandchildren occupation,
supplemented by their current professions.
In November 2010, Bryon participated in a Growing Your Farm Profits
workshop. This two-day event – focusing on the business side
of farm operations – provided valuable information about farm
succession planning.
“The program came along at a very appropriate time for us,”
Bryon says. “The facilitators gave us different scenarios around
transitioning our farm to the next generation. Some of the scenarios
will work for us, and some won’t, but it gave us a much broader
picture and initiated the transitioning process.”
Many farmers have found the Growing Your Farm Profits program useful
in helping to establish transition plans that outline a schedule
for transferring farm ownership and workload to a family member.
For the Sparlings, there is no specific timeline for those milestones.
“We have a direction, but not a detailed plan,” Bryon
says, noting the couples have reviewed and agreed to the goals for
their farm, including a commitment to financial support for their
other daughter, Bonita, who is involved in church missions overseas.
“I found real value in having experts walk us through different
situations, such as estate freeze and transfer,” he says. “They
did a great job of presenting the options in a variety of ways so
we could think it through clearly and complete our estate freeze
by year end 2011.”
For now, Bryon is establishing a flow that works his daughter and
son-in-law into the family business while they also focus on their
infant twins at home. Mike’s contributing mechanical and methodical
strengths, and Dorinda functions in a support role during the busy
planting and harvesting seasons. Bryon continues to manage the wellestablished
sales and supply relationships within his agri-business community.
Bryon is mindful that asking Mike and Dorinda to absorb four generations
of farm knowledge can get overwhelming. They will continue to maintain
their off-farm careers, with the flexibility to step in to help
on the farm when necessary.
“Mike and Dorinda are being incorporated into the business
as it fits, and I have peace of mind knowing they’ll step up
when they’re needed,” says Bryon. “We’re a team
working together, and it’s working for us.”
Food safety and traceability are the latest best practices on many
Ontario farms. Everyone shares responsibility for the food produced
in Ontario, and a current Growing Forward federal-provincial-territorial
initiative makes it clear that primary producers are ready and eager
to participate.
When the Food Safety and Traceability Initiative was introduced
to encourage safe food practices on-farm and at the food processor
level, the interest was overwhelming in Ontario. Designed to encourage
adoption of voluntary food safety programs and traceability practices,
these two producers saw instant benefits for their farm businesses.
Better Bins Keep Market Options Open
For
John Hordyk, improving food safety practices is a way of securing
markets for his apple and pear crops. He sells his crops through
two local packers, who in turn sell exclusively to the Loblaw grocery
chain.
"We are competing on a global market as orchard growers, and
I'm always upgrading my farm to meet global demands," says
Hordyk, whose GraceView Orchards in Port Burwell, Ontario is home
to 40 acres of apples and 20 acres of pears. "And if I want
to ship to Loblaw, I have to store my apples and pears in plastic
bins."
Hordyk knew the container change was coming, and would require
replacing his existing wooden bins with easier to clean plastic
ones. Food safety was not a new concept for him, so it was an easy
decision when he signed up for a food safety workshop last year
as part of the Food Safety and Traceability Initiative (FSTI) under
Growing Forward.
Through the workshop and resulting action plan, Hordyk focused
on the new container requirements for his apples and pears, and
was able to access cost-share funding to help him purchase 200 of
the estimated 500 bins he'll require for his annual crop.
"I strongly believe Canada is on top of food safety and traceability,
and the products we grow are world-class quality," says John
Hordyk.
“Food safety has always been a practice on the farm, and now
we have the documentation to improve accountability,” says
John Hordyk, whose product appears on Loblaw’s shelves.
Electronic Records Streamline Growing
Flock
Alana
Zadow also knows that food safety starts at the farm level. So when
she learned about the Food Safety and Traceability Initiative, she
jumped at the chance to improve some aspects of the 35-acre sheep
farm she operates with her husband Paul in Eganville, Ontario.
After reviewing the application and guidebook, the Zadows decided
to concentrate on traceability of their growing flock.
