Communications

OMAFRA Website

Publications

OMAFRA has several major crop publications that are available online (in both English and French) as well as in printed form. These include Publication 811, Agronomy Guide; Publication 75, Guide to Weed Control; and new for 2005-2006 is the online version of Publication 812, Field Crop Protection Guide. These are updated as new versions become available. Each online publication is interlinked to related pages and photos to improve user friendliness and efficiency to find up to date information. These online publications are very popular with clients and account for 20-30 per cent of the visits to the OMAFRA Crops webpages.

Newsletters

Crop newsletters account for approximately 20 per cent of the visits to the crop website, and over 50 per cent of the visits are to view factsheets and infosheets that give detailed information on specific crop issues or pests.

Minor Use

OMAFRA plays a key and pivotal role in prioritizing minor use needs and seeking sustainable ways to address the technology gap over the long-term. The internet is a primary method of disseminating information and assisting our stakeholders in priority setting. The long-standing collaboration between Ontario and Quebec on the minor use file is clearly illustrated by our minor use website.

This website is used nationally and internationally by minor use stakeholders as the leading information source for minor use information in Canada. All new minor use registrations, priorities and active projects are listed on a crop-by-crop basis on the OMAFRA minor use webpage and are updated on a regular basis throughout the year. Key links to our provincial, national and international minor use partners are provided.

Minor use file updating is a weekly activity that requires a collaborative effort between Crop Technology Branch staff, Client Services Branch staff, and Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) staff to ensure that the information is available in both French and English. This project demonstrated how important and strong the relationship is between Ontario and Quebec with regard to the minor use program. Years of collaboration have culminated in an excellent resource available to all of our stakeholders.

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Transferring Technology through Conferences, Seminars and Workshops

Ontario producers, agri-business members and consultants are committed to continuous education and participate in many conferences and extension events during the year. Some of these events are exclusively OMAFRA run, but most are delivered in partnership with provincial and local agricultural organizations. Crop Technology Branch staff contribute their knowledge of production challenges, current research results, and new technological advances to create interesting and interactive sessions that address the needs of Ontario producers. Staff use their large local and international networks to ensure the best possible speakers are brought in to deliver the message. In 2005/06, staff brought in several speakers from outside the province to help deliver the resources of the world to Ontario producers. All events receive good media coverage with several articles and interviews from each event making it into the popular press.

Crop Technology Branch staff contribute to many annual conferences, seminars and workshops in Ontario. Attendance for these events was well over 30,000 producers, agri-business members and consultants and has been stable from year to year, demonstrating their continued value to participants. Crop Technology Branch staff also contribute to the development of courses and workshops on an as-needed basis throughout the year to answer specific industry needs. These more specific and targeted events were attended by over 1,500 participants.

The following is a sampling of these conferences, seminars, workshops and courses:

• Southwest Agricultural Conference
  
• Tender Fruit Pruning Demo Days
  
• FarmSmart Agricultural Conference
  
• Soil Quality Workshop
  
• Greenhouse IPM Workshop
  
• Crop Diagnostic Days
  
• Eastern Ontario Crop Conference
  
• FarmSmart Farming Systems Expo
  
• Guelph Organic Conference
  
• Eastern Ontario Crop Diagnostic Days
  
• Processing Vegetable Industry Conference
  
• Turf Managers Short Course
  
• Ontario Potato Field Day
  
• IPM Consultants Workshop
  
• Ontario Turfgrass Symposium
  
• Grape Tailgate Tour
  
• Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention
  
• Ontario Nursery Grower IPM Workshop
  
• OMAFRA IPM in the Nursery Greenhouse
  
• Berry Growers Twilight Tour
  
• Innovative Farmers
  
• Canada's Outdoor Farm Show
  
• Leamington Tomato Day
  
• North American Maple Syrup Council
  
• Ontario Potato School
  
• Canadian Greenhouse Conference
  
• Small Fruit & Vegetable Spring Info Day
  
• Essex County Associated Growers
  
• Hort IPM Scout Training Workshops
  
• Greenhouse Vegetable Short Course
  
• Agri-business Breakfast Meetings
  
• Poinsettia Variety Trial Day
  
• Soil & Crop meetings, tours & updates
  
• Woodlot Conferences
  
• Landscape Ontario Congress
  
• Ontario Weed Inspectors Meeting
  
• Nursery Growers Short Course
  
• Society of Ontario Nut Growers
  
• IPM Workshop for Nursery Crops
  
• Millet Sorghum Field Day
  
• First National Herb and Spice Conference
  
• IPM Workshop for Cut Flowers
  
• Greenhouse Environment Night School
  
• IPM Workshop for Flower Exporters
  
• Utilising the Environmental Computer to
  
• Control the Greenhouse Environment
  
• Organic Berry Production Workshop
  
• Ginseng Garden Walker Training Session
  
• Nutrient Management Research Update
  
• Drip Irrigation Workshops
  
• Soybean Rust Workshops
  
• Apple Storage Clinic
  
• Let's Discuss It - Bedding Plants
  
• Sweet Potato Info Day
  
• Fertigation Workshops
  
• Hemp Information Day
  
• Greenhouse Gas Project Update Meeting
  
• Let's Discuss It - Poinsettias
  
• Labour Seminar for Prince Edward County Wine Growers Association
  
• Specialty Coloured Bean Tour
  
• Great Lakes Fruit Workers Meeting
  
• Swede Midge ID workshop
  
• Mating Disruption Twilight Tour
  

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