2010 Annual General Meeting – March 9, Falher Recreational Complex
Combine Clinic August 23, 2010 _Richie Maisonneuve Farm, Donnelly
Environmental Farm Plan Workshop in Rycroft, April 14, 2010
Environmental Farm Plan Workshop in Grande Prairie, October 19, 2010
Living in the Country Workshop, Valleyview, March 25, 2010
Marketing Course, Sunset House Hall, November 23-25, 2010
WAC & TAC Meeting , NSC, April , 2010
2010 Display Opportunities
2010 Pest Monitoring
RAT Open House April 7, 2010 in High Prairie
Nampa School Programs, June 4, 2010
Nampa School Programs, June 4, 2010
Nampa School Programs, June 4, 2010
Tailgate Workshop, Grasshoppers, Nampa June 3, 2010
Variable Rate Workshop, March 3, 2010, Peace River
Summer Tour, July 27, Valleyview Riverside Golf Course
Summer Tour, July 27, Valleyview Riverside Golf Course
Summer Tour, July 27, Valleyview Riverside Golf Course
ACPC meeting, Falher, Dec. 1, 2010
Plot Tours with ARECA Date, 2010
SARDA Open House at Gauthier’s , July 15 , 2010
Phosphorus Trials Tailgate Workshop August 13, 2010
Bertha Army Worm Monitoring, 2010
ARECA Training and Networking Session, November 2, 2010
ARECA Training and Networking Session, November 2, 2010
Pasture Walk High Prairie, July 17, 2010
Crop Disease Training Faiview, August, 2010
Crop Disease Training Faiview, August, 2010
Tourist Information Site, Falher, 2010
Staff meeting planning sessions, Summer 2010
SARDA /AESA Extension Report SARDA staff was challenged in 2010. How could we better serve our membership and agriculture in our area? SARDA staff rose to the challenge and revamped several of their programs. 2010 saw the expansion and reworking of the Back Forty as well as an increase in distribution. The Back Forty went from an eight page publication that was distributed 3 or 4 times a year to a 16 page publication that will be distributed every second month. We also increased our distribution from 100 copies to 3200 copies. This newsletter will continue to evolve in 2011 as we explore new methods of distribution and change the look of the publication.
SARDA also contributes to the Peace Country Agriculture Research and Extension Update which is produced and distributed twice a year throughout the Peace Region. We have several projects in various stages of completion. Our first project was to purchase a hand held video camera that would be used to video the different activities of SARDA and the progression of the plot work done. This film will be edited and posted on the Web. Our fist video clips are available for viewing on YouTube now. Facebook is very popular with some of the producers in the area, and to facilitate communicating with these producers, we have created a Facebook page and are building our friends list. At the request of SARDA, ARECA changed their webpage to allow our producers to access our membership site by searching SARDA. We endeavor to keep this site current with coming events, publications and photos. We are unable to post our video’s on this site but are exploring ways to make the video’s easily available. SARDA also introduced the Tailgate Meetings. If an issue in agriculture is identified, SARDA will engage an expert in that field, call together producers, and meet in the field for a short workshop on that issue. These are called on short notice and are very specific to the issue. In 2010, we had three tailgate workshops on Grasshoppers and Flea Beetles, Lygus Bugs and Diamond Back larvae, and Phosphorus Rates. The interest in the SARDA Summer Tours has been declining and SARDA staff decided to try a new format for one of the tours. In 2010, we introduced the Open House and Barbeque. Producers were encouraged to attend the main site in Smoky River, view the plots at their leisure, join us for a barbeque hamburger, and participate in our tailgate workshop on lygus bugs and diamond back moth larvae. Producers could come and go as they pleased. This event was enjoyed and the function was well attended. SARDA designed the Footprints Self- guided Tours for the producers that were unable to attend the formal functions but still wished to view the sites. The information describing the trials and the plots at the sites was posted at each site in green mailboxes.
The AESA Technician (Shelleen) was involved in two Environmental Farm Plan Workshops, assisted with several individual farm plans, and reviewed 4 completed plans. She also participated in the provincial advisory board meeting for the future planning of the Environmental Farm Plan Program. In addition to the Environmental Farm Plan Program, she promoted the Growing Forward Grant Program and was instrumental in completing 3 Long Term Water Management Plans (LTWMP) and assisting 7 producers to acquire funds to make improvements on their operations. Shelleen monitors and participates in local environmental watershed groups. SARDA is a member of the Lesser Slave Lake Water Shed Commission and support this organization by publishing articles in the Back Forty. Shelleen organized the HPRAT Open House in the spring and ensured grant reports and applications were completed on time. She monitors what is occurring in the Athabasca Watershed Planning and Advisory Committee by following the correspondence. Shelleen also participates in the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and Watershed Advisory Committee (WAC) of the Heart River and provides assistance in completing the different projects which included maintenance of the riparian rejuvenation projects and the Nampa School Project. Shelleen also sits on the Initiators Group for the Peace River Watershed Alliance as the Agricultural Representative for the Peace Region. The Initiators Group is instructed to develop the bylaws, policies, establish the Society, organize the first AGM, develop the Strategic Operating Plan for the first three years, apply to Alberta Environment for operating funds and establish the first Board of Directors. Other extension events included the Annual General Meeting, the Combine Clinic, Marketing Course, Summer Tour in Valleyview, and Plot Tours with ARECA. SARDA also participated in and assisted with the Pasture Walk in High Prairie, the Crop Disease Training Workshop for Research Associations and Municipalities in the Peace Region, Living in the Country Workshops in Valleyview and Grovedale, Variable Rate Technology Workshop, the Nampa School Programs, the RAT Open House in High Prairie, Alternative Energy Workshops and the ACPC Region 3 Meeting in Falher. To raise the awareness of Agriculture in the tourist business, SARDA seeded demonstration plots at the Tourist Information Site in Falher. These plots allowed tourists to see and learn about the traditional crops of the area as well as a few new or potential crops. New signs were developed to better describe these plots. The plots were visited by 650 tourists, the community had a July1 celebration at the site, during which 3 tours of the plots were given and approximately 10 children between the ages of 6 and 12 also visited the site and were taught about the crops shown. SARDA staff attends a number of functions organized by its partners to display their programs and projects. In 2010, SARDA staff attended 9 functions with a combined exposure of about 700 people. SARDA staff also attended the ARECA training session in Camrose and participated in the planning sessions for research in Alberta. They work closely with 4 Agricultural Service Boards, Big Meadows Conservation Group and other organizations to ensure programs are relevant, research and demonstrations are done competently, and the information gathered is transferred efficiently and effectively. 2010 was an exciting year for SARDA. SARDA reworked, reorganized and revamped our entire extension program. In 2011, look for more; videos, events, webinars, newsletters, publications and displays. We need your input and guidance to better meet the needs of our agricultural community. Shelleen Gerbig, P.Ag. AESA and Extension Coordinator Program Agrologist
