Seminar Series to Promote Farming Smarter

Nova Scotia farmers will learn how to compete in the globalized food market by participating in the Farm Smarter seminar series, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Gordon Balser, said today, Feb. 3.

"Although Canada is known to produce some of the world's finest and safest food products, our farmers need to continually gain new knowledge and skills to maintain their competitiveness," Mr. Balser said.

The first seminar will feature guest speakers and farmers discussing on-farm food safety programs. The seminar, called Becoming a Preferred Supplier, will be hosted at the Kentville Research Station on Main Street on Wednesday, Feb. 12 and at AgriTECH Park in Truro on Thursday, Feb. 13. Both sessions will run from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Nova Scotia farmers are invited to register by Friday, Feb. 7, by calling Robin Marshall in Kentville at 902-678-2298 or Laurie Sandeson in Truro, at 902-896-7270. The cost is $5 per person.

The second Farm Smarter seminar, called On-farm Diversification, is scheduled for March 12-13. It will involve a discussion of opportunities in rural and agricultural tourism business initiatives, on-farm food processing and retail shops and new cash crops. The seminar will be held at the Kentville Research Station on Wednesday, March 12 and at the AgriTech Park in Truro on Thursday, March 13. The registration deadline will be Friday, March 7.

The seminar series is sponsored by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Office of Economic Development, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Kings Community Economic Development Agency.