Position Description

Employer: FarmStart (http://www.farmstart.ca)

Position Title: FarmLINK Outreach & Resource Development Intern

Length of Internship: 6 months, full time

Location: Guelph, Ontario

Start date: Flexible but must be completed by December 15^th

Eligibility: This position is funded through the Youth Eco Internship Program (YEIP)* (http://www.yeip.ca). Applicants for this position must be:

-       Between the ages of 18 and 30

-       Unemployed

-       A Canadian citizen

-       A high school graduate who has not graduated from College or University

Internship Description:

The FarmLINK Outreach & Resource Development Intern will work with the FarmLINK Program Manager to develop case studies and short video profiles of innovative and successful land tenure, farm business and mentoring arrangements for the FarmLINK website (http://www.farmlink.net). The Intern will also help to develop outreach, communication and resource materials.

FarmLINK.net is a matchmaking tool that brings together new farmers who are looking for land or mentoring with farmland owners who have land available or expertise to share. By documenting existing working models, the intern will be providing an invaluable resource to those considering similar arrangements.

Through this position, the intern will also have the opportunity to participate in various aspects of FarmStart’s daily operations (meetings, events, workshops) and to connect with individuals, resources and networks that are supporting new ecological farmers across the province.

We are looking for a results-oriented and self-motivated individual who can also work as part of a team. We hope to find a skilled writer and storyteller who is comfortable interviewing farmers and who can communicate complex ideas in straightforward and creative ways.

For a full position description and for information on how to apply click on FarmLINK Outreach & Resource Development Intern Posting

March 4^th to 6^th in Kitchener

New Farmer Training Day, March 4^th – Come hear from Joel Salatin, grass farming guru from Polyface Farm as well as other experienced farmers on topics such as Pastured Pigs, Pastured Poultry, Intro to Sheep, Crop Planning for Vegetable Growers, Salad Bar Beef, Healthy Soils and Marketing. Or attend a full day CSA Mini-School!

March 5^th and 6^th – Pick from a variety of workshops on emerging issues in farming, including Urban Agriculture, the Local Abattoir Crisis, Accessing Land & Capital, and more!

When: March 4^th – 6^th, 2010

Where: Kitchener, Delta Hotel (105 King Street East)

Cost: $95 per day

For more information and to register visit http://www.bringfoodhome.com

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For those who weren’t able to make it to last Thursday’s session, below are the files that were presented or handed out, as well as other resources that were mentioned in class. We talked a bit more about direct marketing options and had a presentation (below) on financing by Henry Bakker – a beef farmer in the Kawarthas and FarmStart’s Training and Resources Coordinator. If any of you have questions for Henry, you’re welcome to contact him at henry@farmstart.ca or (519) 836 7046 x 105. 

The next Thursday session on June 4th will be our last. We will also have a final farm tour to Tarrah Young’s farm on Saturday June 13th. We are scheduled to be there from 10am to 3pm, but I’m looking into the possibility of visiting Best Baa, a sheep dairy farm, in the afternoon. I will send an update as soon as I hear back from them. 

A reminder about your homework – read through Sections Three (Assess Your Resources) and Four (Make Decisions and Create a Plan) and complete the associated worksheets (#15 - #20).

The goal of Section Four is to reflect on where you’ve come since the start of the course – to answer the question “Is Starting an Agricultural Business Right for You?” and to create an Action Plan for the next 6 to 12 months. At the next session, we’ll take the time to share our reflections from Section Four, talk about next steps, and evaluate the course. 

Below are the resources from Session Three:

1. Handouts

Session 4 agenda

List of tools, equipment and supplies from the DACUM Occupational Profile - to help you think about needed equipment for Worksheet #16

FarmStart’s 2008 list of rental costs if you’re thinking about alternatives to buying equipment (this sheet also includes a great quote by Elliott Coleman). 

An interesting study of equipment and infrastructure needs at different market garden scales.

A handout on different funding sources.  

A checklist on what to look for in a farm.

A list of resources for suppliers and prices

2. Presentations

Henry’s power point presentation on Financing. 

3. Resources mentioned in class:

An info sheet on the Environmental Farm Plan.-

The New Farmer Resource Directory created by Everdale’s Farmers Growing Farmers program - a great listing of suppliers, farm associations and much more, with a focus on the Greenbelt. 

Soil surveys of Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada  http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/publications/on/index.html

The site provides soil surveys for the different counties in Ontario to download. Printed maps can also be ordered ($40 black and white, $50 colour, price is reduced to $10 and $20 for additional purchases). 

