The McDonalds Cornere Agricultural Society has cancelled its spring poultry auction, which was set for this Saturday, due to an advisory issued through OMAFRA and the Feather Board Command Centre concerning poultry Infectious Laryngotraceitism ILT.

ILT is an acute herpes viral respiratory tract infection of chickens and pheasants that may result in severe production losses. Losses occur due to excessive mortality, decreased growth rates and decreased egg production.

The Ag Society says it will hold the auction after the advisory is lifted.

Syrup producers who were ready or able to scramble their way into being ready, were able to make syrup several times over the last week, even though some of the nights never dipped below freezing. That has all stopped now as the temperature has dropped, but in a few days the sap should run again, and if the long term forecast is accurate it will get cold again after that and it will be time to wait again.

Some of the commercial operators, such as George and Darlene Conboy, have been boiling for over a week (see picture below) while others and many hobbiest have sat out the February run which caught everyone by surprise. Buckets should be going up over the next few days, however, as there is no telling when the season will end. This is the normal as it has been this way for several years’ now. Fortunately yields and quality have held up or improved, demonstrating that the trees may be better at adapting to change than humans are alter all.

When is a bulb not a bulb? Quite often. The term bulb, in every day vernacular, includes corms, tubers, tuberous roots, rhizomes and stolons. I think I have them all. Except for tuberous roots which the name suggests is a root, all of them are modified stems. What makes a modified stem? A stem is made up of three parts. First the stem or branch, then the node and at each node is usually one or more leaves and buds. The bud is the required part because without it there can be no new growth. These modified stems are compressed or very short. Take a look at an onion. It comes with a basal plate which practically has no internodes. From this basal plate all the usual parts of the stem are there. The leaves or onion rings ( yum ) are attached to the basal plate one on top of the other. There are also in many cases buds at the base of each leaf. This is a tunicate bulb. Tunicate bulbs like onions, tulips, daffodils and garlic have a cover (brown like on tulips white like on garlic) with tightly attached storage leaves. There are also bulbs with a slightly different makeup like lily bulbs. These bulbs are scaly not tunicate and have no outer covering. The scales of these bulbs are large and leaflike. Bulbs allow the plant to survive an extended period of adverse conditions, usually drought.  They survive by going dormant, often during the summer, or other extended times every year. This dormancy is a requirement for their survival. While dormant, the bulb rests and goes through a process and prepares  to start growth all over again. In the case of many of the spring flowering bulbs that we plant in the fall, almost all of them must also go through an extended cold period to initiate growth. This new growth can be as simple as only producing roots in the fall. They will eventually, after three months of cold, poke their heads through the soil and flower in the spring even coming up through the snow. I'm looking forward to spring. That is why snowdrops are one of my favourite bulbs.

Visit our website at www.lanarkmg.blogspot.com or follow us on Twitter or Facebook

This Sunday in Perth and the following Sunday in Kingston, small scale organic seed companies will be attending Seedy events. It’s too early to muck about in the garden in the first week of March, but it’s not too early to start seeds indoors and to dream about planting a spring and summer garden.

Two seed companies from Frontenac County will be at both events, Mountain Grove Seed Company and Bearroots gardens from Verona.

Pat and Kate Joslin of Bearroots are participating in 8 Seedy Saturdays or Sundays this year. They are transitioning from selling seeds and produce at the South Frontenac Farmers Market to selling only seeds.

“The events have been pretty good. Some of them are newer events and we are there for the first time so people need to get to know us,” Pat Joslin said, when interviewed this week over the phone from Verona, “but the Perth and Kingston Seedy events are pretty well established.

Bearroots will be participating in the Frontenac Farmer’s Market in Verona this year, mainly on long weekends, with 40 varieties of vegetable seed and a few flower seed varieties as well.

They have also launched, just this week in fact, bearrootgardens.com – a website and online store.

Of the vegetable seeds they have available, there are 10 tomato varieties, including some lesser known but easy to grow varieties such as German Johnson, Green Zebra and Pink Boar in addition to cherry and pear tomatoes and others.

