Storm damage at Muskoka Bay Club (Photo courtesy Owen Ledwith)

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs Advisory Reports

OMAFRA Turfgrass Management Report

OMAFRA Nursery & Landscape Report

 

From the Editor

The impending end of the more short lived than usual summer of 2009 is evident in the cooler nights and heavier dews we have experienced the past few weeks. At Guelph, the end of summer happens this coming week when almost 20,000 students will descend on the city and abruptly awaken the quiet summer campus. We are anticipating a full class of first year students in the Associate Diploma in Turfgrass Management program as well as a near capacity second year class. The second year students are returning from their internship adventures across Ontario and Canada as well as New Zealand, England and Scotland. They should have some interesting tales to tell. The students are busy planning the annual student/alumni golf tournament and hope to continue to grow this fun networking event. Scroll down this page for more information about this event.

It has been a busy summer at the GTI with research programs continuing to expand particularly in the area of pesticide alternatives, research that is driven by the Ontario Cosmetic Pesticide Ban. The last few weeks has also seen the start of construction on the GTI Turfgrass Display Garden. The garden will feature over twenty different species of turfgrass which we hope to seed in the next week or two. The garden also includes a small putting green and we are going to attempt to establish creeping bentgrass, velvet bentgrass and red fescue/colonial bentgrass areas so people can see the differences in these putting surfaces and how they perform in the southern Ontario climate. We are also attempting to include some warm season grasses in the display garden in the future and are currently looking at various options to protect them from the harsh Canadian winter. The display garden will be used for student, industry and public education programs as well as providing a source of plant material for research purposes. Watch future issues of The GTI Advisor for more information as this project moves forward.

Included below is information on the Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. Although we often do not think of the turfgrass industry as being part of the agri-food industry, in the eyes of the provincial government, turfgrass is considered part of the agri-food industry. The award does require nominees to have, or be eligible to obtain, an Ontario Farm Business Registration Number and I suspect that within the turf industry, sod farms would be the only eligible operators. However, we do have some extremely innovative sod farm operators in Ontario and perhaps one or more of them would be interested in applying. In addition to the recognition, award recipients are eligible for cash prizes ranging from $5,000 to $100,000. I would welcome the opportunity to assist any applicants as it would certainly help promote turfgrass industry innovation and the value of the industry within the Ontario economy.

 

University of Guelph Annual Turf Student-Alumni Golf Tournament

All alumni and friends of the University of Guelph turfgrass management program are invited to the annual Student-Alumni Golf Tournament. The scramble format tournament is being held at Guelph Lakes Golf & Country Club this year on Thursday, September 24th with a 12:30 pm shotgun. The tournament is organized by the student run Turf Club. Registration is only $65 per person and hole sponsorships are available for associations or companies interested in supporting this event. It is a great opportunity to meet students and faculty as well as network with fellow alumni and friends. For more information contact guelphtournament@gmail.com.

Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence

The Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence was established in 2006 to recognize and foster innovation in the agri-food industry. The five-year, $2.5 million program (now in its fourth year) encourages the development of prosperity in Ontario’s rural communities and on farms by recognizing innovations that add value to existing products, create jobs and drive economic growth. As many as 55 regional awards, valued at $5,000 each, can be presented each year. Recipients of the Premier’s Award (up to $100,000) and the Minister’s Award (up to $50,000) are selected from the regional winners.

Who Can Apply?
A farmer, primary producer, groups of farmers, combination of agri-food businesses, or agri-food related organizations are all eligible for recognition under this initiative.  A farmer must be one of the applicants in any group (i.e., eligible to obtain an Ontario Farm Business Registration number).

The innovation must have been developed and have been in use on an Ontario farm, or be in the planning stages of development with a business plan towards implementation. The innovation must also have the potential for use on a broader basis and demonstrate a positive effect on the agricultural industry.

Eligible Innovations
Examples of types of innovations include, but are not limited to:

• improved farm practices
• responding to consumer demands
• environmental stewardship
• health and safety on the farm
• energy innovations
• education and marketing of agriculture to society
• local food
• traceability

Deadline
This year’s applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Monday, November 16, 2009. Eligible applications will be reviewed by two independent panels comprised of a cross-section of Ontario’s agri-food industry. Additional information, guidelines and applications forms are available on the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs website or by calling the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300.

Industry Calendar

Coming Events:
September 14 - OTRF Fundraising Tournament, The National GC
September 16 - GLAGS September Meeting, Science Hill GC
September 18 - WOGSA Taylor-Barnes Event, Heron Point GC
September 22 - OGSA Assistants Tournament, Pipers Heath GC
September 24 - University of Guelph Turf Sudent-Alumni Golf Tournament

Check out the calendar link above for more details on these events.