Turfgrass Education Initiative to Help Rural Communities

photo credit: Wildlifecontrol via Flickr

GUELPH Ontario July 29, 2011 - University of Guelph News Release

Safe school grounds and high-quality municipal sports fields maintained without the use of traditional pesticides are the focus of a new University of Guelph-based initiative.

The Turfgrass Outreach Project (TOP) offers support to rural groundkeepers across southern Ontario, providing workshops, training programs and an online knowledge centre.

The project is being run by scientists and educators from the Guelph Turfgrass Institute and is supported by the Knowledge Translation and Transfer program, a new initiative under the University's partnership agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). It sets aside funds for projects that improve the impact of research projects by transforming research knowledge into use for different research audiences across the agriculture, food and rural sectors.

Without cosmetic pesticides - which have not been permitted for use since 2009 - rural groundskeepers have had to make major changes to manage school and municipal sports fields. But so far, public outreach has focused on the impacts on residential lawns and urban sports fields. This is an outstanding need that this project is looking to address, said Eric Lyons, a professor of plant agriculture and TOP project manager.

“Urban areas have often had municipal restrictions in place for a while, but in many cases, rural communities have had to adapt very quickly to managing turf without cosmetic pesticides,” Lyons said. “The education and outreach to deal with that just isn’t in place in rural communities like it has been in urban centres.”

In response, TOP is pulling expertise from the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, U of G’s Ontario Agricultural College and School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, and OMAFRA to create accessible educational opportunities for rural groundskeepers. It’s also partnered with the Sports Turf Association.

“We welcome the chance to learn more about the specific challenges faced by rural schools and municipalities,” said Nicole Markwick, TOP’s project co-ordinator. “For example, the safety of sports fields is important because they are used year-round for various sports and events that impact rural communities economically, socially and environmentally.”

TOP also aims to foster stronger networks for continuing education on sustainable resource management for rural turfgrass managers. It has also partnered with community organizations.

More information about the Turfgrass Outreach Project is available online.

Dr. Oetker Announces Plans for New Production Facility in London, Ontario

Expansion to provide opportunities for Ontario farmers and hundreds of jobs for local families

LONDON, Ontario, July 26, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - At an event held this morning, Dr. Oetker Canada, the maker of many beloved frozen pizza brands, dessert brands and dry baking mixes for both retail and food service, announced that it will build a new frozen pizza production facility in London, Ontario. The plant, which will act as a production hub for the company's North American pizza operations, will come along with over 125 jobs in London and bring some expected 300 additional jobs to the area. It is supported through Ontario's Rural Economic Development Program.

"Over the past few months, we've worked closely with officials from the Province of Ontario, the City of London and the London Economic Development Corporation," said Dr. Martin Reintjes, Executive Vice President at Dr. Oetker GmbH, the German headquarter. "I am delighted to be able to participate in today's announcement and to thank them all for the financial support provided to Dr. Oetker Canada for this project. As a fourth generation family owned and run business we understand the importance of community and we are thrilled to become a part of this thriving community here in London."

The company's famous "Trattoria" was onsite during the announcement treating guests to the company's pizza as they heard remarks from Dr. Martin Reintjes, as well as London-area MPPs Khalil Ramal, Hon. Chris Bentley and Hon. Deb Matthews and London Mayor Joe Fontana. This new facility will help Dr. Oetker produce about 50 million frozen pizzas per year for the Canadian and U.S markets and source over 24 million pounds of high-quality ingredients from Ontario farmers and food processors.

"The McGuinty government is proud to be a part of Dr. Oetker Canada's expansion, bringing a world class company to Southwestern Ontario, that will use fresh ingredients sourced from Ontario farmers and food processors," said Carol Mitchell, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. "Our government will continue to invest in projects like these, which will strengthen our agri-food industry, create jobs for our families and grow our economy."

Dr. Oetker Canada has been in operation since 1960 and ranks as one of the top five subsidiaries for the organization which operates in over than 35 countries, and has production facilities in 15. The Canadian unit has 120 employees today, produces over 300 products, and has doubled in size over the last five years due to new product development and a culture that thrives on innovation, quality products and fresh thinking. Most recently Dr. Oetker has seen success with its frozen pizza line, in fact nearly one in three frozen pizzas sold in Canada are Dr. Oetker pizzas. The company also operates a manufacturing and R&D facility located in Mississauga, Ontario. The Dr. Oetker pizza plant is slated to take up operations in late 2013.