Demystify your Banker! - Business Development Bank of Canada (BDBC)

A guide for entrepreneurs seeking a loan from their bank: what your loan proposal should contain, what your banker looks for, common bank terms, and tips to increase your chances of success. This guide can be downloaded as a PDF file fromhttp://www.bdc.ca/en/my_project/Projects/articles/Demystify_your_banker.htm?cookie%5Ftest=1

Programs and Services for Ontario Farmers – OMAFRA Factsheet

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/facts/08-037.htm

The following is a summary of programs and services currently available to Ontario farmers that are funded by the Ontario and/or Canadian governments.

Your Guide to Small Business - Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services

This guide is an information resource to help identify the things one needs to do before, during and after launching a business. The guide includes comprehensive lists of resources, government programs and financing options. The guide can be downloaded as a PDF file from http://www.sbe.gov.on.ca/ontcan/sbe/en/st_yrguide_en.jsp

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19 May 2009 – Session TWO – Research the Landscape

Hi everyone, 

Just a reminder that we’re meeting this coming Thursday (May 21st). For those who weren’t able to make the last session, note that we’ve changed rooms and are meeting in Loyola House (follow lane way signs), just inside the ‘Business Entrance’ door.

(Some of the links are too large to upload to here so they are only found in the email you received.)

1. Power point presentation on opportunities and challenges in Ontario agriculture 

2. Summary of Agriculture Statistics for Ontario from 2006 Census 

3. Handout on Regulations_by Ann 

4. Research Resources document I handed out with additional Ontario/Canadian resources to help you with your research on enterprises and markets

5. An excellent economic study of different scale vegetable farms called Grower to Grower: Creating a Livelihood on a Fresh Market Vegetable Farm. I handed out this summary last Thursday but didn’t talk about it. You can also find the entire study at http://www.cias.wisc.edu/crops-and-livestock/report-helps-fresh-market-vegetable-growers-understand-and-share-finances/. 

I am also including a couple other articles that I didn’t hand out last Thursday but recommend you read through over the next couple weeks:

• An article by David Cohlmeyer (who Jackie talked about), all about marketing and selecting an enterprise that suits you!
• A check list of considerations for different direct marketing options 

Also, the following websites are great ones for doing research on different enterprises and more:   

1. www.attra.org Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) – ATTRA has numerous publications available on their website, covering a range of production and marketing topics. 
2. http://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu Penn State Agricultural Alternatives – Penn State has many business and enterprise planning resources available online and in print. 
3. www.agf.gov.bc.ca/busmgmt British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture’s website features business plans and hundreds of enterprise budgets.

28 April 2009 – Session ONE – Assess Yourself

- Download the Explorer worksheets if you want to make copies for your business partner(s) or family members to work on.  

- Just a reminder to check out New England Small Farm Institute’s website, especially their great Resources section! For example, under the topic of Self Assessment you’ll find tools to evaluate your tolerance for risk. 

- Worksheet #4 Farming & Business Skills Assessment is based on the following DACUM Occupational Profile for Small Scale ‘Sustainable’ Farmers 

- a listing of the knowledge and skills required to successfully own and operate a farm. I recommend downloading the ‘Narrative Outline’ (on left hand side).

- Stories and case studies of farmers are a great way to learn! Here are a few: FarmStart’s Sowing Seeds, Reaping Profit is a series of seven case studies featuring innovative Ontario farmers with non-traditional backgrounds. It shares practical production tips, innovative marketing approaches and creative ways to successfully negotiate the myriad challenges that new farmers face in their start-up years and beyond.

-Voices of Experience Videos: Good Advice for New Farmers From Cornell Cooperative Extension, this video series of interviews with 12 New York state farmers covers a variety of topics of interest to new farmers. 

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Welcome Explorers! 

Schedule for Exploring the New Farm Dream:

Is Starting an Agricultural Business Right For You?

 

Saturday April 18^th, 10:00am-3:00pm

Farm tour: Caitlin Hall and reroot organic CSA 

 

Thursday April 23^rd, 6:00pm-9:00pm

Session One: “So you want to be a farmer?”

 

Thursday May 7^th, 6:00pm-9:00pm

Session Two: Researching agricultural opportunities

(Featuring a Q & A session with Tarrah Young from Green Being Farm)

 

Saturday May 16^th, 10:00am-3:00pm

Farm tour: Lynn Bishop (goats) and Karen Campbell (sheep) from Everdale Organic Farm & Environmental Learning (www.everdale.org)

 

Thursday May 21^st, 6:00pm-9:00pm

Session Three: What can you bring to your enterprise?

 

Saturday May 30th, 10:00am-noon

Optional Farm Tour: Matchbox Garden & Seed Co. and McVean Incubator Farm. A great opportunity if you’re planning on attending the Dirt on Soil workshop! 

