(in Northeastern Ontario) Spring 2013 A Publication of the North Eastern Ontario Soil & Crop Improvement Association (NEOSCIA) N.E.O.S.C.I.A. - Executive Growing The North in District of Cochrane President: by Graham Gambles, Regional Communication Coordinator, NEOSCIA Darren Gray ................. (705) 647-9465 Secretary/Treasurer: Neil Tarlton .................. (705) 692-7276 Ontario Soil & Crop Association Regional Director Algoma, Manitoulin, Sudbury, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Muskoka, Cochrane, Temiskaming: Mack Emiry ................. (705) 865-2249 District Soil & Crop Assoc. Contacts Algoma: Harold Stewart ............... (705) 842-0392 Cochrane: Dan Cook. (705) 272-3964 Manitoulin: Marca Williamson ............ (705) 859-2528 [email protected] Muskoka: Ken Pearcey ................ (705) 385-2844 Nipissing West/Sudbury East: Steven Roberge. (705) 594-9370 Parry Sound/Nipissing East: Klaus Wand ................. (705) 724-2314 Kapuskasing Civic Centre hosts 186 delegates at first annual Agricultural Symposium Sudbury West: James Found ................ (705) 969-4597 The Northeast Community Network (NeCN) put the focus on the agricultural re- Temiskaming: development and expansion of the "northern claybelt region" at Kapuskasing on Dennis Jibb ................. (705) 563-8405 March 15/16, 2013. Primarily located in the District of Cochrane (within Ontario) and in the Abitibi region of Quebec, the area encompasses more than 29 million Ministry of Agriculture, acres. With only 2% of the land mass in any form of development, this is the largest Food and Rural Affairs untapped reserve of agricultural soils on the continent. Northern Ontario Regional Office Ontario Ministry of With 16 million acres of this claybelt in Ontario, it dwarfs the 10 million acres cur- Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs rently farmed (and at risk of urban development) in southern Ontario. With low P.O. Box 521, Hwy. 64 land prices and increasingly favorable climate, Black River-Matheson Mayor, Mike Caldwell Township Building, Verner, ON P0H 2M0 TOLL FREE / General Inquiry ......800-461-6132 Millinkovich, stated: "We are the future bread basket of North America and we FAX ......................... (705) 594-9675 are going to make it happen!" Recently, demand for land has been increasing [email protected] with Mennonite families from southern Ontario moving in and large family farms Regional Manager, Northern Ontario expanding their holdings in the area with an eye to the future. Mary Ellen Norry Car The potential of the area was discovered in 1881 with the original railway placement Regional Administrative Coordinator Diane Unger surveys undertaken throughout the region. Land clearing for traditional pioneer Client Service Representative agriculture soon followed, and the Kapuskasing Experimental Farm was developed Monique Roberge in 1914. However, the technology available at that time was limiting and the cli- Agriculture Development Advisor (North Region) matic patterns were not helpful! Dr. David Pearson, Professor of Earth Sciences at Julie Poirier Mensinga Laurentian University, pointed out that a progressively cooler climate spanned the Agriculture Development Advisor (Nipissing, Parry Sound & Sudbury East) area during the 1939 to 1980 period. However, since 1981, this pattern has reversed Pierrette Desochers and the region find itself in the middle of an historic warming trend. This climatic THESSALON change is directly related to the warming of the frigid waters of Hudson Bay. Pearson 1 Collver Rd., RR #1, Thessalon, ON P0R 1L0 likens the past effect of this nearby massive water body on the claybelt region as Agriculture Development Advisor (Algoma) ........................Dave Trivers living next to a "freezer with the door left open"! Continued on page 6 GORE BAY Box 328, 35 Meredith St., Gore Bay, ON P0P 1H0 Agriculture Development Advisor This newsletter is published Material in this newsletter Send articles to: (Manitoulin and West Sudbury) .........Brian Bell 4 times per year. Articles is based upon factual Graham Gambles NEW LISKEARD can be submitted in either information believed to be Box 586, Temiskaming Box 6008, 280 Armstrong St., New Liskeard, ON P0J 1P0 English or French and accurate. Action taken as a Shores, ON P0J 1K0 Agriculture Development Advisor should be submitted to the result of this information Tel: (705) 672-3105 (Temiskaming and Cochrane) ........Daniel Tassé Agriculture Development Advisor Communication Coordinator is solely the responsibility Fax: (705) 672-5959 (North Region) ...................Barry Potter (see below). Please supply of the user. We reserve the E-Mail: Beef Cattle Production Systems translation, if available. right to edit articles. [email protected] Program