“For us, the timing couldn’t have been better,”
says Alana. “We are not a large operation – 51 ewes right
now – but we’re growing and feel it’s important to
keep current on new practices,” she says. One of those practices
is the RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tagging system coming
into effect in 2012.
“We’re still at a scale that allows us to learn as we
go, rather than jumping into new practices with a large flock,”
says Alana. Resources are at a premium for this farm couple. They
both have full-time, off-farm jobs and work hard to maintain their
growing herd. As part of the traceability plan, the Zadows purchased
a RFID-compatible sheep management software program, an RFID wand
to read electronic tags and carry information back to computer,
and a handling chute and tilt table to improve sorting for tagging
and shipping as part of the cost-share element of FSTI.
“The computerized records make life much easier as our flock
grows, producing reports in a moment’s notice, rather than
it being an all-day job,” she says. “The purchase of these
items has made a huge difference in the amount of time we have to
deal with other farm-related issues.”
Traceability wasn’t a new idea for the Zadows. They already
had biosecurity measures in place including a tagging system, signage
and clean footwear. And the health and welfare of their animals
has always been a top priority. The cost-share element with the
food safety and traceability program allowed the Zadows to invest
in larger items they may have otherwise foregone because of budget
constraints. For a relatively small investment (just over $3,000
through the program), the Zadows were also able to reduce the overall
time required to maintain the flock’s health.
“This project has made our farm operation easier to manage
and easier to grow,” says Alana and Paul Zadow, who operate
a 35-acre sheep farm near Eganville, Ontario.
The Hidden Gems in Food Safety
The 228 companies interviewed for a recent evaluation of the impact
and value of food safety and traceability programs reported dual
benefits - improved food safety practices (expected) and a boost
to the business bottom line (unexpected).
Food safety benefits:
improved food safety procedures and practices
a sense of responsibility and pride in all staff involved
in implementing and following a food safety and traceability
program
Economic benefits:
returned an average of more than $5 in incremental sales for
every $1 invested in food safety
increased sales through new customers and expanded market
reach - one client was able to secure a $1 .5 million contract
with a major U.S. food service customer as a direct result of
implementing a traceability system.
Industry-led Initiatives Drive Home the
Need for Improved Food Safety and Traceability
When a major Canadian grocery retailer announced in 2009 that all
shippers, packers and producers needed an audited food safety program,
Adrian Huisman, Manager of the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers' Marketing
Board, knew many of his producers were going to need some support
to meet this requirement.
"Approximately 100 tender fruit and grape growers had implemented
the CanadaGAP program and been successfully audited," says
Huisman. "When we surveyed the other 300 tender fruit growers,
who had yet to complete the instruction and audit process, we found
that they needed help."
The CanadaGAP Program is an on-farm food safety program developed
by the horticultural industry. The program is administered and maintained
by the Canadian Horticultural Council. Audit and certification services
are delivered by accredited third parties. The program was built
around the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
(HACCP), the internationally-recognized food safety management system.
The Ontario Tender Fruit Producers' Marketing Board applied to
the Food Safety and Traceability Education (FSTE) Program for support
in developing member education and outreach initiatives. The FSTE
Program is one of the Best Practices suite of programs under Growing
Forward, a federal, provincial, territorial initiative.
"Increasingly having an audited food safety program is just
part of doing business," says Huisman. "Without it, you
lose market access. We have the programs and the materials, now
we need to help get everyone to the same level. It's the right thing
to do."
Building for the Future
The
Ontario Asparagus Grower's Marketing Board is the oldest board in
the province. Ontario's 120 asparagus growers want to make sure
they have a certified food safety and traceability program that
meets the needs of their retail and food service customers as they
develop alternatives to the fresh market.
With support from the Food Safety and Traceability Education Program,
the board is doing the necessary research for a gap analysis. The
information will then be used to develop a comprehensive traceability
template, as well as standard operating procedures and protocols,
which the entire value chain can use, from grower to grading station
to processor.
"The system must be affordable, scalable to the size of grower
and complements other on-farm operations and products. It also has
to be simple to implement for it to be adopted", says Marvin
Karges, Executive Director for the Board.
