NSFA offers five days of virtual events for 125th AGM
/by Victor Oulton
This year marks the 125th year since the formation of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. And what an eventful 125 years it’s been! While this isn’t how we imagined we’d be celebrating this milestone, we are excited to be switching things up a bit this year. I’m going to walk you through our schedule of events for our #NSFA125 celebration.
MONDAY, NOV. 30
We’ll kick off the week with a public trust webinar at 12:30 p.m. We’ll welcome Clinton Monchuk, farmer and executive director of Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan, to discuss public trust. Together, we’ll dive into what public trust is and why it’s important. We’ll also look at how you as a farmer can develop and build trust in our food system.
TUESDAY, DEC. 1
On Dec. 1, we’ll dig into the topic of soil with an ag-environmental webinar on soils at 10 a.m.
One of the keys to a healthy environment is a healthy soil. A healthy soil can be achieved by balancing its physical characteristics (such as texture and structure) with the chemical features (such as pH and nutrients) and the biological properties (such as organic matter and diversity of soil organisms).
This webinar highlights the importance of finding and maintaining balance in soil properties, as each plays an important role in crop production.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 2
On Dec. 2, the Nova Scotia Young Farmers (NSYF) business meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Members and those interested in joining the NSYF are encouraged to attend.
Following the business meeting, the NSYF and our AgSector Program will host a farm transition webinar.
A big key to successful transfers is the use of strong, open communication. Farms successfully transition by implementing a written plan, making decisions based on values and vision, and considering the impacts from ideal financial, tax, and legal perspectives.
A transition plan examines options and identifies obstacles, dealing with the management succession and the transition of assets.
To start conversations and help farmers learn from others’ experience, we’ll host a virtual panel discussion. Terry Jones, a transition specialist with Farm Credit Canada, will moderate the panel of farmers from three operations who’ll share their stories with you, followed by a question and answer session. The farms are Van Dyk’s blueberry operation in Caledonia, N.S., the Boydsdale dairy farm in Norton, N.B., and La Fleur du Pommier in Cocagne, N.B., which grows apples and other tree fruit, strawberries, raspberries, and vegetables.
THURSDAY, DEC. 3
On Dec. 3, we’ll dive into the NSFA business meeting, which begins at 9:30 a.m. and is slated to run until 4 p.m. The action-packed agenda includes council nominations and election, strategy and program updates, resolutions, policy presentations, and government speakers, including a quick question and answer session with Nova Scotia Agriculture Minister Keith Colwell.
In the evening, we’ll welcome you to join us for a virtual happy hour with Halifax bartender Shane Beehan! If you’d like to join us for happy hour, Beehan will provide recipes and a list of ingredients to make the drinks along with him. You can also simply attend the happy hour to chat and catch up with others and listen to Beehan’s demonstration. Please note, Beehan will provide a recipe for a non-alcoholic option as well.
FRIDAY, DEC. 4
The last day of #NSFA125 features the launch of Farm Safety Nova Scotia’s mental health campaign at 1 p.m., a mental health webinar at 1:30 p.m., and Farm Safety Nova Scotia’s business meeting at 2:30 p.m.
Dr. Bill Howatt of Howatt HR Consulting will lead the mental health webinar on the topic of “mental fitness.”
Have you ever thought about your mental fitness? Your physical fitness is impacted by a few factors, including how well you eat, sleep, and exercise. Your mental fitness is also significantly impacted by your habits and routines. Without intentional focus, specifically in times of uncertainty, you can begin to experience adverse effects. This webinar will discuss the foundational elements of mental health and mental illness, and how our daily experience can influence our personal battery charge. This webinar will also cover the key elements of resilience and coping skills, and how micro-skills can charge your daily battery.
Online registration for the AGM is now open. You can register by visiting nsfa-fane.ca/agm or by calling the office at 902-893-2293. This is a new process for all of us and we hope you’ll join us as we celebrate the NSFA’s 125th annual meeting!
(Victor Oulton is president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture.)
