FarmStart News

Innovation Prize For Farmers!

Farm Start — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:31:27 +0000

Carrot Cache Innovation Prize

Innovation Prize for Farmers !

Carrot Cache is offering a $500.00 Innovation Prize to farmers for best, innovative, low cost solution to planting, managing, harvesting, post harvest handling, or processing of food grown on your small Canadian organic urban or rural farm!

Click on image for full details.

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Join us at the Bring Food Home Conference!

Farm Start — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:59:52 +0000

New Farmer Training Day, March 4^th – Come hear from Joel Salatin, grass farming guru from Polyface Farm as well as other experienced farmers on topics such as Pastured Pigs, Pastured Poultry, Intro to Sheep, Crop Planning for Vegetable Growers, Salad Bar Beef, Healthy Soils and Marketing. Or attend a full day CSA Mini-School!

March 5^th and 6^th – Pick from a variety of workshops on emerging issues in farming, including Urban Agriculture, the Local Abattoir Crisis, Accessing Land & Capital, and more!

When: March 4^th – 6^th, 2010

Where: Kitchener, Delta Hotel (105 King Street East)

Cost: $95 per day

For more information and to register visit http://www.bringfoodhome.com

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Preliminary Findings from GTA Ethno-Cultural Foods Study

Farm Start — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:59:37 +0000

Preliminary Findings from GTA Ethno-Cultural Foods Study

Demand for ethno-cultural foods in the GTA highlights exciting local market opportunities for farmers!

A collaborative market research study is currently underway to assess the preferences for ethno-cultural foods in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The study is being conducted by the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, the GTA Agricultural Action Committee, the Toronto Food Policy Council and FarmStart.

Resarch has included 750 one-on-one interviews at ethnic grocery stores and supermarkets in various locations throughout the GTA. The ethnic communities selected for the study were Chinese, South Asian and Afro-Caribbean. The study, which focuses on the consumer, is a first for the province. Preliminary findings include:

Demand (amount spent on vegetables/month by different communities):

Chinese ($21million/month)

Afro-Caribbean ($7 million/month)

South Asian ($33 million/month)

Total demand by the three major ethnic communities in the GTA is $61 million/month.

Top ranked vegetables consumed by these communities:

Chinese Vegetables

1. Bok Choy ( Brassica rapa sub-specie : chinensis)

2. Chinese Brocoli – Gailon (Brassica oleracea : Alboglabra Group)

3. Eggplant (Solanum melongena) – Chinese variety

Afro-Caribbean Vegetables

1. Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)

2. African Eggplant – Garden Eggs (Solanum aethiopicum, Solanum gilo, Solanum olivaire, Solanum pierreanum)

3. Smooth Amaranth (Amaranthus sp.)

South Asian Vegetables

1. Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)

2. Eggplant (Solanum melongena)

3. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia)

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“FarmStart aims to fire up farmers of the future”

Farm Start — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:07:58 +0000

Group aims to fire up farmers of the future

Farm Start, a Guelph, Ont.-based organization, helps people from non-farming backgrounds get into the industry.

JON TATTRIE, METRO CANADA, FEBRUARY 17, 2010

Planting at McVean

For the month of February, Metro’s Workology section will be focusing on some delicious food-related careers. Check back every Wednesday for a new feature.

Canadian farming is heading for a disaster as fewer and fewer farming children continue the family business.

“In the next ten years, about 80 per cent of the agricultural assets in the country are going to be transferred,” says Christie Young, director of Ontario’s Farm Start. “We’re going to have a massive crisis in the agricultural sector because we don’t have the infrastructure set up to get people into farming.”

Conversely, that means it’s a great time to get into farming. Farm Start, a Guelph, Ont.-based organization, helps people from non-farming backgrounds get into the industry. Some come with university degrees in agriculture and others are second-career farmers.

Farm Start begins with a four-day explorer course. “It’s a time for people to think really critically about whether this is the right career for them and what it means to be a farmer,” Young says.

Continue reading “Group aims to fire…”

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Employment Opportunity

Farm Start — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:58:36 +0000

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Organic Farm Field Manager

Application deadline: Friday, February 26th, 2010.

Contract Length: May 1 – Oct 31, 2010
Location: Brampton (FarmStart’s McVean Incubator Farm), Toronto & GTA (markets)

Organizational Mission: “Cultivating Personal, Social, Environmental, and Economic Health through Organic Agriculture.”

