Messenger News Letter - Febuary 2012

T HEMessenger M ESSENGER The FEBRUARY 2012

Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency, 130 Malcolm Road, Guelph, ON, N1K 1B1 www.ontariosheep.org Tel: 519-836-0043

Inside This Issue          

Board Decisions / Actions Programs Projects Religious & Ethnic Holidays General Interest

Programs / Workshops Upcoming Events District Information

Other District Organizations OSMA Reaching Out

2nd Place in the OSMA AGM Photo Contest “Rosie Peaking Out” Taken by Don Tubb

OSMA and the Industry – Messenger

February 2012

BOARD DECISIONS / ACTIONS

NEXT SCHEDULED BOARD MEETINGS Face to Face Board Meetings February 29 April 18 July 11 Aug 22 Nov 23/24 (AGM)

May 30 Oct 10

BOARD MEETING – January 18 Note: The minutes are now available on the website starting with Fiscal Year 2011/2012. http://ontariosheep.org/ABOUTONTARIOSHEEP /BoardMinutes Synopsis:  New Provincial Director Mark Ritchie was welcomed to the OSMA Board  Elected new Chair Dennis Fischer and Vice Chair Fraser Hodgson  Accepted financial statements for October and November 2011  Elmer Buchanan Vice Chair Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission attended the meeting and outlined the Commissions positions on OSMA and recent events within

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OSMA. Elmer will be a coach from OFPMC to the OSMA Board.

Board will send concluding letters to District 5 and Andrew Gordanier over the handling and time delays associated with concerns that District 5 has brought to the Board Kevin Ferraro, OMAFRA updated the board on RMP for 2012 During the meeting the Board received committee reports. It should be noted that the Governance Committee has many points to address in refining and adding to policies before reporting back to the Board.

Action items flowing out of the Board meeting can be found with the minutes on the OSMA website.

PROGRAMS Ontario’s Risk Management Program (RMP) For Sheep Producers Please visit the Ontario Sheep website (www.ontariosheep.org) for press release and more future information on the program. Final payments for 2011 will be before the end of March.

Premium rates set for RMP livestock plans – visit www.agricorp.com

Existing participants – Will receive renewal forms in February New participants – Submit a 2012 application to Agricorp by March 16, 2012. You may enrol after this deadline has passed, provided you apply before the end of the first reporting period in which you have eligible production

OSMA and the Industry – Messenger

February 2012

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PREDATION AND WILDLIFE DAMAGE Ontario has increased the compensation farmers can access for damage caused by predatory wildlife.

Through the new Wildlife Damage Compensation Program livestock producers can receive compensation when their livestock are injured or killed by predatory wildlife. The new program expands the current list of wildlife species and variety of livestock that farmers can be compensated for, and increases the maximum compensation rates for farmers. The maximum compensation is now $1,200 for purebred and $300 for non-purebred sheep.

Value depends on assessed animal value.

For more information visit: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/pre dation.htm

NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR PRODUCERS UNDER THE AGRICULTURE-WILDLIFE DAMAGE COMPENSATION PROGRAM As of April 1, 2012 ALL producers will be required to have a Premises ID and a Farm Business Registration (FBR) number in order to receive compensation for livestock that are killed or injured by predators eligible under the new wildlife damage program.

To obtain a Premises ID number please fill out the online application at www.ontrace.ca or call 1-888388-7223 To obtain an FBR number please contact Agricorp at 1-888-247-4999 or at www.agricorp.com to register and choose from one of the three accredited farm organization Predation –Wildlife Committee: Mark Ritchie (Chair); Chris Kennedy; Luann Erb; Dick Kuiperij; Murray Hunt; Jennifer Johanson

ACC FARMERS' FINANCIAL RELEASES CASH ADVANCE APPLICATIONS TWO MONTHS EARLY Guelph, Ontario, Canada ACC Farmers' Financial (ACC) announced yesterday that it will be releasing Advance Payments Program (APP) applications for crop inputs two months earlier than previous years.

"This early release will give growers the opportunity to complete the application when more time is available and will allow earlier approval and access to funds," stated Jaye Atkins, CEO ACC Farmers' Financial. Although advancement of funds occurs April 1, 2012, the earlier availability of applications allow producers to complete the forms and submit for pre-approval.

