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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-06-12 Minutes AACC AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE of CLARINGTON MEETING THURSDAY, June 12 th, 2014 MEMBERS PRESENT: John Cartwright Brenda Metcalf Don Rickard Ted Watson Les Caswell Eric Bowman Mary Ann Found Tom Barrie Jenni Knox Councillor Partner Elgin Greenham REGRETS: Mark Bragg STAFF: Faye Langmaid GUESTS: Regrets Susan Chan, Native Pollinator Program Ted welcomed all to the meeting, Elgin introduced himself as the new non-farmer member of the committee. Chuck Lamers and Allen Freebern from OPG lead the tour through the mock-up area, providing an overview of how the reactor works, the portions that have to be replaced, the tight spaces that have to be considered and maneuvering of the equipment and replacement pieces. Adoption of Agenda 014-09 Moved by Eric Bowman, seconded by Don Rickard That the Agenda for June 12, 2014 be adopted. th CARRIED Approval of Minutes 014-10 Moved by Mary Ann Found, seconded by Eric Bowman April 10, 2014 meeting be approved th CARRIED Presentation: Presentation by Susan Chan to be rescheduled. Business Arising from Minutes Sustainability/Benchmarks Don, Jenni and Eric attended the Sustainability Committee meeting March 20, 2014. A good discussion was held. Measuring sustainability in agriculture is difficult, you can measure any number of things, compare yield between years, number of building permits, land that is put into or taken out of th Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington June 12, 2014 production, land that is tile drained to increase productivity. Perhaps one of the better measurables-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). what was determined as a measurable would truly be a measure of Sustainability, or a measure of something more quantifiable like land area, dollar value etc. CBOT also recently had a workshop on Sustainability, essentially there needs to be a shift in thinking so that mitigation to allow agriculture to continue is not the solution but rather there is no need for mitigation. Agricultural operation and viability should be thought of in the first instance. document to the Region and Regional Staff have reported out to the Planning Committee. been well articulated in the document, this has been noted by Staff and Regional politicians to the consultant and Regional Staff and carryout the synthesis and analysis steps to produce some directions. Some of the comments cannot be addressed by the Greenbelt Review but rather may be issues with the Regional Official Plan or local municipal practices. The committee members should continue to provide comments as this process moves forward. CBOT Familiarization Tour th -June 6, 2014. Successful tour of Gallery on the Farm farm and we use much different equipment and tools than your Grandfather did. Thank you to the CBOT for providing these tours. Correspondence and Council Referrals with a request from the Mayor asking how we help farmers get their message out. Mary they should communicate that they conform and exceed the codes of practice at all times. Jenni will take the Group to see if there are specifics that Council and the Mayor could assist with. Farm Innovation Tour e-mail forwarded from Nancy Rutherford regarding the tours on Aug. 28 to Holland Marsh and September overnight tour to Parry Sound for aquaculture and cranberries. www.farmfoodcare.org Rural Economic Development newsletter from the Region was forwarded to all members. Liaison Reports DAACDurham College trainer that trains mechanics for automobiles was looking for ideas whether similar training was needed on agricultural equipment. Discussion ensued the computer on the tractor even through the couplers fit together. th Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington June 12, 2014 th Farm Tour is September 11 DRFA Farm Connections high school program is St. Clair in Oshawa, this program is th in 4 or 5 year, they are looking for a co-chair. to advertise Durham Farm Connections. All commodities will be displayed as well as the branding logo and the website; this is made possible through Trillium Funding. Distributed postcard for Celebrate Agriculture as Gala fundraiser for Durham Farm th Connections Gala at Royal Ashburn on October 16, 2014. Tickets are $50 each. CBOT- Looking for ways to interest farming in becoming more involved in CBOT and members. What is the benefit to farmers to join that they are not receiving from another organization they already belong to. Unlike retail and local professional businesses the networking is not the same advantage. Fostering economic development may be the foremost reason to join, could there then be an affiliate membership at a reduced rate? 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, they are behind schedule due to the rough winter, not as far along as they had hoped to be with the facility. Joe 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. Future Agendas August: Pauline VanRoon and Chris Brown from MTO with a 407 update. for CBOT. John moved to Adjourn Next Meeting, July 10 th, 7:30 p.m. Room 1C at Municipal Administrative Office Tom to report on agriculture in Turkey Susan Chan, Native Pollinators to be rescheduled. th Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington June 12, 2014