*Register for the whole term or choose individual events.  

**All events are recorded to allow participants to watch on their own time. Recordings will be made available on the course platform (Moodle) within 48 hours of the event.

April 24th, 7:00pm – 8:00pm: Full-term Participants’ Meet-up

May 1st, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Field and Bed Preparation

Before you can plant, you need to prepare the soil. This webinar will discuss methods of field and bed preparation, the dangers of over cultivation, and innovative no-till options. Primary and secondary tillage equipment will be shown as well as smaller-scale and hand-tool options.  A recording of this webinar will be available.

Speaker: Lisa Conroy, Ignatius Farm

May 3rd, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Weed Management

This webinar will cover defining and the basic biology of weeds. We will identify the top weeds at Ignatius Farm and go over how to monitor weeds. Tips and strategies for prevention, as well as tackling weeds with various tools, hands-on practices, pesticide alternatives, and other useful equipment. A recording of this event will be available.

Speaker: Lisa Conroy, Ignatius Farm

May 8th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Principles of Harvest and Post-Harvest

The moment you’ve been waiting for! You’ve worked hard all season. Nurtured, watered, weeded, trellised, and talked sweetly to your plants. Now you get to enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Karen Campbell of Everdale Farm will join us to describe the critical steps to harvest your bounty to achieve the best results. Participants will learn the optimal times to harvest different crops, techniques for the handling, cooling and storage to ensure the best quality and optimal shelf-life of your produce. A recording of this event will be available.

Speaker: Karen Campbell, Everdale Farm

May 10th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Seedling Production and Greenhouse Management

Starting your own seedlings can be challenging. Join this webinar to learn some tips and tricks to producing high quality healthy seedlings as well as good greenhouse management techniques. Sophie Clark shares her experience running a professional organic seedling nursery. A recording of this webinar will be available.

Speaker: Sophie Clark

May 24th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Cover Crops and Green Manures

What is cover cropping and green manure?

This webinar will answer these questions and more, and discuss why they’re important in crop rotations. Learn how the practice of cover cropping and green manure can increase soil health, crop health, and soil water retention. A recording of this webinar will be available.

Speaker: Stephanie Vickers, Horticulture Sustainability Specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

May 31st, time TBA: Field Day at Green Being Farm (AM) & All Sorts Acres (PM) 

June 5th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Setting Up an Urban Farm 

Want to farm but you live in the city? Join us for this webinar on setting up an urban farm.  We will discuss what you need to consider before you start and some of the challenges you may face along the way. A recording of this event will be available.

Speaker: Elana Evans

June 7th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Bee Keeping (Webinar or in-person workshop) at Tuckamore Bee Company 

What’s the buzz about beekeeping? Join the Tuckamore Bee Company crew to learn about the basics of keeping bees, what you need to get started and some common challenges for beginners. A recording of this webinar will be available.

Speakers: Tuckamore Bee Company Crew

June 12th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Growing Medicinal Herbs

Join Shabina Lafleur-Gangji as she shares her experience with growing herbs for medicine and tea, including how growing herbs is different from growing vegetables, harvest and drying techniques, as well as tips and tricks she has found useful over the years. A recording of this webinar will be available.

Speaker: Shabina Lafleur-Gangji, co-director of  Seed, Soil and Spirit School

June 14th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Keeping Sheep Are you interested in keeping sheep? Join Brenda Hsueh as she talks us through the challenges and benefits of sheep farming.  Brenda and her family run Black Sheep Farm; an organic farm, raising sheep on pasture for lamb meat, fibre, and tanned lambskins. A recording of this webinar will be available.

Speaker: Brenda Hsueh, Black Sheep Farm

June 19th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Artisanal Livestock Production

Are you curious about keeping a diversity of livestock in an ecologically sustainable manner? Join Josh from Evermeadow Farm to learn more about the practical aspects of keeping pasture raised poultry as well as how they integrate sheep and pigs into their farm. At Evermeadow Farm they believe that economically viable agriculture is not only compatible with widespread ecological restoration but may actually be essential to it.

