News/Events - February 2014

Register ASAP For Growing Good Seed Workshop

Growing Good Seed

Presented in partnership with The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security

When: Saturday February 22, 2014, 10:00am - 3:00pm (sign-in at 9:30am)

Where: St. John's Anglican Church, Cavan (1758 County Road 10 Cavan, Ontario L0A 1G0)

Cost: $25/person (includes beverages, light refreshments, and a copy of Seeds of Diversity Canada's How to Save Your Own Seeds with every ticket! Bring your own lunch.)


Are you looking for ways to diversify your farm business? Just want to save and share good seed?

Then join us for this informative, full-day workshop led by expert seed saving trainers and commercial producers from around the region! Whether you're an established fruit and vegetable producer who's looking to defray your annual seed costs, or a farmer looking for ways to expand your business model, this workshop is meant for you!

Program Leaders and Topics will Include:

Mary & Dan Brittain (The Cottage Gardener)

The Brittains are expert seed saving instructors, and long-time commercial producers who have been growing certified organic heirloom seed for the last 17 years. They will outline the basics of seed production, and all the considerations that need to be made before starting a commercial enterprise.

Susan Chan (Farms at Work - Native Pollinators Program)

Susan is our resident pollination biologist, as well as an experienced beekeeper. She'll outline the basics of plant anatomy, the fundamentals of pollination systems, and will explain how to increase the numbers of pollinators on your farm in order to benefit your seed production enterprise.

Jill Bishop (Urban Tomato)

Jill is the manager of the Peterborough Community Garden Network and an experienced seed saving trainer. She also runs a successful seed business that supplies a large pecentage of the heirloom tomato seed grown by backyard and market gardeners throughout Peterborough County every year. She'll be on hand to talk about urban seed production, as well as the importance of seed exchanges and community seed banks.

Developing a Seed Saving Action Plan

Explore the implications of your particular growing conditions, types of crops, and equipment needs with knowledgeable professionals in order to develop a personalized action plan for scaling up your seed production.


Pre-registration is required by February 20th. To purchase tickets, go to: www.savingseed.eventbrite.ca 

For more information or manual registration, contact: jay@farmsatwork.ca  |  (705) 743-7671

Funding support for this event is provided by: 

  

Food For Kids

More locally-grown food on students' breakfast plates this year

Farms at Work is one of the partners in an exciting new project aimed at getting more local food into schools in Peterborough County!

Food will be sourced using our about-to-be-launched online system called "Find Local Food" (more details soon!). FAW will also be bringing farmers into schools to talk to students about where their food comes from.

For more information on the program, check out the article below: 

http://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/4362250-more-locally-grown-food-on-students-breakfast-plates-this-year/

2014 Beekeeping Mentorship Program

Applications Now Available for 2014 Beekeeping Mentorship Program

Designed for novice beekeepers who are looking to scale up their commercial honey enterprises, the Farms at Work Beekeeping Mentorship Program provides mentees with the type of hands-on training they need in order to expand their production with confidence.

Following the progression of the beekeeping season (between late-March and October), six qualified mentees will gather at the home apiary of our beekeeper-mentor, Jerry Jerrardfor five full field days to learn time-honoured approaches to colony management and honey/beeswax production. Ample time will be spent both in the honey house and in the bee yard, to allow for a variety of learning environments. 

While many of the requirements are flexible, the Beekeeping Mentorship Program is intended for novice beekeepers who have been keeping bees for a couple of years or more, and who own at least one hive of their own bees. This is to ensure that all participants have at least a basic understanding of the concepts of beekeeping, and that all participants have access to the necessary basic equipment which they will need access to throughout the duration of their mentorship. 

If you don't quite meet the requirements for this year's program, but are interested in beekeeping as a commercial enterprise, we'd highly recommend that you enroll in one of the regional offerings of the Ontario Beekeepers' Association Introduction to Beekeeping, and Integrated Pest Management courses.  2014 dates have not been released yet, but will be announced shortly. 

For more information on the program requirements, please visit our Beekeeping Mentorship Program page, or contact Jay Adam.

Second Annual Kawartha Farm Stewardship Workshop: Saturday March 1st

 

2nd Annual Farm Stewardship Workshop

Presented by the Kawartha Farm Stewardship Collaborative

When: Saturday March 1, 2014, 9:30am - 3:00pm (Sign-in at 9:00am)

Where: Crestwood Secondary School, Peterborough (Here's a map!)

Cost: $27/person (hot lunch included!)


Are you a farmer or farmland owner? 

Then join us for this informative, full-day workshop that will showcase the great stewardship work happening in east central Ontario, and teach you about the various sources of funding and technical assistance available for on-farm stewardship projects across the region. 

Topics will include:

  • The benefits of trees, windbreaks and shelterbelts on the farm (Glenn McLeod, Trees Ontario)
  • Pollinator planting projects (Bob Irvine, farmer)
  • Pond and wetland restorations (Tricia Rudy, farmer)
  • Pasture management (Scott Honey, farmer)
  • Cost-share funding programs (OSCIA representatives) 
  • Breakout project planning sessions with stewardship experts

Pre-registration is required by February 24th. Register by February 15th for an early bird raffle ticket! 

To purchase tickets, head to: 

www.farmstewardship.eventbrite.ca

For more details, to advise us of any dietary restrictions, or to register by telephone, please contact Jay Adam: 

jay@farmsatwork.ca  |  (705) 743-7671