This year’s Grenville Farm Family Day will be hosted at Rideauside Farm operated by Charles and Rosemary Bennett, James and Dwight Bennett of historic Oxford-on-Rideau Township on Wed., Aug. 9. The Bennett family farm is located at 1306 South River Road, north-west of Kemptville, and about 4 kilometres east of Burrittís Rapids.
The morning program begins at 10:30 with a wagon tour to view some of the crops grown at Rideauside Farm. Scott Banks, Soil and Crop Advisor, OMAFRA, will be the discussion leader for the crops tour. Several crop variety trials and demonstration plots will be featured on the tour - we’ll look at various tillage treatments in a corn silage production trial, and discuss the latest developments in forage production.
Following the crops tour everyone’s invited to the Farm Family picnic under the shade trees at the Bennett family homestead. Bring your own picnic lunch and lawn chairs. Milk, coffee, cheese and ice cream will be provided courtesy of the Grenville Dairy Producers committee. The noon program also includes several presentations — information and awards. The Grenville Holstein Club will present leather show halters to first year 4-H club members with Holstein calves. The 2000 Eastern Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association Award of Merit for Grenville County will also be presented.
The afternoon program continues with concurrent programs for different ages and interests. Sheila James, Farm Safety representative with the Ontario Farm Safety Association, will present a kids workshop on Farm Machinery Safety. Senior 4-H members will coordinate some games and races for the children. This will be followed with more entertainment for the children by a visit of the Crazy Clown.
Two guests will provide the ladies program - Carol Weatherall of Kemptville will speak on adding colour to your outdoor living space with container gardening; and Janet Stark, also of Kemptville, on the latest developments in family nutrition.
Guest speaker for the dairy producers in the crowd will be Dr. Ewen Ferguson of Campbellford, veterinarian and contract Management Consultant for Ontario Dairy Herd Improvement Corporation. His presentation will focus on dairy cow comfort, and transition rations for dairy cattle.
Grenville Farm Family Day continues to be co-sponsored annually by several farm organizations including the Grenville Soil and Crop Improvement Association, the Grenville Dairy Producers, the Grenville Federation of Agriculture, and the Grenville Holstein Club.
We invite you to join the Farm Families of Grenville County in this Annual Celebration of Agriculture!
For more information contact: Stuart Leyenaar, Secretary-treasurer, Grenville Soil and Crop Improvement Association, R.R. # 3, Merrickville, ON, K0G 1N0 (613) 269-4226 email: leyenaars@superaje.com>
From the Archives:
OMAFRA Update 1, July 2000