The Producer to Processors Readiness Program will also support
the development of training and implementation resources for food
safety and traceability.
Improving Training Resources
The Ontario Independent Meat Processors (OIMP) applied to the Food
Safety and Traceability Education Program for support to redevelop
its Food Handler Training Manual as a workshop or as a webinar.
"Attending a full-day workshop or webinar requires a bit more
commitment," says Laurie Nicol, OIMP Executive Director, "but
participant interaction reinforces and intensifies learning."
The food industry is a multi-ethnic industry. The OIMP is translating
the workshop training resources and examinations into eight languages
- French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Polish, Punjabi,
Mandarin and Cantonese. "There is a critical need to make training
accessible to non-English-speaking workers," she says. "We
can improve overall food safety if we provide the information to
workers in the language in which they are most comfortable."
Environmental Farm Plan
A Sound Investment
EFP Drives Continuous Improvements
Allan
Beehler's first step to improving environmental practices on his
farm was easy. He opened his mailbox.
About 10 years ago, this Crysler, Ontario dairy farmer responded
to an invitation in the mail to attend a meeting about a grant program
for manure storage. And what started as manure management improvements
grew over the years to include energy conservation practices, erosion
control measures and fuel storage upgrades.
Beehler is a big advocate for the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP)
program. He participated in some of the earliest EFP workshops in
the province, designed to help farmers identify the potential impacts
of their current farming practices.
"You don't realize your practices could have an environmental
impact before going through the workshop," says Beehler, who
operates Nine Mile Farms with his wife Angela, their three children
and his father. They milk 220 cows, farm about 750 acres and employ
two full-time employees.
After completing the initial EFP workshop, Beehler quickly identified
key areas for improvement on his farm. "There were a lot of
things that I learned through the EFP process that I could be doing
better," he says. "And as soon as you are made aware of
them - and there is a financial support - you get it done."
Improvements identified through the EFP process may be eligible
for a cost-share funding through the associated Canada-Ontario Farm
Stewardship Program (COFSP). Records for COFSP show that for every
$1 invested by the program, producers spend an average of $2 of
their own money.
High-efficiency Lighting, Better Barn Fans
More efficient lighting has translated into improved efficiencies
in Beehler's herd and a significant reduction in energy consumption.
"We're using 50 per cent less power for lighting."
Installing bigger, more efficient fans in his dairy barn has also
brought big energy savings and improved the efficiency of the herd
in the heat stress of summer. "The cows aren't losing any productivity
or fat from heat stress, and the new fans use 75 per cent less power
than our older box fans to do the same job."
Manure Storage, Improved Nutrient Management
Managing manure storage can be an expensive proposition, but one
that can represent one of the biggest potential liabilities on a
farm from the standpoint of environmental impact. Through the EFP
process, Beehler recognized the potential environmental risks his
manure storage practices posed. He received cost-share funding support
to build a concrete manure storage and has reduced the farm's use
of earthen lagoons from three to one. "Manure storage is a
big concern and the environmental risk is much less now."
The plan never ends for Beehler. He regularly consults his EFP
workbook and can't say enough good things about the opportunities
the program has made possible on his farm.
The Island of Opportunity
The
EFP is a risk assessment tool that encourages farmers to incorporate
best environmental practices in all their farming activities. They
develop an individualized plan of action to address potential concerns
identified through the EFP process, and may elect to have their
plan reviewed confidentially by a peer review committee. Farmers
with peer-reviewed plans that are deemed appropriate may be eligible
to apply for cost-share funding from the Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship
Program (COFSP). Funding helps support the adoption of best management
practices that are new to the farm business, and contribute to water
and air quality, improved soil productivity, enhanced wildlife habitat
or result in energy conservation.
“Safe, clean water is a priority in any livestock operation,”
says Stan Osawamick (right) pictured here with Margaret Manitowabi
and OSCIA representative Mary Scott (left). The EFP workshop was
an excellent opportunity to look at the water sources on the farm
to make sure they were managed properly.