"This plant will house production of our frozen pizza lines including Ristorante, a thin-crust gourmet pizza, Casa di Mama, our Italian homemade style pizza and our newest product Panebello, a bakery crust pizza," says Reintjes. "No matter what your pizza style is, this plant will offer great products for every pizza lover in Canada.

About Dr. Oetker Canada

Since 1960, Dr. Oetker Canada Ltd. has provided innovative quality food products to Canadian consumers. Recognized as one of the fastest growing food manufacturing companies in Canada, Dr. Oetker produces and distributes a variety of desserts and dry baking mixes (Shirriff, Added Touch and Dr. Oetker branded) and frozen pizzas (Ristorante, Casa di Mama and Panebello). The Canadian company is a subsidiary of the family-run Oetker Group which is currently led by Mr. Richard Oetker, great-grandson of the original founder. Established in 1891 with the launch of Germany's first baking powder, today Dr. Oetker carries out a legacy rooted in the belief that "quality is the best recipe" and a commitment to building a sustainable presence in the communities in which it does business. In 2009, sales were $2.5 billion.

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Corporate
Document Repository

Founded in 1945, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) works on four main areas that inform their mission: access to information, sharing policy expertise, meeting space for nations, and bringing knowledge to the field. Although they work in both developed and developing countries, as well as rural and urban areas, the FAO has concentrated their
efforts on rural areas, as that is where the majority of poor and hungry people reside.

Visitors interested in the current state of such topics as "Food and Agriculture", "Food Insecurity in the World", and "World Fisheries and Aquaculture" should click on the link entitled "The State of..." on the far right hand side of the homepage. There, visitors can download the publication on the subject, as well as see a table of contents and a basic overview of the contents of the publication.

Back on the homepage, visitors can check out new document releases, including a teaching toolkit on "Setting Up and Running a School Garden", which aims to promote lifelong healthy eating habits.

Visitors can download the toolkit as a PDF. [KMG]

>From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2011.
http://scout.wisc.edu/

U of G Receives Provincial Funding to Study Puzzling Farm Disease

GUELPH, Ontario July 15, 2011 - University of Guelph News Release

University of Guelph researchers have received support from the provincial government to explore Q fever, a mysterious disease that can affect farm animals and the people who care for them.

New funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will allow professors Paula Menzies and Andria Jones of the Department of Population Medicine to extend their research on Q fever. The disease is caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii and can infect any species, including mammals, birds and insects.

The researchers have been studying the infection in sheep and goats for the past year. They’ll use this latest $45,000 grant to test blood and survey farmers about human risk factors for contracting and spreading Q fever, such as overall health, lifestyle and time spent on a farm.

The government investment was announced today at U of G by Liz Sandals, MPP for Guelph-Wellington, on behalf of Deb Mathews, minister of health and long-term care.

“The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care recognizes that some animal diseases can cross over into the human population,” Sandals said. “This funding supports research into the risk factors for farm workers who are in contact with sheep and goats infected with Q fever.”

Kevin Hall, U of G’s vice-president (research), said: “This project illustrates the benefits of research at the intersection of human and animal health. It’s a perfect fit with our unique ‘one-health initiative,’ which considers holistically animal, human and environmental health. We’re grateful to the ministry for recognizing the importance of understanding more about this disease in order to protect animals and people.”

Menzies and Jones are working on the project with population medicine professor Scott McEwen, Jocelyn Jansen of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), and master’s student Shannon Meadows.

“It’s our job as veterinarians not only to ensure optimal health of animals but also to provide guidance on how to protect caregivers against zoonotic diseases,” Menzies said.

“This will allow us to investigate beyond the effects of the infection on sheep and goats and examine how Q fever is impacting the health and well-being of farm families.”

Jones added:

“This is the first time our research has directly involved human disease, and we’re very excited about it. Once we have an understanding of how much risk is associated with Q fever as well as the factors that put us at risk, we’ll be able to take a proactive stance to keep our province healthy.”

Q fever occurs most often in sheep, goats and cats, usually causing abortions and stillbirths. Farm workers usually contract the disease when caring for birthing animals. The bacteria may also occur in dust and raw milk.

The disease often goes undiagnosed in humans, with symptoms including fever, headaches and pneumonia. Most infected people have only mild symptoms, but some may need hospital care.

Previously, the researchers randomly selected about 150 small ruminant farms throughout southern Ontario and are testing more than 4,000 animals. About half have been tested so far.

“Much more work needs to be done before proper conclusions can be drawn, but we believe that this research will give an excellent grounding in understanding the risks in order to make sound recommendations on the control of Q fever,” said Jones.