Going forward Pat Josling said they are planning to start selling White Globe Turnip seed and by next year should have Kohlrabi seed available. They are planning to hold an open house in August at their home/garden in Verona.

Dawn Morden of Mountain Grove Seed Company also participates in Seedy events in the late winter season.

The company now has over 150 vegetable seeds including 40 varieties of tomatoes, including such notables as Black Prince, Green Moldovan and the ever popular Mortgage Lifter. Seeds are also available online through mountaingroveseedcompany.com

At the Seedy Sunday in Perth, which runs from 10 to 3pm at the Royal Canadian Legion on Beckwith Street near Herriot, admission is free and there will be a seed swap table for seed sharing. As well, seminars on vermicomposting, cover crops, beekeeping, fibre and spinning, and holistic orcharding will be spread out throughout the day.

Seeds of Diversity and Rare Breeds Canada will be on hand with information about saving seed, along with a number of diverse garden friendly companies, and a half dozen seed companies including Mountain Grove and Bearroots, and Terra Edibles from Hastings County.

Details about Seedy Saturday in Kingston on March 11, which is being put on by the Kingston Area Seed System Initiative, are available at seedsgrowfood.org. The event takes place at Loyalist Collegiate Vocational Institute, 153 VanOrder Drive between 10am and 3pm.

Three days after Richard Allen took on the Economic Development job at Frontenac County, the City of Kingston and the Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO), came to Frontenac County Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Pender with an invitation.

A high powered delegation of Kingston officials, led by the Mayor, were headed to China for meetings and a tour of facilities at Feihe International, a large baby formula company that is already investing $225 million to build a factory in Kingston and is looking to do more. And they wanted Frontenac County to bring some rural representation to the delegation.

So, even though he was new on the job, and it was going to cost the county $5,000, Allen was dispatched to China. He had an inauspicious start, tearing an abductor just before leaving so he was on crutches throughout the trip, but the trip went well nonetheless,  Frontenac County is at the table  as Feihe makes it aggressive foray into the Kingston region.

Frontenac County is in a position to participate in the growth of Feihe primarily because the company is pursuing goat milk as an alternative to cows milk in the production of baby formula. As Allen noted in his report to Frontenac County Council last week, the potential impact of goat milk production in the vicinity of Kingston is vast, and will transform the community that takes it on.

“Feihe has built a demonstration goat farm with 2,500 goats, but will be scaling up to 70,000 in 2018. Feihe plans to have 7 such farms in operation by 2020,” he said.

To put the scale of these operations in an Ontario context, there are currently 45,000 goats being milked commercially in the entire province.

In his report, Allen said that Feihe does not necessarily expect to see the same kind of goat operations as it is developing in China start up in Ontario, but they will be looking for large amounts of milk to be delivered fresh on an ongoing basis to their baby formula facility for immediate processing.

“Feihe stated their commitment to working with the local supply chain to achieve their needs for goat milk with phase two of the Kingston processing facility, and to find a process that works with our local context to achieve their goals. This may mean a way can be found for farms of various sizes to participate in this opportunity. Staff will work with Feihe, regional partners such as KEDCO and the  Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAFRA) to develop a successful strategy with the farming community” he said.

Feihe International got into the large scale farming business in China after a melamine scandal hit the dairy industry in 2008, affecting the sales prospects for all Chinese dairy products from candies to cheese and milk to baby formula. Feihe responded by setting up modern state of the art indoor farming operations where sanitation and genetics are tightly controlled.

As Allen pointed out in his report, Feihe now operates its farms in China using the same production values as it uses in its formula factory. At a farm with 10,000 dairy cattle that the delegation visited, 240 cows are milked 24 hours a day in 15 minute intervals. The public is invited to see the entire operation, which exceeds all international standards for safe milk production.

He said that the farm is located on a 50 acre parcel of land, and that the cattle are housed in large structures.

The scale that Feihe is looking for in terms of goat milk production is unprecedented in Ontario, and there is certainly a knowledge gap that needs to be overcome in order for the industry to be developed in Eastern Ontario.

