The Rural Voice, 2006-07, Page 47Energy co-op
In an effort to encourage a culture
of energy conservation, Ag Energy
Co-operative is expanding its new
comprehensive Demand Side Energy
Management (DSM) "Lessons
Learned" Program to include all
types of agricultural operations in
Ontario.
Originally the Demand Side
Energy Management Program was
designed to help larger greenhouse
operations in Ontario reduce their
energy consumption of both heat and
electricity by 10 per cent or more.
Now the Program will include Ag
Energy's lower volume energy
division, FireFly Energy, which will
make these benefits available to a
much wider range of agricultural
operations in Ontario.
"We feel very strongly about the
importance of the DSM "Lessons
Learned" Program," said Mike Bouk,
executive director of the Co-oper-
ative. "I am very excited that we are
able to expand the program to
include all types of agricultural
operations."
According to Ted Cowan of the
Ontario Federation of Agriculture,
"this Program will have a significant
impact. The entire agricultural
community in Ontario is facing many
challenges and being able to combat
just one of these challenges by
News in Agriculture
offers conservation
reducing energy consumption is a big available to agricultural operations
step forward for farmers" in the form of conferences,
The new DSM "Lessons Learned" publications, workshops and other
Program will be implemented in four activities. The final phase will
phases in 2006 and 2007. The first include a web -based energy
phase includes comprehensive benchmarking program which will be
research and data collection on available as a resource. For more
energy usage collected from over one information and updates on the new
hundred selected agricultural Demand Side Energy Management
operations. The second phase will "Lessons Learned" program, visit
consist of making and testing www.dsmlessonsleamed.blogspot.com.
recommendations with the goal of The program is co-ordinated by
reducing energy consumption by 10 Ag Energy Co-operative and FireFly
per cent or more. During the third Energy, a division of Ag Energy
phase, "Lessons Learned" will be which was established to meet the
developed as a result of the validated energy needs of lower volume
recommendations. These will be agricultural operations.0
Homegrown program gets funding
Ontario's Agricultural Adaptation Agricultural Adaptation Council's
Council recently awarded over $3
million dollars to Ontario Pork, the
Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency
and the Ontario Veal Association for
the development of a Homegrown
Ontario identity.
The Homegrown Ontario project
will focus on raising consumer
awareness of Ontario pork, lamb and
veal products through advertising,
communications and public relations
campaigns. In providing $3.44
million of the total project cost of
$4.29 million, this three-year project
represents the largest award from the
CanAdvance program.
The project's development is
based on the results of consumer
research by Ipsos Reid, which
revealed the opportunity to build a
specific "Ontario" identity for lamb,
veal and pork products. The research
also indicated the potential for
promoting "locally raised and
produced product" as a point of
differentiation for consumers, as well
as highlighting the quality, safety and
excellence of Ontario red meat
products to consumers.0
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JULY 2006 43