The research has also been funded by OMAFRA, the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency, the Animal Health Laboratory and Public Health Ontario.

First International Summit of Cooperatives to be held in Canada in 2012

Drawing cooperative leaders from around the world

QUEBEC CITY, July 15, 2011 /Canada NewsWire Telbec/ - Decision-makers and influential figures from the international cooperative and mutualist community will gather in Quebec City, Canada, from October 8 to 11, 2012 for the 2012 International Summit of Cooperatives. This event will mark the International Year of Cooperatives declared by the United Nations (UN).

The Summit will be a milestone event for current and future leaders committed to consolidating the influence of the cooperative and mutualist movement on the socio-economic and political stage.

Desjardins Group, the leading cooperative financial group in Canada and the sixth largest in the world, will co-host the Summit with two other major cooperative players: the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), which represents and serves cooperatives worldwide, and Saint Mary's University in Nova Scotia, Canada, which is renowned for its post-graduate cooperative management program. The three Summit co-hosts have also made it their mission to promote the cooperative and mutualist business model worldwide.

Participants from around the world will be discussing:

...The role of cooperatives and mutuals in the global economy
...The performance of the cooperative and mutualist business model
...The evolution of the business model
...The global socio-political influence of cooperative and mutuals

Some 125 keynote speakers from different areas of expertise will be participating in this event.

The results of international groundbreaking studies will be revealed for the first time at the Summit. These multi-sector studies cover:

...Major global trends and the issues and challenges they represent for cooperatives and mutuals
...Development strategies for the cooperative and mutualist model
...Evolution of cooperative and mutualist management practices
...Productivity, financing and capitalization of cooperatives and mutuals
...Global socio-economic impact of cooperatives and mutuals
...International survey of member and consumer expectations of cooperatives and mutuals

Round tables and plenary meetings will promote dialogue and enable participants to take part in discussions. The program also includes workshops that will address specific issues by activity sector: agriculture, retail, insurance, finance, industrial, health, to name a few.

To find out more about this international event, visit www.2012intlsummit.coop.

Dairy Farmers of Canada Annual Meeting Draws to Close, New President Elected

WINNIPEG, July 13, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - A new President was elected by dairy farmer delegates from across the country this afternoon. Wally Smith owns MariaHolme Farms in Chemainus BC, where he milks 75 cows and grows his own forage and corn.

"I'm very proud to represent dairy farmers in Canada," said the new President. "I want to recognize the work of Jacques Laforge over the years. I look forward to work with all of you and ensure a vibrant industry today and for our children."

Earlier today, dairy farmers and industry stakeholders heard testimonials from keynote speaker and agricultural leader Jack Wilkinson, who challenged farmers to produce food sustainably. There were also two panels; the first discussing agricultural policy that encourages farmers to be more sustainable and the second one included one dairy farmer and two dairy processors talking about what sustainable development means to them and their business, and how they leverage their sustainable practices with consumers. You can find the biographies and presentations of these speakers on DFC's website. These testimonials speak, not only to respect of the environment, but also to the resourcefulness and innovation in the dairy industry!

DFC also took the opportunity to announce the creation of an environment stewardship award to recognize dairy farmers who go beyond common industry practices. Starting in 2012, this DFC award will recognize the achievements of dairy farmers implementing environmentally sustainable practices, which positively contribute to climate change issues and/or manage natural resources efficiently.

Nominations for the Board were received and the Executive members will be named by the Board later today. The closing banquet tonight will also recognize the contributions of Jacques Laforge, outgoing President to DFC over 25 years on the Board, including the last seven years as President. Jacques is retiring from DFC. The banquet will also honour Richard Doyle, Executive Director, who has been with DFC for 35 years. He is staying on to serve DFC.

The Caledon Farmers' Market Offers Something for Everyone!

from the Hills of Headwaters Newsletter

The Caledon Farmers’ Market is now open for its 3rd consecutive season. It features a broad selection of vendors who sell an impressive range of high-quality locally-produced products, including:

baked goods
fruits and berries
organic greens and vegetables
maple syrup
mushrooms
honey and honey-based products
shortbread cookies
flowers and plants
fresh and cured meats
chocolate and fudge
perogies and cabbage rolls
sprouts
artwork, jewellery, crafts and other great products

The Market is open every Thursday ~ rain or shine ~ between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. until October 6, 2011.

Each week features a different Market theme and activities available for kids and grown-ups to enjoy.

Visit www.caledon.ca/farmersmarket for Market details, to subscribe to The Market Message e-newsletter, or to visit the Caledon Farmers’ Market Facebook Profile page.