Nicholas Donaldson
The Rainy River Federation of Agriculture is bringing “Ag Day” back to the district.
It will take place Saturday, April 1 from 9 a.m.-3:15 p.m. at the Emo Legion.
Organizer and RRFA member Lisa Teeple said this is a revitalization of an annual event held in the district years ago.
She said “Ag Days” used to be huge events with speakers and displays.
“Everybody would come, people would bring their families,” Teeple noted.
She explained schedules changed over the years and people stopped organizing it.
Teeple noted the RRFA has been talking about bringing it back for a few years now.
A full slate of speakers–covering a wide variety of topics concerning agriculture and agri-business–has been lined up.
The day will begin with a meet-and-greet, with coffee and doughnuts, beginning at 9 am.
Andrew Brekveld will give a talk on behalf of the Thunder Bay Soil and Crop Association at 9:45 a.m.
Then Ben LeFort, a senior policy analyst with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, will speak on “Farm Assessment and Taxation” at 10 a.m.
Teeple said it’s important to have these kinds of presentations so farmers can better understand their taxes.
“Sometimes, people will just look at their forms to see how much they owe, but they never understand what else they should be looking for,” she noted.
Kelsey Banks, Ontario Marketing Specialist for Alltech Canada Inc., will give a presentation at 11 a.m. entitled “Rethinking Farm Business, Planning and Strategy.”
Teeple said this will be good for young people trying to begin a farm and understanding how to make it successful.
Then at 11:45 a.m., Bernie Zimmerman, OFA Member Services Representative for Rainy River, will give an update on services available for OFA members.
A free lunch will be provided at noon.
After lunch, OMAFRA agriculture development advisor Gary Sliworsky will let everyone know about upcoming OMAFRA events and developments.
OMAFRA environmental specialist Jacqui Empson Laporte then will talk about barn fire prevention at 1 p.m.
Laporte will bring and discuss FLIR (thermal imaging) cameras, as well as finding hot-spots in barns.
Teeple said this presentation will be important and something she feels more farmers should think about.
She noted old barns could have electrical issues and when combined with mice and birds, this could lead to disaster.
Fire prevention often can be ignored by busy farmers but the results of a barn fire can be devastating.
“You get into your daily farm routine and you don’t think about things like that,” Teeple conceded.
Then at 1:45 p.m., Agricorp representative Dick Trivers will give crop insurance updates and information.
After a coffee break from 2-2:15 p.m., New Gold environmental manager Darrell Martindale will be the final speaker for the day.
His presentation will be on New Gold’s biological research for this year, which is scheduled to run until 3 p.m.
Door prizes and draws will be awarded at the end of the day, with time for program notes and questions, as well.
Teeple said the RRFA is running “Ag Day” as a sort of trial event.
If it’s successful, they will carry on with it in the years to come.
“We hope it is well-received and well-attended,” Teeple said.
And she noted if the event proves popular enough, there is room for expansion down the road.
“We could have it run for a couple days, or get a bigger venue for equipment displays, things like that,” Teeple explained.
Guests are asked to R.S.V.P. for lunch and to reserve a spot in the venue.
You can do so by calling 487-2340, 275-9706, or 487-2387.
You also can e-mail Teeple at teeps@tbaytel.net or Kim Jo Bliss at kimjobliss@gmail.com
