Locals taking part in the GM Alfalfa Day of Action:

Bruce Local 320 – Rally will be held outside local MP offices. Details TBA. For more information, contact Linda Baumberger at 519-832-2953.

Grey Local 344 – Rally in Owen Sound, Office of Larry Miller, MP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, 1131 2nd Avenue East. Contact Philip Woodhouse at 519 599 5041 or pwoodhouse9@gmail.com.

Hastings, Prince Edward, Northumberland Local 334 – Rally will be held outside the office of Daryl Kramp MP – Prince Edward Hastings. Details TBA. For more information, contact John Della Bosca at 613 471-1234 or johndb@xplornet.ca.

Perth, Oxford Local 341 – Rally against the release of GM alfalfa from 12 noon to 1 p.m. at the Stratford Constituency Office of Gary Schellenberger, MP for Perth Wellington, 544 Huron St., Stratford. For more information contact local president, George Stevers, at 519-393-6855 or local secretary, Ann Slater, 519-349-2448 or aslater@quadro.net.

At our Annual General Meeting held in Thurlow on November 29, 2012, NFU Local 334 – Hastings, Northumberland Prince Edward Counties, in collaboration with the Prince Edward Convivium of Slow Food, announced a Micro Grant programme. This programme is available to any member of the food producing community.  It is not restricted to  members of our respective organizations but it is limited to residents of the geographic area served by our organizations. The budget for the programme is $2000.00.

The application process is meant to be simple and is governed by the criteria outlined below. Applicants would be expected to make proposals that are innovative, sustainable, environmentally, and/or socially responsible.  Three kinds of initiatives were identified:

• Capital expenditure
• Training and education
• Product development.

Applicants are expected to fill out a written application form that includes:

• an outline of the project or initiative, including the budget
• how the project contributes to the goals of sustainable farming
• how much of the budget is being contributed by the applicant or by other sources
• the amount requested by the applicant and whether they are requesting a loan, a grant or some other form of aid such as a scholarship or bursary
• performance criteria – what criteria will be used to determine if the contribution meets the goals of the program
• a commitment for a final report.

Our motivation is to raise the bar with regard to food production and animal welfare, to help maintain a good living for family farms and to share experiences within the farming community. A successful applicant should be prepared to share the experience, successful or otherwise, with the farming community. We are certainly prepared to work with you and help you in this regard.  Contact John Della Bosca at johndb@xplornet.ca or Elly Blanchard at railwaycreek@gmail.com from NFU Local 334 or Peter Fleming at pcfleming@yahoo.com from Slow Food.