Vol. 26 No. 05 June 2014

Page 1

From the “Nova Scotia Farmer” June 1974to “News & Views” June 2014...

Bayhead girl announces her retirement from the NSFAMs. Donna Langille, Operations Manager, with the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture has announced she will be retir-ing at the end of June, 2014.

Donna has spent 40 years with the Federation and has filled many roles starting with Assist-ant Secretary Manager and end-ing with Operations Manager.

Dennis Boudreau, President and Henry Vissers, Executive Director would like to invite you to join us as we celebrate Donna’s commit-ment to the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. A re-tirement reception will be held in her honour on June 17, 2014 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Riverview Room, Jenkins Hall, Dalhousie Agricultural Campus.Please RSVP by June 11 to Shelly MacKenzie 893-2293 or smackenzie@nsfa-fane.ca.

If anyone has any photos or stories that they would like shared at the reception, please forward along to the email address above and we will be glad to include them in our presentations.

Donna Langille

view

point

Page 2Page 2

Henry VissersExecutive Director, Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture

I recently had the opportunity to par-ticipate in a CBC Radio Town Hall with a number of other guests including such diverse views as Ecology Action Center staffer and Ivany commission member Su-sanna Fuller to Bill Black and John Risley.

Much of the town hall discussion revolved around use of our natural resources, includ-ing fracking oil, etc. There was also a lot of discussion around skills training, immigra-tion, skills training around trades and some discussion on climate change, but as usual that seemed to get pushed off to the future.

Something the town hall didn’t spend much time on, which is the key to the enhanced role the Ivany report sees from primary sectors like Agriculture, is our rural infrastructure.

There are a number of challenges, lets re-flect for a moment on the power grid. I have heard from a number of farmers who are attempting to process/value add and sell their products that do not have access to 3 phase power, forcing them to modify electric components so they will work on 2 phase; this is costly and causes inefficient use of power. On the other side of that equation are those that would like to sell power to the grid using anaerobic diges-tion to create methane gas for power gen-eration. There are a number of costs that have been downloaded to these projects that make them difficult to cost out under COMFIT. For example the farmer accepts the cost of bringing the power line up to 3 phase in order to feed power into the line.

Another infrastructure issue is access to high speed internet. Rural access to high speed was announced a number of years ago with great fanfare, we are still hearing from many in farming communities where

high-speed is still not available. With access to so many things shifting to the internet it is a huge disadvantage to still be forced to use a slower system with snail paced down-loads. Even access to online banking can be painfully slow without good internet access.

That takes us on to cell service, similar to highspeed internet; cell service has become an essential for doing business. Canada has over 27 million cell phone subscribers or over 75% of the population. Many households are ditching landlines in favour of cell phone only at the same time rural Nova Scotia still has spotty service in rural areas with dead zones and dropped calls being common. With the increased use of smart phones, this disadvantage will only get worse.

From the information highway to our rural roads; this was a particularly tough winter on our roads and rural roads are in very hard shape. We all know there is limited money for road construction, however in order to run modern equipment and get the product to market in an efficient manner without dam-age to product these roads must be upgraded.

These are long standing grievances of farm-ers and rural Nova Scotia, in many ways rural Nova Scotians have been treated like second class citizens when it comes to this, funding is typically pushed to projects in high population areas, such as the conven-tion center, which attracted $400 million in municipal, provincial and federal support and I’m sure they’ll be back for more later!Our message to government, your focus on Agriculture is great; if you want us to increase output and keep costs low, help us make it pos-sible by addressing the infrastructure deficit.

Comments?email: hvissers@nsfa-fane.ca

The Rural Infrastructure Deficit

Page 3

On April 30th, several Federation members gathered in the foyer of the Legislature and hosted a reception for Nova Scotia Members of the Legislative Assembly. The intent of the evening’s reception was to provide an opportunity for the Federation and its members to showcase some of our agriculture products. We also wanted to take the time to introduce ourselves to the new faces that make up our provincial legisla-ture, reconnect with familiar faces and highlight the importance of agriculture to all Nova Scotians. There was a good turnout of MLA’s and the Federation was very pleased with the support from our membership in taking time out of their busy schedules to join us.

In Dennis’s remarks to the group he indicated that “Ag-riculture in Nova Scotia holds the promise of growth, innovation and sustainable rural communities.” “We can’t go at it alone; we need to have support and commitment from our elected officials and govern-ment staff to ensure our industry is in an environ-ment that allows farmers to be viable and profitable.”