“If Frontenac seeks to become the 'Goat Capital of Canada' it will be critical to ensure that our community grows strong base knowledge, education, participate in breeding programs for healthy, resilient goats with excellent genetics, and develops a robust logistics system that allows for farms of many sizes to participate in the supply chain for this anticipated opportunity,” he said.

After the presentation, Councillor John Inglis from North Frontenac said “I'm concerned about the amount of your time that this will take up and if it will affect other Economic Development activities.

Allen answered that he does not see a large time commitment in the short term.

“Over the next 18 months or so it will only involve me participating in occasional meetings. It will not affect the other initiatives we have been working on,” he replied.

He will be reporting back to the County Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) in October.

Council voted to cover the costs for the trip to China from their sustainability reserve fund.

(see editorial – Opportunity knocks)

InFrontenac launched
The economic development  department brought a report on the soft launch of a new website, Infrontenac.ca. Designed to promote Frontenac County as a place to invest, Infrontenac.ca is an extension of the #InFrontenac branding initiative that was undertaken last year. The 60 INFrontenac brand ambassadors are featured in the site, which includes links to information about trails and other activities, a business directory, planning and other information that anyone considering visiting or investing in the county could be interested in.

“We made the decision, early on in the process to use only photographs from Frontenac County. There is no generic content on the site,” said Vandervelde.

Allen said that part of what the site does is link to information that is gathered on the county site and on the township sites as well.

Links to www.Infrontenac.ca will be installed on township sites over the next few months.

Stewardship Foundation gets a warm greeting and some money
Gord Rodgers, President of the Frontenac Stewardship Foundation, came to Council looking for some support for the annual retreat that the foundation is holding at the Queen's University Biological Station this April. He updated council on the foundation’s initiatives in fostering local stewardship efforts and hosting public information sessions periodically throughout the year. The capacity of the summit in April, which will feature speakers from various academic disciplines on matters related to stewardship and conservation, is only about 75. Members of county council are invited but must pay the same admission fee as all other attendees.

“We hope to bring in enough to cover costs, but it would make it easier if we had support from the county,” Rodgers said.

He was asking for $2,000 and Council agreed to provide it.

Unfriendly response to Age Friendly presentation
Nadia de Santi and Emily Sangster from the MMM group presented a 35 page Age Friendly Action Plan for Frontenac County. Work on the plan was funded through a $35,000 provincial grant. The goal of the plan is to help Frontenac County better serve its aging population. The consultants worked with staff and members of the Community Development Advisory committee. They set up seniors’ fairs in South and Central Frontenac last fall to get a feel for local needs. The plan that they presented to Council includes census information, general information about the needs of seniors in Ontario and information they gathered locally.

“We see this as a living plan, open to new information and new ideas,” said Nadia De Santi.

The lack of specific information in the plan about Frontenac Islands led Frontenac Islands Mayor Dennis Doyle to question the value of the project.

“We never saw you on Wolfe or Howe Island  and there is nothing in this plan that talks about the reality in our township,” said Doyle.

Councillor Natalie Nossal, who comes from Howe Island, took a less aggressive approach but noted that the plan “is lacking specifics about the islands” and suggested that the perspective of islanders be added in the future.

The proposal in front of Council was to receive the report and move on to develop an implementation plan in concert with the townships, community groups and social service agencies.

Council supported the proposal, with the notable exception of Dennis Doyle.

Adam and Craig Voith are brothers who work smarter, not harder.

Talking from their 150-year-old farmhouse in Battersea, the brothers’ banter with each other good-naturedly as they talk on a cold Canadian morning about the farming operation around them.

A woodstove in the corner of the old kitchen fills the air with a comfortable heat and a warm glow. Their father, Mike Voith, sits in a chair near the fire. He smiles as his sons talk about their accomplishments and dreams.

“These guys are the brains behind the place,” Mike says kindly, gesturing towards his sons. “I think it’s nice that young men like these are trying to get a business going.”

