The Rural Voice, 2002-07, Page 23meeting to share information with
each other. It's a tribute to the growth
of organic farming that the
Ecological Farmers Association of
Ontario (EFAO), the successor to
that early group, now has 500
members across the province.
Still, Ontario producers market
only about 20 per cent of the organic
sales in the province, and that
demand is growing at a rate of 20 per
cent per year.
That growth has caught the
attention of the mainstream
agricultural agencies that have
ignored organic farming until
recently. Last fall, for the first time,
students at the University of Guelph
could take an "Introduction to
Organic Agriculture" course taught
by Prof. Ann Clark.
Meanwhile, the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and
Food has named Hugh
Martin as its first lead in organic
agriculture. And for the past few
years those curious about organic
agriculture could take an
"Introduction to Ecological Farming"
course through the Ontario
Agricultural Training Institute
(OATI).
Still, most people have come to
organic farming through the work of
the EFAO. Originally centred in
southwestern Ontario, there is now
an eastern and central region as well
as the western region with a
provincial board to unite their efforts.
The vast majority of those who
have switched to organic farming
have learned the ropes through the
kind of networking that takes place at
organic farm tours and kitchen
meetings sponsored by the EFAO
and held regularly across the
province.
The farm tours are meetings
unlike any other farm meeting as
whole families come together, often
packing lunches, to an event that's
part social, part educational. Since
each of the farms tends to be a
unique operation, each has something
to pass on to others who might be
interested. Tours this summer, for
instance, include a visit to a
Strathroy-area farm that raises beef
and grows crops of spelt, soybeans,
oats and corn; one in the Guelph area
where you can see solar installations,
a "community share': garden and
Constant
Feed Angle'
Natural Flow System
With 360' Of Separation'
Distribution Auger
System•
Accelerator Roil:
Unaued
'Two -Stage All -Welded Frame'
Cleaning System
The Inside Story.
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engine and GLEANER engineering ingenuity
inside and out. And only the GLEANER rotary
combine system doesn't make your crop change
directions before threshing.
Come in for a closer look at the R62, along with
details on the exclusive GLEANER warranty. It
covers your GLEANER combine from header to
spreader for 2 years, with unlimited hours and no
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Chepstow (519) 366-2325
SHANTZ FARM EQUIPMENT LTD.
R.R. 1, Alma (519) 638-3317
JULY 2002 19