September 2014
A Food Education Documentary for Schools?

Did you catch The Marsh Mucker's Tale on CBC?

In a time where many Ontarians are three generations removed from farming, there is a knowledge gap that has serious indications, and is likely the root cause to a decline in understanding and appreciation of our food and farming sector.  

The Holland Marsh Growers' Association teamed up with Powerline Films to shine some light on this sector with a passionate and informative documentary, The Marsh Muckers' Tale. Read more of our story here, where we discuss why this documentary could be a great piece to the food literacy puzzle for Ontario schools.
Working with Farmers to Improve the Quality of our Water

The Region of Peel has announced new funding opportunities for farmers as part of their Peel Rural Water Quality Program (PRWQP). The new funding is available for projects that support environmental enhancement and sustainability, and build on the program's core mandate to improve water quality.

Visit our website for more information on the new funding opportunities, as well as some insight from a farmer we spoke to who participated in the program and received support to successfully enhance the quality of water that now leaves his farm property.


In May of this year, Ontario launched the VQA Wines at Farmers' Market program, allowing the sale of VQA wines at markets across the province. Since then, the estimated sales of VQA wine at farmers' markets has totalled more than a quarter of a million dollars!

Visit our blog post where we look into the selling of VQA wines at local markets, with a highlight on the Hamilton Farmers' Market, which saw four regional wineries begin to sell their VQA wines.

York Region & Halton Region

It's that time of year again! With the autumn breeze and Fall Harvest comes some of our favourite foods, including of course, pumpkins. 

Both the Regions of Halton and York once again have Pumpkin Pie Trails coming up to highlight their Farm Fresh Maps in a creative, seasonal way. Be sure to check out at least one of these trails, which will be filled with not only pumpkin pies, but other inventive pumpkin treats, baked goods, as well as crafts and educational activities too. It's a great excuse to get out to your local farms and meet your farmers.

Advanced Farm Management Program

 

The Advanced Farm Management Program (AFMP), now in its third year, is offered by the Agricultural Management Institute (AMI) in partnership with the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) and Synthesis Agri-Food Network.  This year participants can attend the program in Ridgetown, London, Orangeville, Ancaster or Winchester.

 

AFMP provides a unique combination of advanced farm business management training and personalized, practical teachings that farmers can apply immediately to their operation. 
 

The program consists of five intensive one-day training sessions over a four-month period. For the 2014/15 class, the sessions are scheduled to run from November to February.  Start dates for each location are:

  • Ridgetown - December 02, 2014
  • London - November 27, 2014
  • Orangeville - November 26, 2014
  • Ancaster - November 27, 2014
  • Winchester - December 04, 2014

Registration is now open, and the deadline to apply is Oct. 31, 2014. Registrations received before Sept. 15 are eligible for a $150 discount.


Application forms can be downloaded here. Further questions on registration can be directed to John Laidlaw of OSCIA: jlaidlaw@ontariosoilcrop.org. More information on AFMP locations, session dates, tuition and curriculum can be found at: www.advancedfarmmanagement.ca. 
Contact:
Janet Horner, Executive Director,
Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance
janet@whitfieldfarms.com
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