2011 advance rates have been used in order to achieve this earlier release of funds and growers are expected to use their 2011 production insurance figures when completing the application.

"There have been numerous changes in the Commodity Loan Program Application and the Advance Payments Program for the 2012 year to simplify the loan application process," stated Atkins.

An example of this is that as of October 2011, applicants are no longer required to have their financial institution complete the Priority Agreement found within all APP applications when there are no liens registered against their agricultural products.

ACC is a nationally appointed administrator of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Advance Payments Program (APP). The APP program was designed to help growers with their production period and give easier access to cash advances for crops they are planting during the program year. The first $100,000 is interest-free with an additional $300,000 available at prime rate.

OSMA and the Industry – Messenger

February 2012

For more information on the Advance Payments Program or other financing options available at ACC Farmers' Financial please visit our website www.accfarmersfinancial.ca

https://www.accfinancial.ca/ or contact one of our Lending Officers to discuss your options.

Applications will be mailed to clients later this month but will also be available on our website or through the ACC office February 1, 2012.

PROJECTS PREDATION PROJECT UPDATE January has come and gone (already!) and it is time for a quick update on where the Predation Project stands in the New Year! This project is a partnership between the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Trent University, with support from OMAFRA staff. The key question we hope to address is why some farms can have many losses despite the extensive use of prevention tools, while others can have few losses with only a few antipredator measures. My theory is that landscape, on different scales, may have a significant role to play in these differences. We are undertaking three different stages of research; the first is a survey of Ontario sheep producers. The second involves measurements of landscape variables on Ontario farms, and the third is a trial of different commercially available prevention tools.

In the December issue of Ontario Sheep News, a survey was mailed out to sheep producers across Ontario requesting information about their farming operations, losses to predators and prevention tools used currently. We would like to say a big thank you to all of the producers who have filled out the survey so far. This information is being used in conjunction with other data (like road and topographic maps) to quantify current predation problems in Ontario as

well as the tactics that individuals take to prevent it.

Numerous people have taken the time to included extra accounts of predation or more in depth descriptions of their prevention tools and this is very much appreciated.

The first round of number crunching and maps will be printed in the March issue of Ontario Sheep News, so make sure you check that out! If you haven’t had a chance to fill out the survey yet and would like to do so, please call or email me and I will make sure a copy is sent to you. We would like to hear from everyone – big or small operations, with predation problems or not.

For those of you who have completed (or will complete) the survey, the second stage of the study begins soon. I will be contacting producers in early March to see if they are interested in continuing to participate in the study. For the producers who wish to participate, we will set up a farm visit between May and August.

If you have any questions, please contact me at 705748-1011 x 6464 or email kaiti.nixon@gmail.com.

Thank you for your support!

Kaiti Nixon M.Sc. Candidate Trent University

RELIGIOUS & ETHNIC HOLIDAY’S For more information on the Holidays please click the link below to go to the OSMA website: Religious & Ethnic Holidays - http://www.ontariosheep.org/ - Market Information – Market Reports

OSMA and the Industry – Messenger

February 2012

GENERAL INTEREST AUTO DIALER We have incorporated an ‘ auto dialing or phone system’ that will allow us to call producers at their homes. The purpose of this is to use the auto dialer as a tool for the District Executives to have the office call their producers and leave messages regarding events that they can attend or information that might benefit them. Recognizing that producers do not want to be inundated with many calls, we are using it wisely and we have given them the option of going on a ‘no call’ list. We are proud of this innovation and believe this is a first in the Ontario meat commodity sector.

PROGRAMS - WORKSHOPS

CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL LOANS ACT (CALA) PROGRAM The CALA program builds on and replaces the previous Farm Improvement & Marketing Cooperative Loans Act (FIMCLA) program.

The CALA program is a financial loan guarantee program that provides farmers easier access to credit.

Farmers can use these programs to establish, improve and develop farms.

For more information click on the following link:

Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) Program > Programs and Services or http://www.agr.gc.ca/index_e.php - Choose programs & services – Choose Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) Program.