Young and ambitious, Adam, 25, and Craig, 22, are shareholders with their father in a family sheep farm called Sugar Hill Rideaus located 20 kms north of Kingston. The farm was purchased by the family in 2012 and covers approximately 90 acres, 35 of which is tillable.

“Our main focus is direct marketing,” explains Craig, the main labourer on the farm and a construction worker off the farm.

“Our real goal is to direct market as many lambs as we can to consumers,” echoes his father about their sales method of a product that is gaining attention for its quality.

Born on the family farm, the lambs are Canadian purebreds called Rideau Arcott. Raised ethically and humanely, the animals are watched carefully for optimal health.

“They’re all good quality,” says Adam with a smile about the 300 sheep on the farm.

“It takes dedication,” adds Craig about the work required to feed and care for the animals 365 days a year.

“You can’t just call-in sick,” says Adam who works on the farm and off the farm as a combat engineer officer with the Canadian Armed Forces.

Leading the way to the barn, the brothers show a group of lambs that have just been born for Easter sales. Two more batches of lambs will be born in March and May to coincide with other Canadian holidays.

“Right now we’re still growing,” says Mike about the operation. “We want to get up to at least 600 animals.”

Raised until they are 100 pounds, the sheep are sold by the half or whole. The farmers are diligent to avoid disease, worms and coyotes to minimize lost time and animals. It is a model based on efficiency and quality.

“We want to make sure we keep our flock clean from disease,” says Mike, who helps with the operation while running his own beef farm nearby. “Raising the flock in the barns is a little bit more expensive, but we don’t have a worm problem or predator problem.”

Proud of what they have built, the men are working hard to expand the business to meet a growing demand by consumers.

“There’s a huge demand right now for sheep,” confirms Craig.

Talking about the growing ethnic diversity in the country, Mike says about the market for lamb, “There’s tremendous opportunity right now.”

Asked if he enjoys the work, Craig answers with a smile and laugh. “It’s a lot better than a 9-5 job. It’s a nice change of pace. Every season is a different task such as planting, cutting wood, getting ready for harvesting. You’re your own boss here. Everything is better.”

Working hard to build their business, the men are excited about the future. They describe their challenges as balancing growth with infrastructure capability.

“I think our land base is good now with other land we own,” Mike says about the land needed to grow crops for the flock.

Walking around the property, the Voith men talk about their operation with equal parts humility and pride. It is a common trait in farmers.

A glaring difference on this farm is the efficiencies built into the housing and feeding systems.

Enclosures have been modified for the care and comfort of the flock, and services have been added to the water and feeding systems. The men’s skills can be seen everywhere.

“We’re trying to be as efficient as we can with our time,” says Mike, a retired combat engineer officer with the Canadian Armed Forces who also works off the farm.

Walking around the property that was designed as a dairy farm and later converted into a horse farm, the men’s hard work and ambition has resulted in a prosperous sheep operation with a bright future.

Summing up what is obvious to a visitor, Craig notes “We’ve come a long way.”

To learn more about the Voith Family or Sugar Hill Farm, visit www.sugarhillfarm.ca or call 613-353-6380.

It’s safe to say that a company of the size and wealth of Feihe International has never expressed an interest in doing business in Frontenac County before. As we saw from the census just last week population growth in Frontenacs not only lags badly behind the rest of the country, it lags behind the region. We also aging faster than most other places. If we are going to keep schools open, keep a business community afloat, an injection of money and jobs is just the ticket to reverse a worrying downward spiral and rejuvenate the local economy.

On the other hand nothing about the rich history of agriculture in the county has been on an industrial. Factory farming is not envisioned in our Official Plans, strategic plans or stated economic development priorities. In fact it runs counter to the promotion of small-scale food, craft and tourism businesses that have sprung up in recent years. The most powerful constituent group in the county, the up to 20,000 seasonal property owners, pay high taxes not for roads or bridges but for clean water and environmental stewardship.