Biosecurity
Getting the Biosecurity Message to Avian
Hobbyists
Although
Ron Downey was involved in developing the national biosecurity standard
for poultry operations in Canada - and has implemented a comprehensive
program at his family's King Cole Ducks in Aurora, Ontario - he
knows biosecurity is a tough sell to non-regulated producers and
backyard enthusiasts.
"It's easy to get the regulated producers involved because
they are organized and identifiable," he says. But the non-regulated
group is as diverse as the types of birds they raise, including
commercial operations like King Cole Ducks, pheasants, racing pigeons
and bird fanciers.
Making biosecurity matter may be the biggest hurdle. But Downey
has some ideas about where to start. There's the obvious economic
angle. "Contagious, infectious disease is a real threat to
our economy," says Downey. And that disease threat can be spread
just as easily from large supply managed operations as from a small
hobby flock. "You shouldn't be raising birds outside, it's
a risk and they may be vulnerable to contagious disease from wild
birds."
According to Downey, adding some simple and basic measures to help
smaller operations and hobbyists implement biosecurity measures
doesn't have to be complicated. "Keeping flocks under cover
in a wire enclosure, isolated from the outside, is an easy start.
And limiting direct access to birds will reduce the chance of disease
spread," says Downey.
If backyard operations need extra incentive to adopt even the simplest
of biosecurity measures, Ron Downey has some ideas for what might
help make it matter. "We've all chosen to be involved with
birds because of what they do for us", says Downey. "Whether
it's an emotional connection as a fancier or a business operation,
we are responsible for the welfare and well being of the creatures
we raise, and I believe that the national standards is in the best
interests of the animal."
Biosecurity Without Borders: The case
for implementing standards on all poultry operations across Canada
From
Bill Woods' perspective, the appeal of biosecurity measures for
non supply managed operations also comes down to economics. Woods
is a broiler producer from Belwood, Ontario, past chair of the Chicken
Farmers of Ontario and was an active participant on the avian biosecurity
advisory council in the early days of developing biosecurity standards.
"There is an economic return to biosecurity for non supply
managed operations too, it just may be on a smaller scale. It comes
down to the amount of time and energy operators are willing to spend
on biosecurity," he says.
Even so, Woods cites simple biosecurity procedures, like changing
boots and coveralls before going into barns, are almost as effective
as showering in and out. "For non supply managed flocks, there
are a lot of low cost or no cost procedural changes that have a
huge benefit that may affect the economics of their operation."
Through Growing Forward, poultry producers in Ontario (large, small
supply managed and non) can attend a farm biosecurity workshop to
help identify on-farm risks, develop an action plan and may be eligible
for cost-share opportunities. More information is available at www.omafra.gov.on.ca
under Growing Forward programs.
Business Development Workshops Help Families Evaluate Their Farm
Businesses
The McLartys
Sue
and Ken McLarty are like many other baby boomer farmers. Retirement
is coming closer, and their 20-something kids are firmly on the
fence about whether they want to carry on the farm's family tradition.
The McLartys operate a mixed field crop operation near Ridgetown,
Ontario. They own 600 acres, custom farm another 300 acres and farm
an additional 500 acres with a business partner. White beans, corn,
soybeans and wheat make up their crop rotation.
"We took over the farm from Ken's father, who hadn't expected
anyone in the family to farm, so the operation was not kept as current
as it could have been," says Sue.
An important step for the McLarty's farm business plans was attending
a Grow Your Farm Profits (GYFP) workshop in December 2009. After
the workshop, Sue and Ken developed an action plan for their farm,
reviewed it with the OSCIA workshop leader, and with an approved
plan were then eligible to apply for cost-share funding.
The McLartys identified three goals in their action plan to help
strengthen their farm business - update computer records, explore
opportunities for alternative energy on the farm and develop an
exit strategy for retirement.
Sue wanted to update the computer record with a new accounting
package. They applied for cost-share funding to have a trainer come
to the farm for one day to quickly teach Sue the ins and outs of
the program. "Our books are now aligned with the program our
accountant uses, and having the trainer come to the farm eliminated
a lot of stress and frustration in learning a new program."
