Nominations for Env. Stewardship being sought now

By Gary Sliworsky
OMAFRA Rep.

It is time, once again, to seek nominations for The Environmental Stewardship Award, presented annually by The Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) and the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).
This marks the twelfth year of the award, which recognizes the outstanding environmental stewardship of an Ontario cattleman. Special consideration is given to producers who have taken innovative approaches to environmentally sustainable cattle production.
We are asking for the help of OCA members and industry partners, as well as conservation and environmental groups from across the province in selecting our annual winner. We would ask that you take the time to determine whether there are beef farmers in your area that meet the criteria of the competition.
The winner, chosen by a selection committee, will be announced at the 2010 OCA Annual Meeting. The winner will then go on to represent Ontario at the national level of the competition. The Ontario winner also receives $500 to be put towards a farm gate sign or a painting of their choice.
Any Ontario cattle producer or cattle farming operation can be nominated for this award by him or herself, another producer, interested individual(s), a conservation group or the local cattlemen’s association.
The deadline for nominations is Friday November 27, 2009. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Lianne Appleby at 519-824-0334 or lianne@cattle.guelph.on.ca
A nomination form and checklist are available at http://www.cattle.guelph.on.ca/programs/TESA_application.asp
2008 AgriInvest Deposit Notices started appearing in producers’ mailboxes to let them know how much they can deposit into their AgriInvest accounts to receive matching government contributions. The Deposit Notices provide producers with their matchable deposit amount and current account balance. Producers have 90 days from the issue date on the Deposit Notice to make a deposit. They have the flexibility to withdraw funds at any time throughout the year.
For 2008, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is holding AgriInvest accounts, and all deposits and withdrawal requests must be made to AAFC. Officials continue to work with financial institutions toward having them hold AgriInvest accounts in the future.
AgriInvest is a business risk management program under Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
For more information on AgriInvest, producers can visit the program website at www.agr.gc.ca/agriinvest or call AAFC toll free at 1-866-367-8506.

Dates to Remember

October 3 – Cattle Sale, Stratton Sales Barn, 9:30 am start.