Lead .................. Tom Hamilton Go to GeoVisage, http://geovisage.nipissingu.ca for Current and Historical Weather Data Do you know anyone thinking Vous connaissez quelqu’un qui about selling the farm? pense à la vente de la ferme? The Northeast Community Network (NeCN), an incorporated, Le Réseau Communautaire du Nord-Est (RCNE) est une organ- regional not-for-profit organization that promotes collabora- isation régionale, sans but lucratif et constituée en société qui tive economic development, is ramping up its efforts to attract favorise le développement économique en collaboration. Le investment into Cochrane District’s agricultural sector. The intent Réseau intensifie ses efforts pour susciter des investissements is to attract new suppliers, services, and producers into the region dans le secteur agricole du district de Cochrane dans le but to bolster the local agricultural sector. Crucial to this, is the cre- d’attirer de nouveaux fournisseurs, services et producteurs dans ation of a directory of available (for sale/lease) lands that have la région pour renforcer le secteur agricole local. La création d’un agricultural potential (as well as operating farms) which will be répertoire de terrains disponibles (à vendre/location de terrain) promoted to potential purchasers. This is an opportunity to list ayant un potentiel agricole (ainsi les fermes opérationnelles), an agricultural property “publicly” or “privately” at no cost and et leur promotion à des acheteurs potentiels est essentielle au with no obligation. This service will not replace – but will aug- SUCCÒSDUPROJET6OICIDONCUNEOCCASIONPOURINSCRIREVOTRE ment the services of local realtors. propriété agricole de façon « publique » ou « privée », et ce, Please feel free to pass along this information to anyone you gratuitement et sans obligations. Ce service ne remplacera pas, know who is thinking of listing their farm and help us bring more mais augmentera les services d’agents immobiliers locaux. investment into the district. POUR OBTENIR DE PLUS AMPLES RENSEIGNEMENTS au sujet de FOR MORE INFORMATION on this initiative, please contact Jordan ce projet, s’il vous plait communiquer en toute confidentialité Duff or Eric McSweeney (McSweeney & Associates has been con- avec Jordan Duff ou Eric McSweeney (McSweeney & Associates, tracted by NeCN) in complete confidence at 1-855-300-8548, or contractant du RCNE) au 1-855-300-8548, ou par courriel jordan@ email [email protected] or [email protected]. mcsweeney.ca ou [email protected]. OPEN HOUSE On Thursday, April 4th, Haasen Farms Limited in Timmins is hosting an Open House to allow those interested to see their new 2 Robot dairy barn built this past summer. The barn is 131’ X 188’ with attached 30 X 34 office/milk house/utility room. It was built by Earlton Country Store in partnership with Roch Laframboise Construction. The barn features: s,ELY!!STRONAUTMILKING2OBOTS s"3-&REESTALLS s*AMESWAY$URA#HAIN!LLEY3CRAPERS s3TUBBESBELOWGRADE 3CRAPER4UBES s&AROMOR.ATURAL6ENTILATION s-ACRO!IRE(IGH6OLUME,OW3PEEDFT FANS s0ENNINGBY*AKES-OBILE7ELDING s"OU-ATIC'LACIER LITREMILKCOOLER s!GRILIGHT The Open House will run from 11 AM to 3 PM and will offer a complimentary BBQ lunch. Please call or email so that we can have enough food ready for everyone. Sponsors include Lely Canada, Earlton Country Store, Farm Credit Canada, Farquhar Dairy, Robert Rubino/Temiskaming Livestock Exchange, Miller Concrete Frank, Ivy & Eddy ~ Haasen Farms Limited 1620 Government Rd N Timmins Ontario Canada, P4N 7C3 Phone: 705-268-5256 ~ 705-266-3188 (Frank cell) ~ 705-363-7328 (Eddy cell) ~ Email: [email protected] 2 Breaking Ground (in Northeastern Ontario) Notes from the NEOSCIA Saguenay Bus Tour Workshop Nutrableu: The Future of Wild Blueberry Sales on “New By Graham Gambles, RCC (NEOSCIA) Horticulture The processing plant for quality fresh blueberries Crop & Production Techniques for the North” Sharon Lane, Regional Correspondent to Breaking Ground Errol Caldwell welcomed more than 60 Traditionally, the fresh fruit sales of wild mechanical harvesters that look much like producers and consumers to a workshop blueberries originate from hand-picked a large riding mower. In order to improve entitled “New Horticulture Crop and product coming out of the forests of the the efficiency of these machines, much Production Techniques for the North” North, and sold at independent roadside effort is made to make the fields as flat March 5 at the Johnson Twp. Community stands (and farmers markets) across the as possible and to remove all obstructions Centre. RuralAgri-Innovation Network 0ROVINCE6ERYLITTLEOFTHEWILDFRESHPROD- such as stumps and stones. (RAIN) sponsored the workshop with funding from FedNor and Trillium. uct makes it into the mainline grocery The harvested