NOTE: the Thursday program for 2011 is under development as of July 20/10 and will be detailed here soon. It is planned to be a full-day program geared to training.

THE FOLLOWING WAS THE 2010 (THURSDAY) PROGRAM, FOR YOUR INFO:
1. Seminar courses and trainings run by affiliated group (EFAO) at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs Building (OMAFRA);

2. A 3-hour seminar run within the paid workshop structure of the actual Guelph Conference and for which you pay by including this payment selection on your registration form (i.e. either this form is mailed with a cheque attached, or you will use the PayPal on-line workshop payment form).

Affiliated – register directly with this group
These are training programs run by our Official Sponsor, EFAO. These trainings are organized by separate registration with EFAO and held at the OMAFRA building, 1 Stone Rd, West (just 1/2 km west of the Guelph University Centre, so you can park right at the OMAFRA building and walk there or take city transit). Contact EFAO at 519-822-8606 or info@efao.ca for information and registration.

UPDATES

Guelph Conference direct workshop registration

Within the actual Conference paid workshop program, there will be a co-sponsored 1/2-day seminar on Thursday, January 28 dealing with the organic livestock production issue in relation to marketing boards. The 2 co-sponsors are *Organic Council of Ontario and *Guelph Conference Committee.

SUMMARY OF THE THURSDAY PAID SEMINAR

Organic Council Sounds the Alarm on Rules Prohibiting Organics

In the spring of 2008, the Turkey Farmers of Ontario made a rule that effectively prohibited quota-holding turkey producers from complying with the Canadian Organic Standard. The TFO Board is elected from the 150 large-scale, total confinement operators in the province, and predictably represents and protects that group. They have sweeping powers to dictate the methods that can or can’t be used on farms. They chose to use those powers to effectively wipe out organic production.

Is this the beginning of an organized backlash against the organic movement?

It cannot be denied that principles of organic farming fly in the face of what is considered “best management practice” of some commodity groups. As the weaknesses of the industrial, monoculture, intensive-confinement agri-business production system that produces most of our food, become more obvious… and as the popularity of the alternative organic food movement grows, will we see more of this targeted, restrictive regulation?

The Organic Council of Ontario believes that this is a deplorable, unwarranted restriction that could be the “thin edge of the wedge” – which signals a coming battle between mainstream agriculture and anyone who proposes an alternative.

This half–day symposium session, in conjunction with the Guelph Organic Conference, will bring together those who are closest to the action to look at the threats to the organic system, as well as ‘how to respond.’

Look for details soon at:

www.organiccouncil.ca