Sue and Ken had been thinking about the advantages of green energy
for a number of years and now are building a free standing solar
panel on their farm. "It's created a new income stream for
the farm," says Sue. "We'll be paid more for the energy
we create and sell back to the grid, than what we pay for the energy
we use on the farm."
Succession planning can be a touchy subject for any farm family.
"The workshop really brought issues out into the open for us,
and started the dialogue with our family," says Sue. And while
they haven't done a lot with it, their "exit strategy"
is on the table and they have a goal to retire by 2019.
"Although we don't know if any of our three children want
to be involved, we want to keep the farm as a viable and profitable
business," say the McLartys.
The Ackroyds
Before
the GYFP workshop, Glen Ackroyd admits that farm business management
basically meant paying the bills and having some left over. "I
always knew there was more to it, but the lingo and time and ability
to look at the bigger picture was just not a possibility for a small
operation like mine," says Ackroyd, who owns and operates Ackroyd's
Honey in Tara, Ontario.
"I always thought I had to do it all," says Ackroyd.
"The program inspired me to me build a circle of professionals
to help me organize my business and then grow it in a logical direction."
For Ackroyd, success means having goals and prioritizing them.
Once he had gone through the workshop and developed an action plan
for his honey operation, he quickly identified three goals - documenting
the strengths and weaknesses of his business, attending a North
American industry-specific event and hiring a business specialist.
"Beekeepers have had serious challenges keeping their hives
alive for the past several years, and attending an event with industry
specialists from around the world with a single focus of 'keeping
the hives alive' was invaluable to my business," says Ackroyd.
He's also hired a specialist to advise him on where he should take
his business.
Through the process of building an action plan for his farm business,
Ackroyd realized his operation has created some high risk situations.
"The program helps us ask the 'what if' questions. Too much
of my business is in my head and not communicated to those around
me. I've opened up the communication channels between key parties
that will help take my business to the next level, including my
spouse, financial advisor, employees, customers and suppliers."
By stepping back and seeing his operation from a different perspective,
Ackroyd has diversified his business to ride out fluctuating prices
and focus on profitability. "To be successful, I know now we
must start with a goal," says Ackroyd. "This program helped
us build our own unique goals."
There's no question in Glen Ackroyd's mind that attending the
Grow Your Farm Profits workshop has helped his business and his
outlook.
The Halls
When
Kim and Chris Hall bought his father's apple farm in 1996, they
had a plan geared towards getting financing, but that's where the
plan's usefulness ended. Their 80-acre apple orchard near Brockville,
Ontario got a great boost when they took the Grow Your Farm Profits
workshop.
Aside from the content, the drive to and from the two-day workshop
gave them uninterrupted time to get a lot of issues on the table.
"We knew that our bookkeeping was our weak area going into
the workshop, but this course highlighted how we could be more profitable
by having up-to-date records that would also give us better knowledge
leading up to a decision," says Chris.
"I learned in black and white what our problem areas were
as well as our strengths," he says. Through role-playing and
team-based work, the Halls also got a glimpse into the situations
other participants were facing. They were reassured to know that
other producers, regardless of the type of business, had some of
the same problems. "Even though there were 20 different types
of farm operations in the class, the course was broad enough to
make it relevant for everyone."
Chris and Kim, along with their four children, operate a year-
round farm market with a scratch bakery. They also sell apples wholesale
to chain stores within a 100-mile radius of their farm. Business
has changed tremendously since Chris's grandfather began the family
apple business in 1947. The business model his father built has
completely changed, and Chris and Kim are always seeking new products
and ways to market their apple crop profitably. "We're not
finished the whole business planning process yet, but we have defined
timelines and attainable goals that are measurable and realistic,"
says Chris.
Ontario Farmers Urged to "Take a New
Approach"
"More
prosperous farmers across Ontario" - that's the goal of Dr.
Peter Vander Zaag, a potato producer from Alliston, Ontario. It's
a vision he believes can become a reality with the help of the newly
launched Agricultural Management Institute (AMI) and its mandate
to champion farm business management.