LIVESTOCK AUCTION TRACEABILITY INITIATIVE (LATI) The Livestock Auction Traceability Initiative (LATI) will provide contributions to assist primarily in the alteration of animal handling structures, which will enhance traceability capabilities at high-risk, high through-put sites where animals from different herds co-mingle.

For more information click on the following link: http://www4.agr.gc.ca/ - Choose programs & services – Sort A-Z then choose Livestock Auction Traceability Initiative

OSMA and the Industry – Messenger

February 2012

GROWING FORWARD A commitment by Canada's federal, provincial and territorial government that supports the development and implementation of best practices in four key areas: 1) Environment and Climate Change 2) Business Development 3) Food Safety and Traceability

4) Biosecurity For more information: Call 1-888-479-3931; e-mail growingforward@ontario.ca Or visit their website by copy and paste of the following link: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/about/growin gforward/2011-index.htm

AGRIWEBINAR – LEARNING WITHOUT LIMITS Presented by The Canadian Farm Business Management Council.

Date

Speaker

Topic

Feb 8

Brent Vankoughnet

FCC Presents:Starting a New Farm Business

Feb 13

Kevin Spafford

The 5 Keys to Planning Success

Feb 22

Jeffrey Fitzpatrick-Stilwell

FCC Presents: Values in Practice & Partnership

Feb 27

Colette Lebel

Cooperating for Success

Feb 28

Tarrah Young

Carrot Cache Presents: Introductory Small Scale Season Extension – Hoop Houses

Feb 29

Jean-Philippe Gervais

FCC Presents – Canadian Agricultural Economic Outlook

Visit the website to access over 100 archived webinars, and to subscribe to their mailing list.

Website: http://www.agriwebinar.com/

FARM CREDIT CANADA Where do you want your operation to be in five years? Do you know how to get there?

For information on upcoming workshops visit: www.fcc.ca/workshops or call 1-888-332-3301

ONTARIOFRESH.CA WAS LAUNCHED IN FALL OF 2011 Registration is now open for Ontariofresh.ca, the new free website and online community that is being created to expand the market for buyers and sellers of local Ontario food. The aim is to make connections across the food service value chain, linking bulk .

buyers, chefs, restaurants, caterers and distributors as well as growers and producers. You can register your business’ profile at http://www.ontariofresh.ca/ or by calling 1-888-249-9399 or 647-426-8420

OSMA and the Industry – Messenger

February 2012

UPCOMING EVENTS For more information on any upcoming event please visit the OSMA website at: Events (http://www.ontariosheep.org/Events.aspx)

DISTRICT 10 ANNUAL SHEEP DAY Feb. 18: 8:30 am –at the Spencerville Fairgrounds in Spencerville ON. The agenda this year covers topics such as Anthelmintic Resistance, Managing Pasture to Manage Parasites, Animal Welfare Concerns and The Role of the OSPCA Inspector. Registration begins at 8:30 AM. The cost of the day is $25.00 and this includes a hot lamb luncheon. For more information contact Gary Lapier at rockyhylandfarm@ripnet.com

DISTRICT INFORMATION Note: For further information and details about your District please contact your District Secretary

District 1: Meetings are usually held the first Thursday of every month at Ridgetown Fire Hall Contact: District Secretary: Michelle Prudom at 519-845-3998 or District 1 Website: OSMA_district_1.tripod.com

District 2: COMING EVENTS: March 1: District Meeting; Sprucedale Hanover Contact: District Secretary - Kyle Harrison 519369-3954

District 3: COMING EVENTS: Feb 18: 1 – 3 pm – 100 Don St., Clinton; Topic – Coyote Biology; Control & Prevention; Guard Dogs & Livestock Guardians

March 17: 1-3 pm – Hwy 119 Uniondale #196934 – Farm Tour at Gary Loney’s Contact: District Secretary - Neil Mesman 519504-3089 or email: neil.mesman@me.com

District 4: Last Saturday of every month: Breakfast at 9 am at Devine’s in Jarvis. Join us for sheep chat, good people and good food.

