Agriculture & Rural Economic Development Newsletter
July 2020 | Volume 9, Issue 4
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In This Issue:
- Port Cheese Co. Opens in Downtown Port Perry
- Murray Hill Farm: Six generations of farming in Durham
- Three ways to support local in Durham Region
- Community Re-opening Toolkit
- New one minute broadband survey
- Digital Mainstreet/ShopHERE to help businesses sell online
- Agri-food Workplace Protection Program launches
- Youth Employment and Skills Program open for agri-businesses
- Regional Relief and Recovery Fund available for small and medium enterprises
- Local Food Infrastructure Fund Phase Two open for applications
- Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority survey open to Durham Region grain farmers
- Ontario-Canada AgriRecovery Initiative
- Canada's Emergency Processing Fund
- My Scugog, our Community new community engagement platform
- Ontario Agri-food Venture Center
- Navigating Re-opening during COVID-19 for direct marketing farms
- Feeding your Future: Agriculture and agri-business employment support
- Community Employment Services supports agriculture
- Learn more about Durham's farm organizations
- Durham Region unites to celebrate Canada Day
- Follow Durham AgRural on Twitter!
- Upcoming Events
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Port Cheese Co. Opens in Downtown Port Perry
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There’s a new shop in town! The Port Cheese Co. located at 203 Queen Street in Port Perry recently opened their online store and is offering curbside pick-up. Specializing in a variety of artisanal cheeses; customers can visit the online store for gourmet picnic bags, build your own cheese boards, preserves, charcuterie boards and more.
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MurrayHill Farm: Six generations of farming in Durham
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When Jeff Byers, his wife Denise and their children moved back to Blackstock to take over the family farm, it marked six generations of farming at MurrayHill Farm. Previously known as Byersdale, the farm was recognized and received Durham’s award celebrating more than 150 years of farming in the region. In the past the farm has raised sheep, swine, cattle and cash crops. Now Jeff and Denise are focusing on developing their pure-bred Limousin cow/calf herd as well as a vibrant market garden and farm fresh eggs. MurrayHill’s seasonally picked vegetables, pasture raised beef and authentically fresh eggs are available at their on-farm store. They believe the best meals start with the freshest ingredients.
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Three ways to support local in Durham Region
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1) Visit
InvestDurham.ca/localfood
to find a directory of local food businesses, craft beverages, farmers markets and more. Sort by type of farm, location and search the interactive farm map available from
Durham Farm Fresh
.
2) Visit
DowntownsOfDurham.ca
and re-discover shopping in your own backyard. With a directory of the stores located in the 13 downtowns across Durham, the options for take-out, local craft beverages, retail shopping and more are endless.
3) Visit
InvestDurham.ca/safetyandppe
to find a marketplace of local companies supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) and other safety supplies.
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Community Re-opening Toolkit
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The Durham Region Health Department has compiled a Community Re-Opening Toolkit, intended to provide guidance to residents and businesses preparing to re-open. The toolkit includes a series of sector-specific guidelines for agriculture, office, manufacturing, food service and more.
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Complete the new one minute broadband survey
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If you are struggling with reliable broadband internet access, you’re not alone!
Help us, help you by completing a new 60-second broadband survey online. The survey results will help us identify specific issues with service levels and provide insight into broadband needs in Durham Region.
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Digital Mainstreet/ShopHERE to help businesses sell online
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The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of having an online presence, including a platform for selling products and services online.
Through the Digital Mainstreet/Shop HERE program, eligible businesses can apply for assistance to set up a Shopify store. Initial participation in the program is free (up to 90 days free on Shopify) with hands on support provided to help develop and launch a Shopify store.
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Agri-food Workplace Protection Program launches
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The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has partnered with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) to offer the Agri-Food Workplace and Protection program. Through the program, agri-food producers can access information, resources, tools and consulting services to help them ensure the safety of their employees and farm operations while meeting COVID-19 related requirements.
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Youth Employment and Skills Program open for agri-businesses
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Under the Youth Employment and Skills Program (YESP), eligible employers who hire youth for agriculture jobs can receive a wage subsidy of 50 per cent of wages up to a maximum of $14,000.
The program is designed for farmers, food processors and agricultural related non-government organizations who offer youth agriculture career-related work experiences and skills in Canada.