Vander Zaag is chair of the not-for-profit organization that stepped
out on its own as a stand-alone institute. Part of AMI's mandate
is to use Growing Forward funds to support projects to develop business
management and risk management tools, products, information, resources
and training for farm families, farm managers and farm business
advisors.
"The big-picture plan is that we have much to do as far as
helping Ontario farmers deal with the issues that are out there,"
says Vander Zaag. "The main thing is creating the awareness
of the resources that are available and linking those resources
to farmers - whether it's a resource from OMAFRA or Missouri State
University or information about what they do with food labelling
in England - whatever it is, we can help farmers by connecting them."
Agri-Technology Commercialization Centre
Delivers Expertise and Connections to Growing Ag-based Businesses
If you have an entrepreneurial idea, are looking for startup capital
or an expanded network to grow your business, the new Agri-Technology
Commercialization Centre (ATCC) could be the best first call you
make. The centre serves as a single point of contact for entrepreneurs,
researchers and companies who are growing businesses in the cutting
edge fields of agriculture and biotechnology.
Located in the University of Guelph Research Park, ATCC was initially
formed in 2009 with three organizations - BioEnterprise Corporation,
Soy 20/20 and Ontario Agri-Food Technologies (OAFT). Each ATCC organization
offers specialized knowledge, market expertise and connections to
help entrepreneurs find capital and increase their profitability.
"I'm able to offer expertise and advice to expansion companies,
Dave is able to offer advice on the financing and start-up side,
and Gord is able to offer it at 30,000 feet. We thought it was a
logical fit to put us al together," says Jeff Schmalz, President,
Soy 20/20.
Opening Doors to New Markets
With a profitable business already in place, bio-based polymer
company Ecosynthetix needed new connections to expand its customer
base to international locations. In the fall of 2008, CEO John van
Leeuwen made an important first connection with the Agri-Technology
Commercialization Centre (ATCC), and specifically Ontario Agri-Food
Technologies (OAFT), an organization focused on business to business
market retention and expansion.
"Our work with ATCC and OAFT helped us gain three large customers
in three different countries," says van Leeuwen. "We were
able to access direct financial assistance and in-kind services
such as introductions to government agencies and speaking engagements
at a number of different conferences."
At OAFT, van Leeuwen was quickly connected with Gord Surgeoner
who introduced him to the Rapid Response to Business Opportunities
(RRBO) program after learning about inquiries for Ecosynthetix's
biolatex products from prospects in Brazil. van Leeuwen quickly
wrote a two-page business case and submitted it to ATCC. "Within
10 days we received approval and financial assistance to help us
send two people to Brazil to conduct business meetings and product
qualification trials," says van Leeuwen.
This quick turnaround successfully landed the Burlington- based
Ecosynthetix a large customer in Brazil, and identified opportunities
to deal with subsidiaries of the same company in other countries.
"The biggest benefit for our business of the RRBO program
was speed," says van Leeuwen. "The approval for money
was completed in time for us to respond to opportunities."
They applied again to the RRBO assistance program to help defray
the high costs of overseas travel to successfully pursue projects
in Indonesia and China.
"Without the RRBO program, it would have been significantly
more difficult to land customers in Brazil, Indonesia and China,"
says van Leeuwen. Based on this experience, he expects an ongoing
relationship with ATCC to evaluate where else they may be able to
help Ecosynthetix grow its business.
"We're all here in the same place and can work things out
for you very quickly. We are constantly passing off opportunities
to each other," says Gord Surgeoner, President, Ontario Agri-Food
Technologies.
Building Exposure to Drive New Business
It's still early days for Don Marentette's DM's Bio-Based Fluid
Supply Inc. His Bolton, Ontario company sells a broad range of biodegradable,
environmentally friendly lubricants to manufacturers and consumers,
produced from oils including soy and canola. He's looking into options
for manufacturing his line of biodegradable lubricants from Ontario-produced
oilseeds, and building sales and exposure for his distribution company.
Marentette first connected with Soy 20/20 a few years ago because
his products were made from soybean oil. Recently, he's developed
a working relationship with Soy 20/20 to help build business connections
and exposure for his bio-based lubricants.