Field Manager Job Description

Primary Goal: Cultivation of 3 acres of land to produce mixed produce for Community Supported Agriculture Programs and Farmers Markets

Primary Activities:

1. Coordinate Interns and Volunteers to carry out necessary farm tasks

2. Supervise Interns in their learning process, including regular one-on-one check-ins

3. Volunteer Recruitment and weekly scheduling

4. Facilitate CSA distribution once weekly

5. Other General Tasks: Ongoing Communication with Program Director, Washing Harvest bins, Vehicle Support, Supply pick-ups and other errands, etc

Weekly Schedule in Summary (40 hrs total):

24 hours on Farm: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday mornings
6 hours at CSA distribution site (one afternoon per week)
10 hours admin (eg.farm scheduling, volunteer recruitment) and errands

Compensation:

$1600-2000/month from May – October, depending on experience
Two weeks paid vacation
Abundance of Produce

Qualifications:

Phenomenal social-skills and experience managing & coordinating people
Experience farming mixed produce
Commitment to balance and wellness in one’s own life
Drivers Licence and access to vehicle

To apply:

Please submit resume with cover letter by Feb. 26^th to Daniel Hoffmann at daniel@thecuttingveg.com
For more information about The Cutting Veg, visithttp://www.thecuttingveg.com

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Full-Time Farmers Wanted!

Farm Start — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:39:26 +0000

Who: AgriCulture and AgriFood Canada wants to hear from Full-Time Farmers

When/Where: this Thursday the 26^th in Guelph from 6:30 – 8:30 pm

What: Full time farmers are being paid to share their thoughts and provide feedback on several current government programs including Agri-Stability and Agri-Invest. You are invited to attend even if you have not enrolled in these programs.

How much: $100 cash.

Interested? Call to register with Ron Ross at 1-800-798-5060 and he’ll provide the remaining details.

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27 Farm Heroes Video

Farm Start — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:14:12 +0000

FarmFolk/CityFolk in Vancouver, has just launched FarmFolk/CityFolk Heroes, a 6 minute video homage to 27 sustainable farmers and city growers. Please click here to enjoy the show.

Photography: Brian Harris / Music Liona Boyd.

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Campaign for New Farmers

Farm Start — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:24:32 +0000

The NFU Youth will be launching the Campaign for New Farmers during the 40th annual convention of the National Farmers Union which will take place November 26th-28th, 2009 at the Travelodge Hotel and Conference Centre, Ottawa West.

The campaign coordinators are inviting individuals or organizations who are working on all types of new farmer training, educational or mentorship programs to participate by displaying relevant information outside the Centennial Ballroom throughout the duration of the convention. For more information please contact Kalissa Regier at kjregier@gmail.com or Cammie Harbottle at cammieh@gmail.com.

In addition, the official launch will take place in the Centennial Ballroom on Saturday, November 28th from 10:30-11:30AM.

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Exciting FarmON Events

Farm Start — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:48:45 +0000

New Farmer Forum

We are excited to tell you about a great upcoming opportunity for new farmers (of all ages) in east central Ontario. Mark your calendars for SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7 and come to Lindsay for a day-long discussion around training and education needs. Click here for all the details. The day is free (except for a $5 contribution to lunch), so please come and bring all the new farmers you know!!

Here are the steps:
1. Contact Anna at (705) 740-9383 or apetry@kawarthaheritage.org to pre-register ASAP. Registration is LIMITED.
2. Log on to http://tinyurl.com/FarmerTrainingSurvey and complete this survey as soon as you can. It only takes 10 minutes.

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Bring Food Home

FarmStart and the FarmON Alliance have partnered with Sustain Ontario, FoodNet Ontario and other partners to organize BRING FOOD HOME – Connecting Ontario Farm and Food Networks, a provincial conference that will be held at the Kitchener Delta from March 4-6, 2010.

The conference will bring together participants from diverse regions and sectors, including farmers, food enterprises, health promoters, community groups and government organizations. The purpose is to facilitate our learning and working together to create food systems that are healthy, just, accessible, culturally appropriate, financially viable and sustainable.

To date we have confirmed Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm and of Food, Inc. fame as one of several keynote speakers, as well as Martin Gooch from the George Morris Centre who will lead a workshop in Value Chain Management. The FarmON Alliance is planning a whole day of events related to farmer training. It is shaping up to be an exciting conference.

For more information please contact the Program Committee Co-Chair at bringfoodhome@sustainontario.com or 647-348-0235 or visit Bring-food-home-2010-conference for updates.

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Friends are for Farming

Farm Start — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:33:43 +0000

Daniel Brisebois from Ferme Tourne-Sol, the farm highlighted in the article below, was the keynote speaker at last March’sEcological New Farmers Conference hosted by FarmStart and Everdale Environmental Learning Centre. One of the farmers from Tourne-Sol will hopefully return this winter to run another Crop Planning workshop – we’ll keep you updated!

Friends are for farming
Toronto Star – Toronto,Ontario,Canada
In Ontario, organizations such as FarmStart and Everdale Farm’s Farmers …

FarmStart runs a “matchmaking” service that links up landowners who don’t

want to farm their land with new farmers looking for land…

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