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Regional Relief and Recovery Fund available for small and medium enterprises
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Delivered by FedDev Ontario, the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) is available for small and medium enterprises (SME’s) who have been unable to access other Government of Canada measures and have seen business revenues negatively impacted by COVID-19. Financial contributions through the RRRF include interest-free loans to help support fixed operating costs.
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Local Food Infrastructure Fund Phase Two open for applications
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The Local Food Infrastructure Fund aims to strengthen food systems and improve access to safe and nutritious food options for at risk populations. Not-for-profit organizations can apply for funds to invest in food system infrastructure that directly addresses food insecurities and makes food more available and accessible in their communities.
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Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority survey open to Durham Region grain farmers
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The Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA) is asking Durham Region grain farmers to complete a five minute survey. The HOPA is looking to gather more information from community members in the region to take into consideration as they develop future land use plans.
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Ontario-Canada AgriRecovery Initiative
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The federal and provincial governments are supporting beef and hog farmers affected by meat processing backlogs through the new AgriRecovery program. Farmers can be compensated under the program to help support the additional costs associated with maintaining market ready animals for extended time periods.
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Canada's Emergency Processing Fund
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Canada’s Emergency Processing Fund supports food processors who are implementing additional safety measures for workers as a result of COVID-19. The fund provides loans to businesses looking to strategically modernize, automate and improve food processing facilities.
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My Scugog, our Community new community engagement platform
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The Township of Scugog has launched My Scugog, Our Community—an easy to use public platform where residents can get involved, contribute thoughts and suggest ideas to help shape Scugog.
The platform includes information and opportunities to provide input on major infrastructure projects like the Port Perry Waterfront Action Plan. Register online and join the conversation, visit
my.scugog.ca
to get involved.
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Ontario Agri-food Venture Center
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The Ontario Agri-food Venture Centre (OAFVC), located east of Clarington, offers small batch fruit and vegetable processing for farmers to add value to their products. The OAFVC provides access to equipment to assist with food washing, cutting, freezing, packaging, storage and testing.
For a full list of available equipment, facilities and booking dates, visit
oafvc.ca
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Navigating Re-opening during COVID-19 for direct marketing farms
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In partnership with Durham Farm Fresh, Durham Region was proud to host a webinar on June 25 for farm businesses who are direct marketing. The webinar focused on navigating re-opening or continued opening of businesses during COVID-19, with a specific focus on the agriculture sector.
A special thank you to speakers from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Durham Region Health Department, Workplace Safety and Prevention Services and Willowtree Farm for taking the time to share their wealth of knowledge and experiences with participants.
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Feeding your Future: Agriculture and agri-business employment support
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The Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Ag Careers.com and Careers in Food have partnered to create the Feeding your Future campaign. This project offers free job boards, job matching services, virtual career fairs, employment support and workshops for farmers and businesses looking for jobs, or looking to hire.The goal of the service is to help fill job shortages in the agriculture sector, improve employee retention and encourage job seekers to build meaningful careers in the agriculture industry.
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Learn more about Durham's farm organizations
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Durham Region is very fortunate to have hard working community members who are dedicated to supporting our agriculture sector. Here is a list of some of our great Durham farm organizations:
- Durham Region Federation of Agriculture: Focus on advocating for our farmers and working to make sure Durham’s agricultural concerns are heard and supported.
- Durham Farm Connections: Promoting our agriculture sector to our farming and non-farming community members to insure its viability for future generations.
- Durham Farm Fresh: Representing farms, retailers, farmers’ markets, chefs and restaurants within Durham Region by supporting the marketing of local products in our community.
- East Central Region Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association: Represents all commodity groups and is a leader in program delivery, consumer outreach and producer education.
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Follow Durham AgRural on Twitter!
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For more frequent updates on Durham Region success stories, resources, local news, fun facts and more, follow the Agriculture and Rural Economic Development team on Twitter
@DurhamAgRural
. #DurhamAg
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The Durham Business Recovery Series is a set of webinars designed to support the local Durham Region business community by providing information on programs, services and tools that can assist with business recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Contact Us
Toll-free: 1-800-706-9857
As a contact of the Region of Durham's Planning and Economic Development Department, you have been added to our mailing list. If you wish to be removed from the mailing list, please use the unsubscribe link located at the bottom of this e-newsletter.
If this information is required in an accessible format, please contact the Planning and Economic Development Department at 905-668-7711 ext. 2609 (toll-free at 1-800-706-9857).
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