Recorded seminars are now available online
The OFVC is hosting an educational series of recorded and live presentations that are available for viewing at ofvc.ca. Live sessions will be available during scheduled times and require advance registration. If you are unable to participate in a live session, these presentations will be recorded and be posted at a later date.
For the full list of live, online events: www.ofvc.ca/events
For the full list of recorded videos: www.ofvc.ca/videos
Below are some seminars that may be of interest to vegetable growers:
FAIR: Fairness and Accountability in Retail Practices
January 28, 2021 | 12 pm – 1 pm
Michael Graydon, Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP)
The consolidation of the grocery retail sector in Canada has resulted in just five grocery retailers controlling over 80% of what consumers purchase in Canada. These retailers have adopted unfair and unethical business practices not seen or accepted in any other sector and have remained unchecked due to their power over suppliers. In 2020, new fees imposed by Walmart Canada and Loblaw Companies Ltd cost suppliers an additional $1billion, paying for these retailers’ expansion projects. These practices will now cost suppliers $6 billion on an annual basis, inflating retailer profitability, with no return on investment or growth for suppliers and no value in reduced prices or innovation for consumers. Unfair practices by grocery giants threatens Canada’s food production and supply chains, hurt consumers, and jeopardizes Canadian growth, jobs and COVID-19 recovery. Correcting this current business environment is imperative. Proven model such as the UK’s Grocery Supply Code of Practice with a dedicated enforcement agency has shown significant success in restoring balance and fairness to the relationship between grocery retailers and their suppliers. Food manufacturers, farmers, suppliers and some retailers are calling for a UK-style code of conduct in Canada to address these unfair and unethical practices.
Live event. Advance registration required. Click here to register
Precision Agriculture: Development of Novel Tools for Crop Protection
February 1, 2021 | 12 pm – 1:00 pm
Speaker: Vojislava Grbic, Western University
The two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychus urticae, is a global pest that feeds on more than 150 crops including soybean. In Ontario, it is an established pest on many greenhouse, horticultural and field crops. Integrated pest management (IPM) for TSSM involves monitoring the population and applying insecticides when thresholds are reached. TSSM pest pressure is especially high in dry years. With climate change, the TSSM pest pressure is expected to increase, predicting the need for the effective pesticide control of TSSM. Our pilot analysis identified mite resistance to many pesticides in most field TSSM populations tested, which correlates with pesticide inefficiency reported by farmers. To extend the useful life of the existing pesticides, we are developing TSSM pesticide resistance management tool. Because not all TSSM infestations are resistant to all pesticides, this tool will help growers to avoid pesticides that are unlikely to be effective and, in turn, will reduce crop losses. We are also paving the way for the development of new and different types of pesticides – an RNAi-based biopesticides.
Live event. Advance registration required. Click here to register
Enhanced Agri-Food Workplace Protection Program – Apply Now for Funding
February 2, 2021 | 12 pm – 1:00 pm
Speaker: Bradley Shaw, OMAFRA
Funding is available through this program to help eligible farm businesses with expenses related to the COVID-19 response. Bradley Shaw from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will provide an overview of the program, eligible expenses and how to submit your application. A question and answer period will follow the presentation.
Live event. Advance registration required. Click here to register
COVID 19 Happened. Now What? The Pandemic’s Legacy on the Fruit and Vegetable Industry
February 4, 2021 | 12 pm – 1 pm
Speaker: Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Agri-Food Analytics Lab Dalhousie University
The United Nations declared 2021 as the ‘International year of Fruits and Vegetables. What better time to stop and look where the sector is going! This session will look at the impacts of COVID on fruit and vegetable industries in Ontario and Canada as well as discuss the opportunities created. This will be a 1/2 hr presentation (including questions).
Live event. Advance registration required. Click here to register
WSIB and COVID-19: Here to Help in the Event of an Outbreak
February 10, 2021 | 12 pm – 1 pm
Speaker: Kendra Holliday-Bryant, WSB
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board understands that a COVID-19 outbreak can be an overwhelming experience for an agricultural business during these changing times. The WSIB is here to help. Please join Kendra Holliday-Bryant, Stakeholder Relations Manager for a session on how WSIB is able to work with you should you experience an outbreak. She will cover topics on reporting obligations, foreign agricultural worker policy, wage reimbursement, and the single point of contact process. The WSIB’s goal when an outbreak occurs is to get you back to what is important to you, running your business.
Live event. Advance registration required. Click here to register
Access to Labour in 2021: Changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
February 11, 2021 | 12 pm – 1 pm
Speakers: Stefan Larass, OFVGA, Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst, Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council and Ken Forth, FARMS
Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst will give information, tools and resources to help employers with complexities of staff management responsibilities. Ken Forth will give an update on the 2021 SAWP / TFWP programs and other relevant labour developments the Labour Issues Coordinating Committee he is involved in and Stefan Larass will give an update on resources available to growers to support their efforts to manage workplace safety in the pandemic.
Live event. Advance registration required. Click here to register
Safe Food for Canadians Regulations for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (FFV) sector
February 17, 2021 | 10:00 am – noon (includes 3 presentations)
Speakers: Jeremias Cull, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Dr. Jeff Farber, University of Guelph, Loree Saunders, OMAFRA
Live event. Advance registration required. Click here to register
Why do You Need Risk Management in Agriculture?
February 25, 2021 | 12:00 pm – 1 pm
Speakers: Mathieu Lipari, Farm Management Canada; Connie Kehler, HSSA; Jan Schooley, Schooley Orchards/Apple Hill Lavender
Agriculture is, without a doubt, an industry riddled with risk and uncertainty. Farmers across Canada are left to the mercy of Mother Nature, the global marketplace, a limited labour force, changing consumer trends, and other factors beyond their control in the political sphere. For farm managers, uncertainty can lead to poor planning and decision-making to the detriment of the farm, their families and the agricultural sector as a whole. But, with risk, also comes opportunity for those who are positioned to take calculated risks. This is why it’s important to plan for risk. Risk management is about thinking strategically in advance and applying a process by which uncertainty can be reduced. Understanding how to manage or mitigate risk can be difficult, but there are options that can help. Join us for this seminar during which we will discuss tried and true approaches to risk management, sources of support and tools for risk.
Live event. Advance registration required. Click here to register
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