Contact: District Secretary - Sharon Petheram 519443-5844 or email: petherdale@gmail.com

District 5: Meetings are usually last Wed. of every month, Location TBA Contact: District Secretary - Lene Band phone: 905-877-2969 e-mail: lhband@hotmail.com

OSMA and the Industry – Messenger

District 6:

February 2012

District 9:

Contact: District Secretary – Grant Cowan phone: 705-436-2236 or e-mail: gcowan@gtcnet.ca

District 7:

Contact: District Secretary – David Bentley phone: 613-256-1628

District 10:

Contact: District Secretary – Donna Aziz phone: 905-852-9252

District 8: COMING EVENTS: Feb. 13: 7 pm – District 8 meeting at Westdale park Public School in Napanee- Preparing for Lambing Our Way, with producer panel featuring Steeles and Kehoes families. Contact Debi or Linda for more info Contact: District Secretary – Linda Huizenga phone: 613-477-1393

COMING EVENTS: Feb. 18: 8:30 am – District 10 Annual Sheep Day at the Spencerville Fairgrounds in Spencerville ON. For more information contact Gary Lapier at rockyhylandfarm@ripnet.com.

District 10 Website: www.osmadistrict10.ca/ Contact: District Secretary – Gary Lapier phone: 613-989-2792

District 11: Contact: District Secretary – Debra Garner phone: 705-563-2761 or e-mail: bill.debgarner@gmail.com

OTHER DISTRICT ORGANIZATIONS Victoria County Sheep Producers.

Third Wednesday every month starting at 7:30 Sunderland Co-op Boardroom at Oakwood Location Membership is $20 per farm per year. Contact: Doug Walden - 705-324-7478 Southwestern Sheep Farmers Formerly known as Middlesex Sheep & Lamb Producers

Chairman - George Molson, 519-695-2936, Secretary/Treas – Marilyn Walker, 510-287-5637, Grey Bruce Sheep Management Club Location: Grey Gables in Markdale Western Ontario Lamb Producers District 2 and 3 area Ontario Suffolk Sheep Association

OSMA and the Industry – Messenger

February 2012

OSMA REACHING OUT

OSMA Website – www.ontariosheep.org Have you visited OSMA’s new website yet. If you haven’t, please take a moment to check it out. The following are just a few of things you will find.

About Ontario Sheep - Messenger Programs, Services - OSN Market Information - Locators – Lamb, Guardian Animals, and Breed Sheep Production Information - Lamb Nutrition and Recipes - Virtual Farm Tour Current Initiatives Research Projects - Links and Videos News - Kids Corner Events

CHECK OUT THE NEW LAYOUT FOR ONTARIO SHEEP NEWS AND THE MESSENGER ON THE OSMA WEBSITE

HELP US KEEP YOU INFORMED To keep you up to date on current events by phone and email please make sure that we have your current information.

TELL YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBOURS TO UPDATE THEIR INFORMATION Contact us by calling 519-836-0043 or emailing admin@ontariosheep.org

OSMA and the Industry – Messenger

February 2012

Important Dates for Mandatory RFID Tags For more details, see attached CSF Notification called “Sheep Industry Continues Toward Mandatory RFID Tags”

 Starting July 1, 2011 Ketchum Kurl lock and Allflex dangle tags will no longer be available for sale to sheep producers as Canadian Sheep Identification Program (CSIP) tags. Retailers will have until Oct. 1, 2011 to sell any remaining stock.  All animals born or tagged after January 1, 2012 are encouraged tagged with approved CSIP RFID tags  Approved CSIP RFID tags include the Shearwell Data Ltd SET tag and the Allflex RFID Button Tag.  If you tag an animal which will still be in the population as of January 1, 2013 (i.e. breeding stock) with a non‐RFID tag, that animal will be non‐compliant after January 1, 2013. As a result, you will be required to retag the animal with a CSIP approved RFID tag and cross‐reference with the old identification number if the animal is to leave the farm after January 1, 2013.  After December 31, 2012 the Ketchum Kurl lock #3 and the Allflex dangle tags will be officially removed from the list of approved tags for the CSIP and will no longer be accepted at sales, abattoirs or by CFIA as official CSIP tags for shipping, transfer or sale of sheep in Canada.

For more information, please go to www.cansheep.ca