Participating in a large way in the development of intensive goat farming, which is what Feihe needs, will require not only an entrepreneur who is willing to invest and also make an effort to develop local expertise, it will also require a change in the way Frontenac County sees itself.

There was significant resistance to wind turbines in North Frontenac. They are seen as a threat to the pristine wilderness. There is resistance to a 13 home subdivision in Hartington because it may impact the water table. The potential impact  of a goat farm with thousands of animals living in a confined space on neighbouring properties is big. Even in China, where large scale operations are common,  Feihe’s farming practices have had their detractors.

An article published by phys.org this past December, says that in China there has been  “an economic boom and government backing transforming dairy into a $40-billion-a-year industry, shifting production away from small-scale producers towards massive megafarms with up to 10,000 cattle—and a lot more waste.

“‘The smell of the manure... in the summer it's very intense,’ said Ren Xiangjun, a farmer in Gannan county. Pointing at a stream of green water escaping from under a grey brick wall at the giant farm owned by agro-conglomerate Feihe International, he added: ‘You can see how it flows right out of the farm.’”

The article describes manure piled up like a mountain, and quotes villager from Daxing, near on of the Feihe farms: “There are no advantages for us. There is just pollution and noise.”

While the situation would be different in Frontenac County. Farms could be smaller but they would still have to be of a scale that is beyond anything we have ever seen.

Sooner or later a discussion will need to take place in Frontenac County about how this opportunity should be dealt with.

There are those who will say we should stay as far away as possible, and there are others who will want to consider the opportunities this offers for community development, with caution. As a business owner I see opportunities, but as a homeowner I’m not sure I would want to live next to a 10,000 goat operation.

Before Frontenac becomes the “Goat capital of Canada” we need to figure out what that means and whether we can live with the consequences.

The regular season of the Sharbot Lake Farmers Market is over for this year, but people can continue to access their favourite local producers via the website, sharbotlakefarmersmarket.ca or on Facebook. Please use this off-season market to support the vendors. You will find a list of producers there. Click to find the list. You will be amazed at the products you will still be able to purchase all through the year. No need to wait for the opening of market next May, as you can continue to enjoy many of the items you are used to buying at the Saturday market.

Everyone at the market sends their appreciation for the support the community has shown this year. The good thing about buying from your local food suppliers is that the money supports the entire local economy. This year the total sales for the market were just over $55,000. It is also interesting to know that 4,200 customers visited the seasonal market. The numbers speak for themselves.

If you were lucky enough to be able to come out the market this season you would have found many people enjoying the Butter Tart Challenge and the Taste Fest, two of the most popular and best attended events, but of course there were so many other events to attend. You will just have to come out next year to take it all in. Watch for a listing of the upcoming events for next season, as there are lots of plans for 2017, including new food events.  New vendors are signing up now, and there will be new products including a greater variety of meats.

All the vendors are appreciative of the support of the Township of Central Frontenac as well as the support of loyal customers. At the market vendors have time to talk to customers about the products they raise and sell. This is so important in a world where people have for the most part become very disassociated from the land and the farmers who grow their food. There is no denying that there is a buzz at the market. It’s the conversation, the sharing of information and, well, the great food and good coffee that you can get there. There is a special energy that you can experience on any given Saturday morning that you come out to the market.

The regular season of the Sharbot Lake Farmers Market is over for this year, but people can continue to access their favourite local producers via the website, sharbotlakefarmersmarket.ca or on Facebook. Please use this off-season market to support the vendors. You will find a list of producers there. Click to find the list. You will be amazed at the products you will still be able to purchase all through the year. No need to wait for the opening of market next May, as you can continue to enjoy many of the items you are used to buying at the Saturday market.

Everyone at the market sends their appreciation for the support the community has shown this year. The good thing about buying from your local food suppliers is that the money supports the entire local economy. This year the total sales for the market were just over $55,000. It is also interesting to know that 4,200 customers visited the seasonal market. The numbers speak for themselves.