Dennis also referenced the Nova Scotia Commis-sion on Building Our New Economy, often coined the Ivany Report, but entitled, “Now or Never”; the report states there are growth opportunities in the food sector of Nova Scotia and that we must pay close attention to the contributions of agriculture to the economy and explore global trends that will pave the way for the future. If you haven’t read the

report and are interested, go to http://onens.ca/

Without a doubt, the Federation believes agriculture can provide economic growth for Nova Scotia. From our award winning wines, a ranking of 1 and 2 in farm gate values of Fur and Christmas trees and our innova-tion with niche markets; Nova Scotia is well on its way to prove its economic importance. Despite the global economic downturn, the GDP of Nova Scotia Agricul-ture and Agri-food is 6 billion dollars. This represents a 6% average annual growth. Through 2571 registered farms in Nova Scotia and nearly 100 different commod-ity products, agriculture provides 1 in 8 jobs for Nova Scotians that are directly and indirectly associated with our industry. Dennis highlighted that, “many of the services that farmers need is acquired from businesses in towns and cities, thus creating jobs province wide.” In his address, Dennis commented, “We agree with the Ivany report which states that the past decade has been a tough one for agriculture. But farmers are ready, with the help of many stakeholders, to pro-duce top quality foods for local consumers, as well as export markets.” “We are also ready to grow Nova Scotia’s non-food ag sectors to help enhance Nova Scotia’s economy for the benefit of all,” adds Dennis.

You can check out the photo gallery of the event on the NSFA website www.nsfa-fane.ca under News and Events.

Importance of Agriculture Highlighted at NSFA’s MLA Reception

Basic Computer Course ClosingClosing celebrations recently took place in Kentville for a Basic Computer Course sponsored by the NSFA and the NS Dept of Labour and Advanced Education. Participants in the course are as follows:Back (L to R) Lloyd Dyck, Kees Langelaan, Jim Inglis, Henry Vissers (project team), Derek Woodbury, Mid-dle (L to R) Richard Melvin, Renette Muise (Dept of La-bour), Barb Dyck, Lloyd Evans, Front (L to R) Jacqueline Melvin, Mike Cleaves (Instructor) and Erma Langelaan.Congratulations to all!

Page 4

Don’t forget to Register for Open Farm Day!Deadline to register your farm for Open Farm Day is June 30th. This is so that we can cre-ate a map of participating farms and start promoting the event! Registration Forms and details are available by contacting the NSFA office or on our website at www.nsfa-fane.ca/openfarmday

Financial Management Course ClosingClosing celebrations took place recently in Kentville for a Financial Management Course sponsored by the NSFA and NS Dept of Labour and Advanced Education.Participants are as follows: Back (L to R) Dre Merks, Bob Kennedy, Julie-Anna Van Meekeren, Henry Vissers (project team), Middle (L to R) Katie Merks, Helen Jarvis, Janice Lutz, Renette Muise (Dept of Labour), Front (L to R) Jocelyn Lightfoot and Kathie Pemberton (Instructor).

Congratulations to all!

Page 5

The Farm Environmental Stewardship Awardsubmitted by Kathryn Bremner, EFP Lead CoordinatorIt’s time to pat yourself (and agri-culture) on the back!

All too often agriculture gets painted as an industry that damages environmental resources more than enhancing. As an Environmental Farm Plan Coordinator, I get to see the improvements, management practices and the in-vestments farmers are making to better the environment, but not everyone gets to see that as part of their job. It’s time to change the perspective and celebrate the good things the industry is doing for the environment!

The Farm Environmental Stewardship Award is a $2000 cash award and a painting of your farm by a local artist. Who doesn’t like a little extra cash and some good art?? Maybe you don’t think you’ve done enough or you don’t want to call attention to yourself or seem like you’re brag-ging. Stop that! Take a look at what you’ve done on your farm, how has it benefited the environment, your farm and your neighbours? Have you upgraded your fuel stor-age, pesticide storage, or the stream crossings on your farm? Do you use cover crops, crop rotation or have started using no-till? These are just some examples of how your farm may have made positive contributions. If you still have areas that need improving, that’s alright. Identifying future stewardship goals is part of the appli-cation process. Be proud of what you’ve done, what your industry has done and throw your name into the hat! It’s time to re-ward yourself for your hard work and get the word out on the good environmental work being done on farms. If you would like more information on the award, please visit our website: nsfa-fane.ca/efp or talk to an EFP coor-dinator at (902) 893-2293. The deadline for applications is July 4th, 2014 and the application process is not com-plicated. As in past years, farms can apply themselves or be nominated.

