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.           

We hope you were able to view the Agriculture Leaders Debate on Wednesday.

CFA partnered with Glacier Farm Media, who posted their coverage of the event at:  www.agcanada.com/electionag2015

 

Incase you missed it or would like to share the video with others, the debate in its entirety is now available on the CFA website at http://www.cfa-fca.ca/election2015

The text of the debate questions posed by the farmers are also on this page, and a transcription of the full debate will be available Monday.

 

In the coming days, CFA will be providing a brief summary of the responses to the questions and will be putting together a comparison chart of the parties' agriculture policies and platforms. NSFA will provide a link to this chart in the October 9th eNews.

Election Day will be here before we know it and Elections Canada has put serious effort to make sure Canadians know what they need to do before going to the polls.

Buyer Beware - Aggressive Sales Calls for Health and Safety Requirements

 

We have recently received calls from farmers that have received aggressive and misleading sales calls on workplace health and safety requirements. There are reports of calls from other private providers for first aid kits, WHMIS training, safety poster requirements, online first aid training and many others. Please beware of these calls!

 

Earlier this year, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) also issued a warning about the aggressive sales tactics by some training providers. In some cases, it found companies were giving the impression they represented the government, and were indicating the training was required or endorsed by the provincial workplace jurisdiction.

Your requirements for supplies, training and posting all depend on many factors of your operation, including company type and size.

 

If you have any questions about your health and safety requirements please contact Farm Safety Nova Scotia at (902)893-2293 or visit www.farmsafetyns.ca .

First Aid Requirements

 

We have recently received numerous phone calls inquiring about requirements for first aid supplies and training. The requirements differ for each farm and depend on number of employees and farm layout.

 

All farms (workplaces) are required to have first aid supplies and at least one trained first aid attendant on-site. There are a number of companies selling first aid supplies and/or training for varying costs so be sure to do your research on cost before purchasing!

 

For more information on your first aid requirements, please view the First Aid Fact Sheet. Farmers are eligible for discounted rates on first aid supplies and training with Saint John Ambulance through Farm Safety Nova Scotia. Visit www.farmsafetyns.ca or call (902)893-2293 for more information.

Nova Scotia Crop and Livestock Insurance Commission

Proposed New Plan for Grape Insurance

The Nova Scotia Crop and Livestock Insurance Commission has been working with the grape industry on the development of a new Grape Insurance plan. Currently the Commission is in the final stages of obtaining its authorities to offer this plan. The intention, pending receipt of all authorities, is to be able to offer this plan to grape producers for the 2016 crop year. The application deadline which we are aiming for is this fall (must be prior to November 15, 2015). More information on this plan is expected to be available later in September/October.

 

In anticipation of an official announcement and release of the new insurance plan, the Commission encourages any grape growers who are interested in insuring their crop to contact our office to add their name and contact info to a mailing list for potential clients. Once the final authorities are in place an insurance package would be sent to any interested growers detailing the plan and providing the applicable applications. The Commission can be reached at (902) 893-6370 or toll free at 1-800-565-6371 or by email at [email protected]

Pesticide Certification Course 

A two-day Pesticide Certification course will be offered on Oct 27-28 (Tues-Weds) at the Berwick Fire Hall in Berwick, Kings County. The provincial exam will be offered on the afternoon of the second day.

 

All aspects of pesticide safety and application will be covered, following the guidelines in the national standard.

 

Note that this course is designed for people wanting thorough instruction that will better prepare them for writing the provincial examination. The course is for all specialties - we will slant the presentation to meet your needs.

 

For certified persons wanting PRCP recertification points only - you can sit in on the first day of the course and get PRCP points.

 

If you want a November 2015 course near you, pull together a minimum of 8 participants to make it happen. More courses will be offered in April 2016.

Cost for the full 2-day course is $150 plus HST. The cost for the first day only (including PRCP points) is $80 plus HST. All teaching materials, including a manual, will be provided. Bring your own calculator, pen, and lunch. Registration starts at 8:30 am and instruction starts at 9:00. The day end will be about 4:30 pm. The provincial examination fee ($66.35) is not included.

To pre-register, or to inquire about additional courses, contact Jim ( [email protected] or 902-538-7101).

NSIA Fall Tour - DATE CHANGE 

 

Agricultural Biodiversity

Schedule:

9:30 am-  Everyone will meet at Bovidae Farm  - 128 Castle Frederick Road, Falmouth where we will tour terracing projects they conducted in cooperation with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. 

11 am- Travel to Castle Frederick Farms (568 Castle Frederick Road, Falmouth) where Reg Newell, Stewardship Coordinator with DNR will walk us through Bremner's biodiversity plan.  We will also view their Acadian Archeological site, Ducks Unlimited Site and have lunch.

1:30 pm- Finally we will have a biodiversity Tour of W.G Oulton & Sons - 5246 Hwy 14, Windsor

Lunch provided

Car Pooling from Perennia Innovation Park, Bible Hill or Kentville Research Station available

Cost: $20.00 per member $25.00 per non-member

Registration Deadline: October 5, 2015

Contact:  [email protected] or 902-897-6742

For more detailed information about the sites and a google map, visit our website at:  www.nsagrologists.ca 

All are Welcome!! Please forward this invitation to anyone you think might like to attend!!