Canadian Organic Growers - Ottawa Chapter

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Ottawa Chapter

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Chapter Chair: Michael Ilgert

Program Co-Ordinator: Petra Stevenson

NEWS & COMING EVENTS - HEADLINES

NEWS & COMING EVENTS - DETAILS

COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT: ORGANIC MOVEMENT TO BUILD THE LOCAL FOOD INFRASTRUCTURE (FREE)

A free symposium from Canadian Organic Growers. There will be three panel presentations by experts with discussions to follow on:

Cooperative Development - different models and structures and how cooperatives can benefit you
Organic Farming – production methods, certification process
Organic Markets – commercial potentials for certified organic food produced in Eastern Ontario.

A farmer owned Cooperative could provide resources, skills development and support to farmers to make a successful transition to organic production. The Cooperative could also find markets and provide distribution on behalf of members to allow farmers to focus on farming, while buyers have the benefit of accessing a large, diverse supply from a single broker to meet their demand. Come explore these ideas.

Click here (pdf) to see the press release for details.
For additional information or to register, contact COG at 1-888-375-7383 or email office@cog.ca

Time: March 22 – 1pm to 5:30pm, informal reception until 7:30pm. Registration required by March 19 for planning purposes Location: Kemptville College

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OPEN MEETING FOR LOCAL FARMERS WITH LOCAL BUYERS (FREE)

Meet with Ottawa area food buyers, including retail, daycare chefs, and restaurants/caterers and express your interest in selling organic meat and/or produce to them. Learn what retailers need when buying from local growers.
For more information, click here (pdf) for the press release
For further details or contact Colin Lundy, COG GUO’s Farmer Outreach Coordinator, at colin@cog.ca or 613-493-0020.
Time: Feb 8, 7-9pm Location: Heritage Academy, 207 Bayswater Ave, Ottawa

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ONTARIO FARMER FOUND NOT GUILTY OF CHARGES RELATED TO SELLING ORGANIC RAW MILK

On January 21, Michael Schmidt has been found not guilty of 19 charges related to selling unpasteurized milk. As known to those who attended Fall Reflections and heard Michael's presentation, or from reading about it in the current issue of Down To Earth (PDF), Michael operates a cow-share based organic (grass-fed) raw milk co-operative ( Glencolton Farms ), which allows members to own a portion of the cow to acquire raw milk. At trial, Schmidt argued that government officials and food scientists cannot guarantee the safety of any food, and suggested informed consumers should be able to buy raw milk. CBC coverage here.

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NEW WORKSHOPS FOR FARMERS

Organic farming is the fastest growing sector within Canadian agriculture. Even in this recession, demand for Certified Organic Products, especially those produced locally, far outstrips supply. Two new COG workshops will help with Organic Certification, as well as planning for Fruit and Vegetable Farmers.

Crop Planning for Vegetable Growers

Date: Feb 20, 2010 9am to 5pm
Location: Greely Community Centre, 1448 Meadow Dr, Greely ON (just south of Ottawa)
Cost: $50 ($45 for COG members) includes a copy of the COG publication Crop Planning for Vegetable Growers, a workbook and lunch.

To get more information about the workshop or to register online click here.
Click here (PDF) to see the press release

Record Keeping for Organic Farmers

Date: March 13, 2010 9am to 5pm
Location: Greely Community Centre, 1448 Meadow Dr, Greely ON (just south of Ottawa)
Cost: $50 ($45 for COG members) and includes a copy of the COG publication Record Keeping for Organic Farmers: how to get and stay certified, handouts and lunch.

To get more information about the workshop or to register online click here.
Click here (PDF) to see the press release

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ECO FARM DAY 2010 - KEEPING IT LOCAL AND SUSTAINABLE

Eastern Ontario's Premier Farm Conference.

The theme of Eco Farm Day 2010 is Keeping it Local and Sustainable. This message will be delivered through keynote speaker Wayne Roberts, 12 workshops, a trade show with over 30 exhibitors, and a fully organic lunch.

Date: February 26, 27th, 2010, Ramada Inn, Cornwall, Ontario

Get all the details here

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COG-OTTAWA ORGANIC GARDENING WORKSHOP SERIES 2010

Once again COG-Ottawa is offering a series of Organic Gardening workshops. This year there are two sessions of four workshops each. Register for individual workshops, or for the whole series.

All sessions take place 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM at the Sandy Hill Community Centre, 250 Somerset East, Ottawa.

Get all the details here (PDF).

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COG OTTAWA E-NEWS

Be sure to keep an eye on your e-mail inbox because COG–Ottawa is going electronic! COG Ottawa E-News has been developed to keep our community better informed about current events. The newsletter at first will consist in very brief announcements and will be distributed occasionally. There is some speculation that E-News will eventually develop into a regular and more substantial publication.

In the near future it is likely that people will be able to subscribe to E-News via our website. The e-newsletter is an exciting step for the chapter, and we hope you will find the information useful. COG– Ottawa will work to ensure the electronic publication schedule works in harmony with that of Down to Earth and with everything that is happening in our community. For more information or to be added to the distribution list, please contact

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