Junior Farmers Association of Ontario Hosts Webinar to Highlight FarmStart Lending Program in the U.S.</

Nov 20, 2012

JFAO to Feature David Boone Speaking about Experiences of New Farm Entrant Program In Webinar [Nov 20, 2012]

Farms.com is working with the Junior Farmers Association of Ontario (JFAO) to provide a webinar featuring David Boone, Executive Vice President and Regional Manager of Farm Credit East – FarmStart to review “Experiences of Farm Credit East – New Farm Entrants” as part of a study to examine some of the issues facing new farmers in the province of Ontario

With the average age of Canadian farmers now at 54, it’s become more pivotal for rural youth organizations such as the Junior Farmers Association of Ontario – who seek to promote agriculture and awareness of rural life while cultivating leadership skills for individuals to contribute to their communities, to identify some of the barriers facing young farmers today.

The JFAO has received funding of $53,500 to identify some of these issues facing new farmers in the province and Farms.com is working with the organization to conduct a survey to gather information from new entrant farmers in order to identify some of the key barriers that that they face while trying to enter the farming industry. The funding was made possible by the federal government through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP).

As part of the study process, JFAO will be hosting a guest presenter who will be speaking about a successful U.S. program called FarmStart that provides new farmers with seed capital up to $50,000 to start up a farming business or a cooperative. The JFAO would like to invite those interested to join them today in a webinar to learn more about this innovative lending program available to new entrant farmers in the U.S.

The following are the details and coordinates to join the webinar:

When: Tuesday November 20, 2012
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Location: Farms.com Guelph office located at 50 Royal Road, Unit A
Guelph Ontario (Tel: 1.888.248.4893)

Join the webinar by logging in as follows:

Join Link: https://farms.ilinc.com/join/cmzhvff/zmrmxsts
1-888-447-7153
Passcode: 9912469

It is recommended to join the meeting 10 minutes before the start time to ensure that the meeting starts in a timely fashion. You are invited to confirm your attendance by emailing Denise Faguy.

The survey is still open until Nov. 30, 2012. All new entrants are invited to complete the JFAO survey at:

(http://formtool.farms.com/admin/userSurveys.cfm?surveyid=448&requesttimeout=600)

If you are unsure if you are considered a new entrant -the definition of new entrants for this project has been defined by two distinct groups or streams:

• Farmers new to the agriculture industry
• Farmers who have experience/knowledge of the industry, but lack farm ownership experience

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.