 

Thursday June 4th, 6:00pm-9:00pm

Session Four: Next steps and evaluation

 

Saturday June 13^th, 10:00am-12:30pm & 1:00PM-4pm 

Farm Tour: Tarrah Young and Green Being Farm then Best Baa Farm Tour

The name of Preena’s business is Arvinda’s; its genesis came from the cooking classes hosted by her mother. Preena worked alongside her mother and found that cooking masalas from scratch was an important way for customers to make authentic Indian foods.

As Preena noted in her presentation, the regionality of Indian cuisine impacts the produce and ingredients used. In these classes, most of people are not South Asian, so Preena could promote these specialty ingredients to mainstream customers. Teaching these classes helped Preena to create an understanding of the need and demand for local sources of world crops by both ethno-cultural groups and mainstream Canadians.

Preena has taken her desire and interest in local and sustainable products one step further and taught her students to use local seasonal produce and adapt recipes to this ideal. In her classes, Preena looked at ways to make ethno-cultural food more sustainable by supporting local farmers, when so many ingredients are imported.

Arvinda’s is a small processing business specializing in creating specialty and gourmet Indian spices, marinades, and other products which supply food services and retail lines. Through this business and in her classes, Preena became aware of some of the difficulties with procuring local produce for cooking and processing. For instance, she had a hard time getting local garlic that is also processed, peeled and crushed for easy use. As well, Preena found it a barrier getting Ontario product into retail stores.

Preena feels that much of this can be addressed through networking, and education, and working directly with farmers. It is those contacts and infrastructure that will make it easier for food businesses to support the local food movement.

One of the realities that farmers face is an economic reality. Ted notes that it is extremely difficult for new farmers to start from scratch. Even in his case, where he bought the farm from his parents, he still has mortgage payments to make. The difficulties that farmers currently face with low farm incomes can make it risky to invest into new markets, but doing so also has the potential to boost farm income levels.

Ted notes that farmers to proceed with caution. Producers need to do their own research into markets, as he did, through both internet research and trial and error. One of the biggest obstacles that Ted found was the lack of research and support on the side of the government. Some of the structural issues facing farmers include losing money to distributors (such as the food terminal buyers) and the difficulty in getting into big market chains. Not only that, Ted explains that is difficult to compete with Asian food imports when overseas labourers are paid low wages.

The problem, Ted explains, is that there is no ‘middle’ that exists in the food chain in Ontario. There needs to be a middle that works for farmers– many small and medium-sized farms just can’t compete in the large supply-chains. This should include medium sized companies and a focus on local, not export-driven commodities.

On a positive note, Ted believes that the ethno-cultural markets may offer increased profit potential for farmers. For instance, when he started growing greenhouse Bok Choy for example, he increased his profits significantly. Ted also believes that ‘organic’ can be a selling point in multiple markets, a point which has also been voiced by halal certifiers, who note that ‘organic’ meets the specifications of halal standards.

Other things farmers can do to improve their market opportunities include extending the season by growing food in greenhouses and developing food storage units. Ted himself has benefits by starting to market on farm and using smaller distributors to market his produce locally. As Ted explains, it is these types of entrepreneurial and innovative methods that allow farmers to succeed in entering new markets.

To begin his presentation, Mike discussed the broader market for world crops. He notes that there is a growing ethnic-cultural diversity in Ontario and immigrants are searching for culturally appropriate food. Canadians in general are becoming more adventurous, and increasingly integrating ‘world’ foods into their diets. Mike explained that crop diversification is already taking place in Ontario. He estimates that there are several thousand acres of specialty crops already in production and generating millions of dollars at the farm-gate.

Mike then outlined some of the earlier attempts at organizing farmers into an Ethnic Crop Association. He explained that in 1994, OMAFRA invited 34 farmers from a variety of ethno-cultural groups – 8 different nationalities in total – to meet in Milton to discuss setting up a producers’ association.

At the meeting, OMAFRA staff realized that the barriers for organizing were too great, considering the language and cultural differences. Mike also noted the distrust around sharing ‘market secrets,’ explaining that when independent growers discover how to grow and market new products, they are unlikely to want to share with their competitors. Mike concluded that although the attempt to organize was unsuccessful in 1994, it is worth trying again considering the growing demand for world foods.

Mike also presented on issues farmers should take under consideration before growing world crops for an ethno-cultural market. Mike noted that crop diversification can be difficult. It requires time, energy, patience, and money, and often takes at least three years to get production and marketing right. He stressed that it is important for farmers to carefully consider the resources required (i.e. available land for crop rotation; labour requirements; appropriate inputs, and crop research).

In the last section of the presentation, Mike discussed the experiences of Ontario farmers growing leafy green vegetables, daikon, star fruit, chili peppers, mung beans, okra, garlic, ginger, artichokes, kiwano, sweet potatoes, grain sorghum, green peanuts, and shitake mushrooms. He outlined the successes and difficulties with these different crops and provided insight into lessons learned at the grassroots level.

