NATIONAL FORESTRY WEEK SET FOR LAST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER . . . STARTUPS CONNECT VERMONT’S FARMERS TO URBAN MARKETS . . . ACORN’S HARVEST MANAGEMENT AND CROP QUALITY CONTROL . . . PRAIRIE CATTLE FARMERS FACE FEED DECISIONS  . . . NOVA SCOTIA BEEF PROGRAMS ANNOUNCED . . .               
OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

NATIONAL FORESTRY WEEK SET FOR LAST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER
Source: Island Farmer
Canada’s national identity has always reflected a strong connection to nature. From the moose on the quarter to the maple leaf in the centre of the flag, Canadian culture is intertwined with the plants and creatures that inhabit this land. National Forest Week, September 20 to 26, with National Tree Day on the 23rd, is a celebration of a pivotal staple in the national identity, economy, and environmental biodiversity – forests. National Forest Week brings awareness to the trees in the backyard and across the country, and how they contribute to culture, economy, and lifestyles. (read more)

STARTUPS CONNECT VERMONT’S FARMERS TO URBAN MARKETS
Source: NPR Farmers in Vermont have about 600,000 state residents – plus visitors – to sell their products to. That’s not a big market. One company trying to help expand the reach of Vermont farms outside the state’s borders is Farmers to You, based in Berlin, Vt. “They connect farmers in Vermont with families in the greater Boston area who want to be able to eat fresh food grown not too far away, but have trouble getting access to it at their local markets,” says Candace Page, food writer for the Savorvore Section of the Burlington Free Press. She says owner Greg Georgaklis aggregates food from about 50 Vermont farms and sells it to families in the Boston area. (read more)

ACORN’S HARVEST MANAGEMENT AND CROP QUALITY CONTROL
Source: ACORN
The GrowA Farmer Learning Series presents: Harvest Management and Crop Quality Control at Waldegrave Farm, Tatamagouche, N.S., Monday September 28, 10am-2pm with lunch potluck (vegetarian/gluten-free). Please register by Thursday September 24 at 5pm. Cammie Harbottle will provide a field tour of Waldegrave Farm, a small-scale, certified organic vegetable farm, based on a community-land trust in Tatamgouche, NS. Growing a diversity of over 40 vegetables, every week the farm provides fresh organic produce to Truro, Halifax, and Tatamagouche communities, between farmers’ markets and a CSA.
lucia@acornorganic.org.

PRAIRIE CATTLE FARMERS FACE FEED DECISIONS
Source: FCC
With dramatically higher feed and hay prices, cattle producers in areas hit by extreme dryness this summer will need to determine the cost benefits of either buying expensive feed or moving their animals to feed. The feed crunch isn’t limited to Alberta, and Saskatchewan producers are feeling the pinch too, says Ryan Copithorne, owner of Cows in Control Marketing Group. Dean Dyck, a farm business management specialist with Alberta Agriculture, explains there are numerous variables for farmers to consider. (read more)

NOVA SCOTIA BEEF PROGRAMS ANNOUNCED
Source: NSCP
The Nova Scotia Cattle Producers are pleased to announce that we will be offering two industry programs in 2015-16. The first is the continuation of the Safe Handling of Cattle Program and the second is the Elite Sire Program. The objective of the Safe Handling of Cattle Program is to provide support to cattle producers for the purchase of neck extending headgates, cattle squeezes, and crowding tubs. The objective of the Elite Sire Program is to provide support to cattle producers for the purchase of genetically superior animals. (read more)