Speaker: Joshua Noiseux, Evermeadow Farm

June 21st, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Land Regeneration and Reconciliation

What is your connection to the soil? Honouring and taking care of the land is woven into Indigenous cultures all over the world. Before we can move forward in regeneration and reconciliation we must look back at the knowledge from our past, to remember those who came before us, and remember our relationship to the land. Our job as ecological farmers is to start with examining our relationship to the land and its past. Participants will watch a section of  a recorded interview with Cindy Crowe, Elder, Lodgekeeper, author, and band member of the Opwaaganisiniing (Red Rock Indian Band). Join Nicola as she guides us to examine those connections. A recording of this webinar will be available.

Speaker: Nicola Thomas, Sankofa Ecological Wellness

June 24th, time TBA: Identifying Insect Pests and Diseases (Optional in-person Workshop)

June 26th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Irrigation Principles

Water is Life. Plants definitely require water to thrive and survive and in this webinar David Alexander of Everdale Farm will introduce in-depth the principles of irrigation and the many options available according to your needs. David will explain the importance of monitoring water stress on plants and when and how much to irrigate. A recording of this event will be available.

Speaker: David Alexander, Everdale Farm

July 5th, time TBA: Field Day at Good Lot Brewery (AM) & Everdale Farm (PM)

July 10th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Orchard Care (Webinar or in-person workshop)

Join us for a holistic fruit tree care workshop focused on summer pruning, and how pruning integrates with key aspects of fruit tree botany and physiology, pest management strategies, and other best practices for maintaining a healthy and productive home orchard. A recording of this webinar will be available.

Speaker: Matt Soltys, The Urban Orchardist

July 12th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Flower Production

Flowers are one of the most profitable crops to grow per square foot. Join us for this webinar where we discuss how to efficiently and successfully begin growing or add floral crops to your current production system, using regenerative growing practices, and how to market those flowers for farmers’ markets, boutiques, wholesalers, and wedding clients!

Speaker: Akosua Asare, re.Planted Farm and Florals

July 17th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Farmer Mental Health

Farming can be a stressful job. Many aspects of farming come with significant challenges such as high financial risk, heavy physical labour, extreme weather and unpredictable supply chains. Unfortunately, farmers are less likely to seek the help of professionals. Join us for this webinar to find out about programs geared towards helping farmers address their mental health challenges and learn some tips to help you cope with day to day stress. A recording of this webinar will be available.

Speaker: TBA, CMHA, Agriculture Wellness Ontario

July 19th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Virtual Field Day at Pfisterer Farm

Join us for a virtual tour of Pfisterer farm – a first generation 100 acre farm just outside of Damascus Ontario. They produce sustainably-raised pastured meats, free range eggs, and seasonal products sold direct to consumer along with field crops and custom farming.

Speaker: Jess Pfisterer, Pfisterer Farm

July 24th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: Composting

Learn how to recycle nutrients back into the soil to build your growing space and community! This webinar includes a recorded tour of an on-farm compost operation using passive windrow, ASP, vermicomposting, and three-bin composting systems for re-processing valuable farm and food resources into compost. Designed for growers on numerous scales we will cover the basics and mechanics of composting along with an open Q and A to answer your compost-related questions.

Participants will also get access to an online book about recycling food resources and compost in Ontario. A recording of this webinar will be available.

Speaker: Fianna Dirks

July 26th, 2:30pm – 4:00pm: How to Strengthen and Get Fit while Farming

Farming can “back-breaking” work, but it shouldn’t be! During this hands on webinar you will be lead into a practice on how to do simple + effective exercises and movements to strengthen and stretch your body to prep & thrive the ascending season. It will start with body awareness, then posture and finally targeted exercises.

There will be a PDF that you can print and use as a tool to practice what you have learned “off the mat and into the field”. A recording of this webinar will be available.

Speaker: Julie Bradley-Low, Stonegrove Wellness Studio

July 31st, 7:00pm – 8:00pm: Full-term participants’ de-brief meet-up, online

Full program details available here  >