"Agri-Technology Commercialization Centre (ATCC) has linked
me to various groups such as the University of Guelph and the Bio-Auto
Council, and arranged opportunities for me to make presentations
to groups including OMAFRA," says Marentette. And since exposure
and sales can be influenced by more than just business connections,
ATCC also helped secure media coverage for Marentette in the automotive
section of a national newspaper.
Marentette's connections with ATCC are ongoing, and have helped
move his business further along the development continuum. He knows
the funding required to take his manufacturing business to the next
level will be his biggest hurdle.
"ATCC has given me exposure, which in turn has generated new
business. However we still have a long way to go."
“In business, the way to maintain a leadership position is
to be more innovative, reduce costs and do things smarter. That’s
what we’re all about here,” says Dave Smardon, President
and CEO, Bioenterprise Corporation.
Marketing a New "Butter"
Thousands
of Canadians suffer from life-threatening nut allergies and consumers
are demanding more peanut-free products. Hilton Soy Foods is answering
the call, creating a soy product that tastes like peanut butter.
Their innovation made the Mahon family regional winners of the Premier's
Award for Agri-Food Innovation in 2008. When they needed a go-to-market
strategy for their soy butter, the Agri-Technology Commercialization
Centre (ATCC) and Soy 20/20 was a natural next step.
Mike Williams was contracted by Soy 20/20 to help the Staffa, Ontario
company develop and execute a pricing, marketing and retail business
building strategy initially for their Ontario business.
Williams helped the Mahons expand their distribution from a handful
of contacts to a significant number of key retail outlets. "This
is a great product so it wasn't hard for the Mahons to get going,
but the next step was getting contracts from major distributors,"
says Williams, a retail marketing expert.
He focused on making retail presentations, and using mini samplers
of soy butter as a merchandising tool. The Mahons created their
own marketing, but through Soy 20/20 and Williams they received
both expert advice and hands-on retail execution that helped them
increase their chances of success. "I consulted on the type
of in-store displays that are relevant to the retail industry, and
acted as their eyes and ears in Ontario to link them with the retail
trade," says Williams.
Soy 20/20 will lead some summer 2010 initiatives on the business
including an aggressive plan to make sure that strong retail distribution
is in place and subsequently to run a number of in-store sampling
events. It is believed that trial-inducing opportunities on this
excellent product will be key to its success - once consumers try
it, they will return to buy it again!
The ATCC is part of the Innovation and Science Suite under Growing
Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
Science Clusters
Greening Ontario's Highways
Vineland Research Project Offers Potential Win/Win for Horticulture
Industry and the Environment
Imagine
Ontario's highways lined with thriving, mature trees - removing
heavy metals from the air and producing oxygen. Today's reality
is that with the stressful environment along provincial highways,
the average life of planted trees is virtually zero, but Dr. Hannah
Mathers, Senior Research Fellow at the Vineland Research and Innovation
Centre (VRIC) is working to change that.
Two Toronto interchanges - Highway 401 and the Allen Expressway
as well as Highways 401 and 427 - were planted in April 2010 with
hardy trees grown at VRIC. The survival of the plants will be evaluated
throughout the next five years. The outcome could mean new methods
for landscaping Ontario's highways and deliver profoundly positive
effects on the horticultural industry for generations to come.
Traditionally, the bulk of the trees used along Ontario's highways
have been produced out west in a completely different climactic
zone. "To be able to source and advocate Ontario-grown material
will have a huge impact on survival," Mathers says." It's
also good to stimulate the industry, which is a major employer in
Ontario."
Greening Ontario's Highways is just one of the many research projects
being conducted at VRIC, an independent, not-for-profit, world-class
centre for horticultural science and innovation located in Ontario's
Niagara region. Through consultation with industry groups such as
Landscape Ontario, the team at Vineland identifies industry priorities
in the different commodity areas and sets about building research
programs to address those priorities. Outcomes are focused on the
growth of the entire horticulture industry.
The unique project - titled "Greening Ontario's Highways"
- is being conducted by VRIC, with support from the federal-provincial-territorial
initiative Growing Forward, Landscape Ontario and the Ministry of
Transportation, in an effort to increase the survival of trees planted
along highways.
