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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-07-10 Minutes AACC AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE of CLARINGTON MEETING THURSDAY, July 10 th, 2014 MEMBERS PRESENT: John Cartwright Brenda Metcalf Ted Watson Jenni Knox (arrived 8:20) Les Caswell Elgin Greenham Mary Ann Found Tom Barrie REGRETS: Mark Bragg¸ Don Rickard, Eric Bowman, Councillor Partner STAFF: Faye Langmaid Ted welcomed all to the meeting. Adoption of Agenda 014-11 Moved by Brenda Metcalf, seconded by Les Caswell th That the Agenda for July 10, 2014 be adopted. CARRIED Approval of Minutes 014-12 Moved by Les Caswell, seconded by John Cartwright th June 12, 2014 meeting be approved CARRIED Presentation: Presentation by Tom Barrie on agriculture in Turkey. Tom was in Turkey in early spring and has been communicating with a farmer in the area so that he could understand the crop yields, rotation and issues with farming prior to his trip. Turkey has 40% of its population involved in agriculture and claims it is self-sufficient. The country is large (the size of Quebec) the climate is moderate with two crop cycles per year. The soil changes from area to area but water is critical as many of the larger cereal crops are irrigated. Farming has been occurring on much of the land for well in excess of 1000 years. There is everything from subsistence level farming to highly commercialized and technologically run farms. A single family can farm and have a comfortably lifestyle on a 200 acre farm. Most farms are much smaller (15 acres) and are a supplement to other pursuits. People do not live on the farms, rather they tend to live in the villages and go out to the farm; equipment and supplies are all stored at their homes in the villages (courtyard). Business Arising from Minutes Sustainability/Benchmarks - The Sustainability Committee will be reporting out to Council in September. The suggestions of the representatives from this committee have been included as part of the report. Benchmarks have been left for the Ag Committee to determine. measurablese large re- investments in land and production that are being made such as Algoma (apples), the Metcalfs (dairy, chicken), the Selbys (cash crops) and Wilmot Orchards (tender fruit, blueberries and value added). th Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington July 10, 2014 The Regional Council. Regional Staff have been working on analysis and recommendations. to protect agricultural land has been addressed in the more recent version of the recommendations. The committee members should continue to provide comments as this process moves forward. Correspondence and Council Referrals None Liaison Reports DAAC Nancy Rutherford is looking for comments on the implementation of the 5 year nd strategy now that we are into the 2 year. She or Eric will review with the Committee at the August meeting. The Strategy and items for review should be circulated with the agenda. This will go to the DAAC meeting in September. th Farm Tour is September 11 Region Economic Development is working with a kosher chicken processor who is looking to locate in Whitby and a biogas proposal for Brock. DRFA Reminder of Celebrate Agriculture as Gala fundraiser for Durham Farm th Connections Gala at Royal Ashburn on October 16, 2014. Tickets are $50 each. CBOT- Lindsay Coolidge (UOIT) a Director from CBOT Board is willing to work with Ag Community on ideas for research that she can take to various Deans to get them interested. Ideas that were generated some time ago have been supplied to Lindsay. Faye, Donald and Jenni are following up with her. Other Business EFW tour - Faye has let Greg Borchuk at Durham Region know that the committee members would like to join a tour group in September. Colborne tour Faye has been in contact with Joe Mullin, he suggested being in contact in September to obtain an update at that point. Memorial for Gary Jeffery Faye will proceed with a tree being planted at the VAC in memory of Gary, location has been selected and tree ordered. Faye will let committee know when and where it has been planted. Unopen-Tree damage or overhanging trees that are affecting an adjacent farm traversed by any member of the public; be careful to not clear too much and thus invite the public to traverse them. To improve a ROW you have to seek permission from the Municipality. Complaints Many farms receive complaints from adjacent property owners, the ones closer to urban areas receive more and different types of complaints. Many of the th Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington July 10, 2014 farmers keep documentation on complaints. The type of complaints received are about noise, maintenance (weeds, grass mowing), birds. Some farmers have been asked about practices when potential property purchasers are moving into the area (this is welcomed); typically these are questions about spraying, type of equipment used, hours of operation. Public education and relations about what typical farm practices are and how your ard practice. The Municipality does not receive many complaints about farm operations, residents are encouraged to what farming practices are. Staff in By-law, Planning, Operations and Engineering have an understanding and appreciation of farming and investigate before responding to issues. Farming in the Area Signs Faye will forward to the request for additional signs on Old Scugog at Concession 4 to Operations and Hwy 57 to the Region. The behavior of Tile drainage Boils happen when properties are redeveloped for other than farming. Examples include the 407 and development on former agricultural lands will cause a number of lines to be cut and they will have to be reconnected or rerouted to address the drainage. The Municipality does not have tile drainage plans as no permits are required, the Municipality does have aerial photography from a number of years 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and typically tile drainage can be spotted on these from the patterns on the fields. However, that does not help with which way the water is flowing or how the lines are interconnected. Many farmers have kept good records of their tile drains and when dealing with MTO or other purchasers have addressed the tile drainage issues as part of the land acquisition process. Future Agendas October: Susan Chan, Native Pollinators. John moved to Adjourn Next Meeting, Aug 14 th, 7:30 p.m. Room 1C at Municipal Administrative Office Pauline VanRoon and Chris Brown from MTO with a 407 update -year strategy th Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington July 10, 2014