Some examples of improvements past finalists have made on their farms include installing pasture watering

systems so cattle could be fenced from watercourses, de-veloping wetlands to treat wastewater and provide wild-life habitat, improving fuel storage tanks, using mulch and crop rotation to reduce soil erosion and water use.

Page 6

As the school year comes to an end, many children will be spending their days on the farm. And really, what better place to spend summer vacation? How-ever, the reality is there are many hazards to children on the farm so it’s important that children under-stand these hazards and know to stay clear of them. Here are a few things you can do to protect the children on the farm:• Have a designated play area for young children.• Do not allow extra riders on tractors or other equipment.

Child Safety on the Farm

• Make sure children know what areas are off- limits on the farm (e.g. chemical storage, grain bins, high traffic areas)• Assign age-appropriate tasks (visit www.nagcat.org for more information). • Animals can be unpredictable, so make sure children understand basic animal behaviour. • Make sure that all those working on the farm know there are children around and to keep an eye out, especially when driving equipment.

Mother Nature has finally decided to cooperate and the nice weather has arrived! It is important to keep safe and hydrated while working during the sum-mer months. Working in high heat and high humid-ity is a reality of the job but here are a few remind-ers to keep you and your workers safe this summer: • Work in cool, shaded areas whenever possible and schedule strenuous jobs for the cooler times of the day.

Reminders for Working in the Summer Heat• Slow your pace of work and/or ensure there are additional workers available.• Keep cool drinking water near the worksite and drink lots of water. • Wear a protective hat and sunscreen.• Wear appropriate clothing that allows free air movement and sweat evaporation.• Ensure you are able to recognize the signs of heat stress.

We are here to help our members make their farms safe and healthy places to live and work.

Please contact us if you have any ques-tions or comments on farm safety.

info@farmsafetyns.ca * (902)893-2293

Page 7

Open Enrollment Period Ending June 30th

The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture is offering a preferred health and dental plan with Medavie Blue Cross for our membership. The Open Enrollment period ends June 30th, 2014. After this time, members wish-ing to signup will need to complete medical documents.

Benefit Plan for farmers Open enrollment until June 30,2014

www.nsfa-fane.ca/efp | www.meetyourfarmer.ca | www.farmsafetyns.ca

For more information and to receive your enrollment kit, contact Morneau Shepell at 1-800-667-6328—ask for Claire Norman.

Details are also available on the NSFA website www.nsfa-fane.ca

Click on member services!

The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture in cooper-ation with Crop Life Canada and the pesticide manu-facturers, would like to announce they are offering a Pesticide Sprayer Calibration Service.

Pesticide Sprayer Calibration ServiceThe service is free to Nova Scotia farmers and book-ings can be made by calling the NSFA office at 893-2293. There will be 4 pesticide points available as part of the calibration.

NSFA News & Views is the Newsletter of the NS Federation of Agriculture, the United, Strong & Caring Farm Organization repre-senting the best interest of Nova Scotia’s Agricultural Industry.

News & Views is provided free of charge to its members. We value comments and concerns from our members, please direct them to Executive members or the Office Staff.

2014 Executive Members:President: Dennis Boudreau Phone: 769-35011st Vice President: Chris van den Heuvel Phone: 631-18842nd Vice President: Kimberly Stokdijk Phone: 895-4817CFA Director: Dennis Boudreau Phone: 769-3501At Large: John Quinn Phone: 867-2382At Large: Lloyd Dyck Phone: 538-3083At Large: Jim Baillie Phone: 657-2256At Large: Victor Oulton Phone: 798-4440Past President: Beth Densmore Phone: 369-2876

Staff: Executive Director: Henry Vissers; Operations Manager: Donna Langille; Financial Services Officer: Krista Vroegh; Ad-ministrative Officer: Shelly MacKenzie; Communications Officer: Wanda Hamilton; Farm Safety Advisor; Carolyn Van Den Heuvel, EFP Staff, Kathryn Bremner, Paul Brenton, Lynda Weatherby and Trevor Davison.

60 Research Drive, Perennia Innovation Park, Bible Hill, N.S.Ph: 893-2293 Fax: 893-7063Email: info@nsfa-fane.ca Website: www.nsfa-fane.ca

News & Views

Page 8

CONNECT with Young Farmers

LEARN about Innovation and Technology

GROW your knowledge and your business

Check us out on our website: nsyoungfarmers.ca Check us out on our website: nsyoungfarmers.ca Check us out on our website: nsyoungfarmers.ca Email: info@nsyoungfarmers.ca Email: info@nsyoungfarmers.ca Email: info@nsyoungfarmers.ca

Check out NS Young Farmers

Photo from the MLA Reception held in early April showing the positive turnout we received.