Growing Forward is a commitment by Canada's federal,
provincial and territorial governments to support the development
of a profitable, innovative agri-food sector that is adept at managing
risk and responsive to market demands.
For more information on Growing Forward, please call 1-888-479-3931
or e-mail growingforward@ontario.ca
For
John Hordyk, improving food safety practices is a way of securing
markets for his apple and pear crops. He sells his crops through
two local packers, who in turn sell exclusively to the Loblaw grocery
chain. 
Alana
Zadow also knows that food safety starts at the farm level. So when
she learned about the Food Safety and Traceability Initiative, she
jumped at the chance to improve some aspects of the 35-acre sheep
farm she operates with her husband Paul in Eganville, Ontario. 
The
Ontario Asparagus Grower's Marketing Board is the oldest board in
the province. Ontario's 120 asparagus growers want to make sure
they have a certified food safety and traceability program that
meets the needs of their retail and food service customers as they
develop alternatives to the fresh market.
Allan
Beehler's first step to improving environmental practices on his
farm was easy. He opened his mailbox.
The
EFP is a risk assessment tool that encourages farmers to incorporate
best environmental practices in all their farming activities. They
develop an individualized plan of action to address potential concerns
identified through the EFP process, and may elect to have their
plan reviewed confidentially by a peer review committee. Farmers
with peer-reviewed plans that are deemed appropriate may be eligible
to apply for cost-share funding from the Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship
Program (COFSP). Funding helps support the adoption of best management
practices that are new to the farm business, and contribute to water
and air quality, improved soil productivity, enhanced wildlife habitat
or result in energy conservation.
Although
Ron Downey was involved in developing the national biosecurity standard
for poultry operations in Canada - and has implemented a comprehensive
program at his family's King Cole Ducks in Aurora, Ontario - he
knows biosecurity is a tough sell to non-regulated producers and
backyard enthusiasts. 
From
Bill Woods' perspective, the appeal of biosecurity measures for
non supply managed operations also comes down to economics. Woods
is a broiler producer from Belwood, Ontario, past chair of the Chicken
Farmers of Ontario and was an active participant on the avian biosecurity
advisory council in the early days of developing biosecurity standards.
Sue
and Ken McLarty are like many other baby boomer farmers. Retirement
is coming closer, and their 20-something kids are firmly on the
fence about whether they want to carry on the farm's family tradition.
Before
the GYFP workshop, Glen Ackroyd admits that farm business management
basically meant paying the bills and having some left over. "I
always knew there was more to it, but the lingo and time and ability
to look at the bigger picture was just not a possibility for a small
operation like mine," says Ackroyd, who owns and operates Ackroyd's
Honey in Tara, Ontario. 
When
Kim and Chris Hall bought his father's apple farm in 1996, they
had a plan geared towards getting financing, but that's where the
plan's usefulness ended. Their 80-acre apple orchard near Brockville,
Ontario got a great boost when they took the Grow Your Farm Profits
workshop.
"More
prosperous farmers across Ontario" - that's the goal of Dr.
Peter Vander Zaag, a potato producer from Alliston, Ontario. It's
a vision he believes can become a reality with the help of the newly
launched Agricultural Management Institute (AMI) and its mandate
to champion farm business management. 
Thousands
of Canadians suffer from life-threatening nut allergies and consumers
are demanding more peanut-free products. Hilton Soy Foods is answering
the call, creating a soy product that tastes like peanut butter.
Their innovation made the Mahon family regional winners of the Premier's
Award for Agri-Food Innovation in 2008. When they needed a go-to-market
strategy for their soy butter, the Agri-Technology Commercialization
Centre (ATCC) and Soy 20/20 was a natural next step. 
Imagine
Ontario's highways lined with thriving, mature trees - removing
heavy metals from the air and producing oxygen. Today's reality
is that with the stressful environment along provincial highways,
the average life of planted trees is virtually zero, but Dr. Hannah
Mathers, Senior Research Fellow at the Vineland Research and Innovation
Centre (VRIC) is working to change that.