Agriculture Development Branch - Service Standards

Our Mandate

The Agriculture Development Branch (ADB) serves Ontario agriculture through seven units with programs in crops, livestock and business management. The ADB leads provincial efforts related to technology development and transfer of innovative solutions for a prosperous agriculture sector that is thriving, market responsive, sustainable and addresses societal needs.

The ADB manages issues relating to agricultural production (crops and livestock), business management and marketing, and coordinates the delivery of knowledge and technology programs across Ontario. The branch promotes high quality agricultural production through the implementation of best management practices, on-farm quality assurance programs and plant and animal health strategies. The branch provides business management resources that assist industry partners with farm business development. The branch also provides input on research and policy development, the delivery of several acts that impact Ontario agricultural or horticultural production, as well as the appointment of inspectors.

Business Management

The goal of the Business Management programs is to ensure that Ontario agricultural businesses have access to the latest management information and decision-making tools. The primary areas of focus are on farm business management, farm business planning, profitability, marketing of agricultural products, and skills development. As well as the implementation of the Growing Forward Business Development for Farm Businesses program including program design, policy development and overall accountability.

Crops

The four Crops units (field crops, greenhouse, agroforestry, and specialty crops, horticulture crops and horticulture technology) provide programs that aim to foster competitiveness and innovation in the agricultural sector.

The Crops programs deliver information and advice, and education and training to a wide range of stakeholders and develop information on best practices and strategies. Staff actively explore opportunities, validate information relevant for Ontario conditions through research and transfer knowledge through seminars, workshops, internet, demonstration trials, publications and factsheets, and partnerships with associations and industry meetings and conferences.

The Crops program area assesses the impacts and efficacy of new pest control products, develop, refine and articulate novel technologies that maintain quality over longer storage periods. In addition, they monitor individual crops to enable early detection of known and invading pests, diseases and physiological stress. The Crops program area recognizes sources and validates global technology which can be adapted to Ontario conditions to keep Ontario producers innovative and competitive. The programs proactively address a wide variety of major industry issues affecting the agricultural sector and input application technologies. The Crops programs also ensure the security of the Ontario's agriculture plant base by mitigating the affects of new plant pests and invasive alien pests.

Crop specialists provide valued technical information that forms OMAFRA's policy and program development in the area of water, soil and nutrient management. The Crops program area also delivers the Weed Control Act Program which provides for the destruction of noxious weeds impacting agricultural or horticultural production, the appointment of inspectors and the collection of costs from landowners of costs to destroy weeds. The Plant Diseases Act is also delivered under this program area and is designed to protect the plant resource base of Ontario.

Livestock

The two livestock units provide programs that assist Ontario's producers (beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, poultry, sheep, goats, alternative livestock, and aquaculture) to improve production efficiency, animal health and welfare, on-farm food safety and environmental performance leading to sustainable and profitable livestock enterprises. The Livestock programs assess research results and industry developments for applicability to Ontario conditions; conduct on-farm trials and demonstrations; develop information materials; design technology transfer strategies that enable producers and industry partners to learn about and adopt leading-edge production and management systems. Livestock specialists' technical expertise and stakeholder knowledge are also an important resource to many internal OMAFRA processes, such as, supporting policy and program development, emergency management and stakeholder communication initiatives.

Our Services

• Information and Advice on Crops, Livestock and Business Management
• Education and Training related to Crops, Livestock and Business Management

Our Service Standards

Information and Advice

• We will provide technical information at the appropriate level regarding research and technology transfer programs and studies, as well as the relevant contacts for detailed results in a variety of forms, such as annual reports, presentations, web postings and published abstracts.
• We will provide agricultural business/ technical information in the form of publications, fact sheets, and web postings that are accurate, relevant, timely, and reviewed as appropriate.
• We will provide prompt and accurate follow up to client inquiries, by phone, mail and email within the Common Service Standards guidelines, at a minimum.
• We will take all reasonable steps to provide information, advice and where appropriate, facilities that are accessible to everyone. Printed materials produced by us can be requested in alternative formats such as large print or Braille and information can be accessed through a TTY line.

Education and Training

• We will communicate the purpose of the training course to you.
• Our workshops/seminars are delivered in clear/plain language for the intended audience.
• Our specialists engage and have effective presentation skills.
• Training and education programs meet stated learning objectives, and provide relevant knowledge and skills.
• Workshop organizers provide opportunity for you to give feedback.

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Agriculture Development Branch - Service Standards 2010

Introduction/Comments

In order to strengthen the economic and environmental sustainability of diverse agricultural sector Agriculture Development Branch has a strong focus on technology transfer to ensure clients have the necessary information to make good business decisions.

We identify courses, workshops and other events to conduct surveys for continuous improvement and client satisfaction. The information collected to measures these service standards comes from client satisfaction surveys conducted after most events and annually for newsletters and updates, and OMAFRA website feedback and complaint forms.

In 2010 common branch commitments were developed and the information will be collected and tracked in 2011 to better inform branch service standards.

Information and Advice

• We updated over 3,000 web pages.
• We provided materials in a large variety of formats including in-person, publications, reports, factsheets, updates, various web formats, hand-held, audio (phone in and downloadable), and video.
• All web content is required to be AODA compliant. Information on how to access publications in alternate formats is included in all publications.
• We web publish and update a directory of staff contacts, with expertise and focus area, to encourage client communications.
• Publication timelines were developed to ensure availability of materials for major events.
• There have been three notifications from clients this past year requiring minor web content changes that were responded to quickly.
• Clients reported that the information was timely greater than the standard of 80% (see below).

Education and Training

• Over 22 events including conferences, workshops and courses were organized in 2010 across the province and received positive feedback from participants.
• There have been no complaints from clients this past year.
• Clients reported overall satisfaction greater than the standard of 80% (see below).
• Clients reported that the information provided improved their understanding greater than the standard of 80% (see below).
  

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