If you were lucky enough to be able to come out the market this season you would have found many people enjoying the Butter Tart Challenge and the Taste Fest, two of the most popular and best attended events, but of course there were so many other events to attend. You will just have to come out next year to take it all in. Watch for a listing of the upcoming events for next season, as there are lots of plans for 2017, including new food events.  New vendors are signing up now, and there will be new products including a greater variety of meats.

All the vendors are appreciative of the support of the Township of Central Frontenac as well as the support of loyal customers. At the market vendors have time to talk to customers about the products they raise and sell. This is so important in a world where people have for the most part become very disassociated from the land and the farmers who grow their food. There is no denying that there is a buzz at the market. It’s the conversation, the sharing of information and, well, the great food and good coffee that you can get there. There is a special energy that you can experience on any given Saturday morning that you come out to the market.

Teddy Brown has loved cows longer than she has known them.

Standing in a barn at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto less than 18 hours before she is to represent Frontenac County in the 4-H Showmanship and Conformation class, she smiled when asked about the origins of her affection.

“I’ve always had a love and devotion to cows, without even petting them,” said the Elginburg native. “I think they’re good creatures that give so much to us. I just appreciate that. I don’t know why I love them, I just do.”

Unassuming and hardworking, Teddy is gaining national attention exhibiting her family’s superior line of Holsteins. Her accomplishments seem even more impressive when compared to her arrival in 2010 on the Frontenac County 4-H scene at age 16 when she bought her first calf. 

For the first year of 4-H, the girl and her calf were ranked at the bottom of every competition. After years of hard work and perseverance, she became a very accomplished showman, exhibiting some of the top heifers in Canada.

Now 22, Brown’s is enjoying her fifth and final year at the Royal Winter Fair at the 4-H competition; one of the biggest fairs in the world. In 2014, she won Reserve Grand Champion Calf at the TD 4-H Classic. In 2015, she won Grand Champion Calf at the TD 4-H Classic.  It was the highest 4-H accomplishment in Frontenac County in years.

This year, Brown plans to show the daughter of her winning cow from 2014.

“It’s neat to have the same family come back,” she said about her Calf Lily, who she was presenting on Nov. 8 in the Showmanship Class.

Poised to compete against the best cows and handlers in the Canada, Brown seems ready for the pressure.

“I feel good,” she replied when asked if she’s ready for the competition, which was starting a few hours later. “The cows have settled nicely and I’m not too nervous. I’m just trying to focus and get the job done.”

Brown calls this year’s fair bittersweet because it is the last time she can compete in 4-H, as she is at the age limit for 4-H.

“It’s pretty cool,” Brown noted about how far she has come in the short time she has been working with cows. “It’s not all me,” she said, “I’ve had some pretty knowledgeable and influential people in this industry who have helped me along and I’m thankful for their support.”

Some of those supporters include Brown's partner Adam Hunt along with her mother, Mary Pearson.

Laughing at the memory of those early years when she was trying to find a calf for her daughter and learn how to care for it, Pearson noted wryly, “I had never even touched a calf before that. I didn’t know anything about cows.”

A retired family doctor who owns a small farm in Frontenac County, Pearson said affectionately about the 16 cows at the family farm, “It’s like looking after little kids.”

The family got serious about cows in 2011 when they purchased a calf in the “Sale of Stars” at the Royal Winter Fair.

“We stared at her hour-after-hour, she was so beautiful,” said Pearson about the purchase of the family’s first show heifer, which they soon discovered came from Eilevale Farm in South Frontenac. 

Over the next few years, the family immersed themselves in the agricultural community in Frontenac County where Brown honed her skills as a master showman.

“Having a cow at the Royal Winter Fair is such a huge deal,” said Pearson who will be watching from a distance as her daughter competes in three classes over three days at the Royal Winter Fair this week.

“Teddy has upped the ante in this county,” said Pearson, “She’ll do her best to not do it badly.”

Focused on making the most of her last year at the most prestigious agricultural fair in Canada, Brown smiles when she talks about her future.

“I love the cows so much. I don’t see myself ever being away from them,” she said with a chuckle. “It’s weird, isn’t it? I don’t know why I love them, I just do.”