Mike’s presentation was informative and interesting. He revealed the research and planning that needs to occur before farmers grow for ethno-cultural markets.

This past summer, Mike grew a demonstration garden of world crops at the Ignatius Farm, the site of FarmStart’s first incubator project. His crops included yard-long beans, hot peppers, okra, and sorrel. Through this experiment, Mike came to a number of realizations. First, Mike believes that a number of ‘world’ crops will be grown in the future as a gardening crop rather than a field crop. Many crops are too labour intensive for large scale growers to produce economically. As well, new crops may be grouped into two categories: those needing season extension, and those that can do without.

As an example of season extension, Mike notes that yard-long beans, bitter melon, and a wide range of squashes need long seasons and react poorly to being transplanted. So Mike suggests a couple of options. The first is to start these plants in the greenhouse under heat lamps, planted in peat pots which are later transplanted to the field. Another option is a combination of black plastic mulch (to warm soil) and row covers. These are practical lessons for any farmer interested in growing tropical crops.

Although many new crops would be thrive growing in a greenhouse throughout the season it is important to determine how much capital/labour investment can be made for a crop of a particular value. These are economic concerns that all farmers should consider. Mike recommends a visit to Spinfarming.com, a website that promotes a Small Plot Intensive method based on 2′ beds, which is similar to Jeavon’s bio-intensive method. The SPIN farming approach lends itself to many ‘world’ crops.

Mike finished his presentation by noting that many Canadian gardeners and farmers may take years to experiment with new crops, but we can learn from New Canadian farmers, for they will bring some exciting new dimensions to agriculture in Ontario. These farmers from the global South are accustomed to growing and marketing in a different way. They will perhaps be more patient than Canadian farmers – willing to start small, market to friends and neighbours, and expand markets over time.

New Canadians also know how to market within their ethno-cultural community and can reach out from there to other ethno-cultural groups and to mainstream consumers. Mike views it as important to put new recipes and products out there, sharing with Canadians several different culinary customs and reaching new markets.

Iffat is currently working as Executive Director of the Community Economic Development for Immigrant Women (CEDIW) and is partnering with FarmStart to develop agricultural and food security programs for the South Asian community in Brampton. From this vantage point, Iffat presented on the characteristics of South Asian market demand, and what farmers should consider when growing for these markets.

Iffat began by noting the large diversity in the South Asian community. Bengalis, Punjabis, and people from different regions all eat different things and cook different specialties: knowing these demographic differences is important for developing effective marketing strategies. There is also a strong religious diversity among the South Asian population, which includes Muslim, Hindu, Jain, and Sikh beliefs. This makes for diverse growing and marketing options, as each religious group also has their own priorities and different eating habits, whether it is halal or vegetarian.

Generational and age differences will also effect marketing strategies. Iffat notes that South Asian youth are looking for food that is close to mainstream, but that fits with cultural needs and norms due to pressure from parents. The teenagers want to eat pizza–but halal pizza, vegetarian pizza, or daal pizza! On the other hand, South Asian seniors are looking for bitter gourd and medicinal herbs similar to what is grown in their home countries.

Iffat also points out that women are the most important target demographic when marketing South Asian food. Traditionally, the women are the cooks in the family, and this demographic is interested in accessing South Asian vegetables, flowers, and most importantly, spices. On the other hand, the male customers, particularly the male Muslim population, are big purveyors of halal meat products.

Iffat also pointed out some unique characteristics of the South Asian marketplace. She notes that in Brampton, Mississauga, and on Gerrard Street, you will see an entire market-place: ten specialized grocery stores all along one strip, all catering to Punjabis, Gujurati, and Bengalis. Religious centres also often become marketplaces: mosques and mundir (Hindu temple) parking lots become farmers markets on prayer days.

Iffat ended her presentation with two notes of caution to farmers. One is that farmers need to be sure to get the common names of the produce right to cater to a wide market. An item may have ten different common names for Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati because the languages are all different. Iffat also indicated that finding and identifying the correct seeds to grow is important but can be difficult to find in the Canadian seed market.

Mike has helped design and implement a variety of agricultural projects in both Jamaica and Guyana. He has also worked with the World Bank and UNDP in designing support programs for farm communities in Guyana.

Mike likens the plight of Canadian farmers to that of their counterparts in the developing world: all are struggling with the deleterious effects of Globalization. He feels that farmers need to value their time and develop management tools which help them choose the best farm business options.

With this background, it is no accident that Mike is heading up FarmStart’s project to develop and pilot a farm business planning and management course.

Contact information:
Phone: 519-836-7046 ext. 102
Email: mike@farmstart.ca