Welcome to the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture's Electronic Newsletter.  Our goal is to provide information to members in a timely and efficient manner.  Please pass this information along to other Industry Stakeholders.           

 

December 4, 2015

Fighting Hunger with Local Food Act

The PC party has brought forward a bill to provide a tax credit for farmers that donate their crops to the food bank. The bill that was presented for second reading can be found here: http://nslegislature.ca/legc/bills/62nd_2nd/1st_read/b121.htm.  The proposed Food Tax Credit would be an acknowledgement of the extra work involved in harvesting this part of the crop that in many cases would otherwise have been left in the field. The bill was presented as a private members bill and it is rare that this type of bill would pass, we are hopeful that at some point this bill or something similar will make it to enactment. The debate in the Hansard can be found here: http://nslegislature.ca/index.php/proceedings/hansard/c96/house_15dec02/#HPage6518
This is an important initiative for Hort NS as well as NSFA and others. Hort NS, NSFA , Young Farmers Forum and Feed NS were all signatories on a letter supporting a food tax credit for farmers.
Reaching out to our Farm Community to Support Syrian Refugee Families
 
NSFA and LP Consulting have joined together to rally the Agricultural Community to come together  to help with the worst humanitarian crisis of our time and support Syrian Refugee families find a safe place to live and raise their families. Over 12 million Syrians have fled their homes and have died in their efforts to find a safe place for their families. We welcomed over 37,000 Hungarians in 1956, 60,000 Vietnamese in 1970's and many others seeking refuge from war torn countries over the past decades. We are again heeding the call to bring 25,000 refugees to Canada in the next couple of months. We as an Agricultural Community can join other NS Communities in generously helping to save these families.

Under the Private Sponsorship Refugee Program, it costs $25,000 to sponsor a family of 4 through Immigration Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS).  There is no commitment beyond the first year nor is there any requirement to provide resources such as placing the family, finding them housing, etc when making a monetary donation.    

LP Consulting has kindly started the program by contributing $10,000 towards this worthy cause. With this donation, plus donations from others in the agriculture community there is now $14,000 to put towards the $25,000 to sponsor a family.  The Federation staff will provide the administrative support to collect the donations and submit the funds to ISANS.   Please contact Maxine at the Federation office to make arrangements for your donations. Tax receipts can be provided upon request for those making contributions. To receive a tax receipt for the 2015 tax year, donations must be submitted by December 23, 2015, and to receive a tax receipt for the 2016 tax year, donations must be submitted by January 31, 2016.  Please joins us in this important cause.

We thank you for such an important contribution!
Holiday Party


Nova Scotia Federation of
Agriculture
cordially invites you to our
Holiday Party
which will be held on
Thursday, December 17th, 2015
from
3-5 p.m.
in the Annapolis Boardroom
Join us for lots of laughs, food and punch.
Please R.S.V.P. to Maxine at
mmaclean@nsfa-fane.ca


Social Media Marketing for Agri-Businesses
 
This 40 hour program will help prepare members in the agriculture industry to effectively use social media to market their business and create community around them. Social media is not broadcasting outward; it is about creating a community that will support, refer and grow along a business.
 
This program will highlight the following:
  •          How to understand your market around you and build a supportive customer base.
  •          How to use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to market your business.
  •          How to post passionately so that you create meaningful results.
  •          How to protect yourself and your brand on social media.

This course is anticipated to start in early January at the Pictou School of Fisheries location and run on Tuesday mornings from 8:30 to 12:00

If you are interested in this course, contact the NSFA office at 893-2293 or smackenzie@nsfa-fane.ca 

Producer Stress and Resilience Survey 
Farmers across Canada are being asked to participate in a survey on producer stress and resilience. The survey can be found at
www.producerwellness.ca.
Vineyard Development & Expansion Program Deadline Extension 

The deadline for submitting applications to the Vineyard Development and Expansion Program has been extended to December 18, 2015.
Where We've Been
December 2 - Legislature Food Tax Bill 2nd Reading, Halifax (Henry)
December 3 - Dead Stock Committee Conference Call, (Henry, Wanda, Krista & Chris)
December 4 - EMAC Meeting, Bible Hill (Henry & Paul) 
Dates to Remember
Programs
Around the Web
Upcoming Courses
Surveys
Current Electronic Newsletters
Job Postings
Current agricultural job postings can be found here...
If you are a member and have an employment opportunity on your farm or agri-business, please send the details to info@nsfa-fane.ca .   

Disclaimer: Articles and news items do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSFA or its members. The e-Newsbreak is intended to give readers access to various information in a timely manner in addition to current publications.  We respect the privacy of our members and ensure any information they provide will not be provided to third parties.