The Ignatius Farm New Farmer Training Program is a collaboration between Ignatius Jesuit Centre, EFAO, Everdale and the National Farmers Union – Ontario.

Register for the whole term here or register for individual events by visiting efao.ca/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.

August 26, 7:00-8:00pm

Online Meet-up: Term 3 Participants Meet-up

Join us for an informal meet-up for everyone participating in Term 3 of the Ignatius Farm New Farmer Training Program.

September 9, 2:30-4:30pm

In-person Workshop: Preserving the Harvest

Fall is the time of year that many gardeners and farmers think about storing vegetables for use in the winter. This workshop will discuss the many ways in which you can store vegetables, herbs, and fruit for later use. We will touch on the basics for dehydrating, canning, pickling, freezing, and fermenting as well as other tips and tricks.

Do you have a favourite way to store a crop? Bring your recipe to share with the group.

Speaker: Lisa Conroy, Farmer Educator at Ignatius Farm

September 11, 2:30-4:30pm

Webinar: What to look for when buying or renting land

Are you daunted by the prospect of buying or renting land? Hear from our panel of speakers as they discuss what to look for when renting or buying land and what questions you may need to ask before you enter into an agreement.

Speakers: Lorne Jamieson, Martina Schaefer from Spiral Farm & John Veit from Wicked Welly Farm.

September 16, 2:30-4:30pm

Webinar: Intercropping for Market Gardens

 Intercropping is a way to increase on-farm biodiversity and can provide a range of benefits. At the same time, it increases complexity and can create challenges, which necessitates pro-active management.  Wondering how you can intercrop? Join Kristine Hammel from Persephone Market Garden to learn how intercropping is essential to her growing and  some principles that can help you increase agro-biodiversity in your farming. And yes, there will be a chart of companion plants to get you started.

Speaker: Kristine Hammel, Persephone Market Garden

September 18, 2:30-4:30pm

In-person Field Day at Crieff Hills Retreat Centre Farm

Join us for this tour of the Crieff Hills retreat centre farm. Crieff Hills has become focused on making the farm to table local food concept a prominent part of their vision and mission. In addition to their herd of Soay sheep, small flock of layer and pastured poultry, a busy bee yard and thriving organic gardens, Crieff has four large hay fields and a vast network of hiking trails spread across 250 acres of forest and meadows all on a site that can accommodate up to 100 overnight guests.  Plans to expand the livestock include pastured pigs and heritage breed cattle within a silvopasture rotational grazing system. This fall they will also be constructing their first high tunnel greenhouse and renovating an old picnic shelter to serve as a future hub for washing, packing, cold storage and farm focused educational events. 

September 23, 2:30-4:30pm

Webinar: Permaculture for the Market Gardener

Permaculture tends to be very much in the domain of home gardeners and property owners. But what if we could take it all a step further, and merge the fields of permaculture and market gardening? Zach will introduce the concept of Permabeds and the Permabed System which is about how to layout land for commercially-viable diverse market gardens and edible landscapes as well as Edible Ecosystem Design which is a method for highly diversified and organized land management. 

Speaker: Zach Loeks, author of The Permaculture Market Garden

September 25, 6:00-8:00pm

Webinar: Growing Medicinal Herbs

Join Shabina as she shares her experience with  growing herbs for medicine and tea. How is growing herbs different from vegetables, harvest and drying techniques, as well as tips and tricks she has found useful.

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

October 2, 9:30am-3:00pm

In-person Field Trip to Everdale Farm and Heartwood Farm & Cidery

Join us for this tour of Everdale Farm, just outside of Hillsburg, ON, from 9:30-11:30am. One of Canada’s oldest not for profit farms, their goal is to help to build food resilience in local communities. Their main farm products are organic vegetables and they also have small flocks of sheep and chickens and occasionally other livestock. They sell directly to local households and grow food for food banks and other local organizations that support people in need.

After lunch we will meet at Heartwood Farm and Cidery. They are the humble and careful stewards of a 42-acre farm, where they raise cows, pigs, sheep, chickens and bees, and grow apples, maple trees, and other fruit and nut trees. They have chosen the practice of Regenerative Farming for their land in an effort to maintain the healthiest soil, water systems, agriculture and livestock possible.

October 7, 2:30-4:30pm

Webinar: Value-added Products Panel Discussion

Are you considering branching out into value added farm goods? Hear from some farms that have been making and selling prepared goods. Xiaobing, Audrey, and Steve will share their stories, what they think are the most important considerations as you start out, as well as challenges, tips, and best practices.

Speakers: Steve D’Alimonte (Piccolo Farm Organics), Xiaobing Shen (Long Road Ecological Farm & Farm Sum), Audrey May (The Greenhouse Eatery)

October 21, 2:30-4:30pm

Webinar: Seed Saving

Do you want to produce some of your seed on-farm?  In this webinar you will learn what crops are easiest for beginner-level seed production, how to plan your production to minimize cross pollination, the number of  plants required to maintain genetic viability and varietal strength as well as how to collect, clean and store your seed.

Speaker: Kim Delaney, Hawthorn Seeds

October 23, 2:30-4:30pm

In-person Workshop: Small Farm Equipment & Maintenance

Location: TBA

October 28, 2:30-4:30pm

Webinar: Vegetable Crop Planning

 An introduction to the basics of vegetable crop planning.  What are you growing, how much, and where? Angie Koch of Fertile Ground Farm will share her over 15 years of experience in crop planning and offer tools and ideas to think about when doing your own crop plan. A recording of this webinar will be available

Speaker: Angie Koch, Fertile Ground Farm

October 30, 7:00-8:00pm

Online Meet-up: Term 3 Participants De-brief

Full program details available here  >