February 2015

 

A Lambton County Farmer has been awarded over $100,000 after a lawsuit involving the municipality's road salt that caused damages to his farm.

This potentially precedent-setting case has us looking at alternatives to winter road care, particularly a growing Eco Solution involving beet juice that has come out of the Halton Region.

Read more on the lawsuit and the beet juice solution in our recent blog post.

Congratulations to the Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance, who have won a First Place Category Champion prize worth $5,000 from CST Inspiring Minds Learning Project! 


The grant will support the organization's Farm to School Pilot Programs in Dufferin County, Caledon and Erin, which have proven to be quite successful and engaging programs in Headwaters' schools. Check out our blog story here on the Headwaters F2S programs.

In regards to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Regulation Proposal Notice on Neonicotinoid Pesticides in Ontario, the Durham Agricultural Advisory Committee (DAAC) has put a resolution forward that has been endorsed by Durham's Regional Council. 

 

See our  website to read the resolution  in full.

 

EcoHealth Ontario and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation are hosting a pre-convention workshop on Realizing the Health Benefits of Green Spaces in a Changing World at The Ontario Public Health Convention (TOPHC).
 

TOPHC will be held from March 25 - 27 this year at the Allstream Centre in Toronto. All pre-convention workshops will be held on Tuesday, March 24.

 

The purpose of the pre-convention workshops are to provide education and skill development on particular public health themes or topics. A focus on the importance of green spaces is a theme we are excited to see featured, understanding that supporting healthy environments is tightly woven with the health and well-being of individuals and communities; as some of you may know, it is part of our dedicated action plan to link food, farming and health.

 

Also to keep an eye on: EcoHealth Ontario has submitted a proposal to the Ontario Biodiversity Summit, happening in Niagara Falls May 19 - 22. This summit is the first of its kind in Ontario, where participants will learn more about the state of biodiversity in our province and what is happening to protect it.


Farms at Work is offering four hands-on curriculum-based programs in 2015: sheep farming, beekeeping, pasture management and maple syrup.

Participants will attend five field days on the host farm to participate in projects and field work relevant to the growing season. With class sizes between six and eight, a central feature of all the programs is small group learning and collaboration, with a focus on building ties to the farming community.

 

Visit Farms at Work for full details and to apply.

Ontario Farmland Trust is holding their 11th annual Farmland Forum in Oshawa on Friday, March 27, 2015. 

Read more here to join the discussion and help shape the future of farmland protection in Ontario.

Tomorrow, February 28, marks 10 years since the Greenbelt Act established the largest greenbelt in the world.  With the Greenbelt Plan up for review, this anniversary comes at an important time for the Greenbelt and its future.

Several Ontario farmers' markets are holding celebrations this weekend - you can find one near you here.
Contact:
Janet Horner, Executive Director,
Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance
 janet@whitfieldfarms.com