Building soil and increasing profits: agriculture workshop

Two full-day workshops hosted by the East Central Farm Stewardship Collaborative on March 21 and March 22 will give participants a front-row seat to innovative ideas to build soil and increase profits through a series of presentations.

On March 21, the Woodville Town Hall will be the site of the first day-long workshop where participants will hear from a number of speakers and farmers who are putting into practice successful, innovative processes to improve their soil conditions.

“At these workshops you can expect to hear from farmers using innovative ideas to build soil, and increase profit at the same time, what the Ontario Soil network has been doing in southwestern Ontario,” explains Emily Johnston, Stewardship Outreach Technician for Kawartha Conservation.

“Participants will also get hands on demonstrations of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs AgMaps and AgriSuite tools.”

Speakers and presentations include:

• Keynote speaker Mike Buis from Chatham Kent, on integrating pasturing of cover crops into a cash crop system and how he re-invented his farm business
• Mel Luymes, on the farmer-led Ontario Soil Network in southwestern Ontario
• A panel of local farmers will describing innovative ideas – including Zac Cohoon, winner of the 2017 Innovative Farmer of the Year Award
• OMAFRA Representatives demonstrating new online mapping and soil analysis tools

Participants are invited to bring their laptop and/or soil test results as well as part of the workshop.

Supporting organizations include Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Farms at Work, conservation authorities and conservation organizations from throughout the region.

Cost is $15 and includes a hot lunch. Pre-registration is required.

For those unable to attend the Woodville workshop, a second workshop will be held on March 22 at the Alderville Community Centre in Roseneath.

To register, and for more information on the workshop and the Collaborative, visit ecfarmstewardship.org or contact Kawartha Conservation’s Emily Johnston at 705-328-2271 Ext. 242.