Thank you to the businesses who advertise in our Agricultural Programs brochure.
Courses & Webinars
Current Offerings
Please email info@greyagservices.ca for more information or to register.
Courses are offered in various formats (in-person, virtually or hybrid), so be sure to take note of where you will be attending from.
As always, if you have any questions - please reach out!
info@greyagservices.ca 519-986-3756
Winter courses have been a tradition of Grey Ag Services for decades. The trusted Blue Brochure (printed in green this year!) lands in nearly 11,000 rural mail boxes across the area each December. It contains information for courses available from January - April, the Grey Bruce Farmers Week program and is filled with valuable sponsorship ads from local organizations.
These courses are a reflection of what you want to see. Please let us know what you are interested in - send us a message using the box on the right. Grey Ag strives to present a variety of content that will appeal and apply to all aspects of agriculture in Grey County.
We would also like to thank the Municipality of Grey Highlands, and the Community Grant Program, for their support of the Winter Course Program.
Thank you to the companies who advertise in our winter course program. Their support helps make our programming viable!
Looking for more content?
Click the icon above to see courses from past years which have recordings available!
“If You Can’t See It, You Can’t Hit It – Directed Spraying In Corn”
This course is now over with.
Presented by: Dr Jason Deveau, OMAFRA. Wednesday January 25th 12:00 - 1:00 pm, on Zoom.
Spraying diseases such as Gibberella ear rot and tar spot are significant economic threats that reduce the quality of grain corn. As crop management practices provide only modest improvements in disease control, it is important to investigate strategies that increase fungicide efficacy. Research has shown that the timely application of fungicide labelled to suppress the disease improve efficacy (~50% in the case of mycotoxins). We wondered if changes in the method of application could give better results. We compared the spray coverage from several application methods. The leading method was then moved to field trials, where return on investment, efficacy, and ease of use were evaluated.
What's New in Agronomy?
This course is over - but you can still get a recording if you missed it.
Presented by: Deb Campbell from Agronomy Advantage and Carrie Davenport from Georgian View Ag Services Ltd. Wednesday February 1st, 1:30 - 4:30 pm.
Together Deb and Carrie will discuss: •New seed technology •New resistance concerns •New crop protection products •New precision ag techniques The afternoon will include lots of time for Q&A with Deb and Carrie as well.
Soil Fertility Workshop
Sorry, this course is over with.
Presented by: Colin Elgie, OMAFRA. Thursday February 2nd 1:00 - 3:00 pm, at Grey Ag Services.
Let’s dig into what your farm’s soils hold. Learn how to interpret soil tests from your own fields, and how to use these test results to make decisions with your fertilizer plan. What effect do high fertility prices have on your plan? Join in to find out.
Social Media Tips for your Farm Marketing
This course is over - but you can still get a recording if you missed it.
Presented by: Kelly Ward, OMAFRA & panelists: Amy Kitchen, Sideroad Farm; Julie Higginson, Higginson Farms; RJ Taylor, Springhills Fish Farm. Wednesday February 15th 1:00 - 3:30 pm. RSVP to attend in-person at Grey Ag Services, or Register Now to attend on Zoom. Course fee: $20.00.
Kelly Ward, of OMAFRA will be joined by three panelists: Amy Kitchen from Sideroad Farms, Julie Higginson from Higginson Farms, and RJ Taylor from Springhills Fish Farm, as they talk about using social media for marketing their businesses, and give tips on using it for yours. There will be lots of time for Q&A with our presenters included in the afternoon!
Family Farm Continuity: New Opportunities to Help You Start Today!
Sorry, this course is over with!
Presented by: Bryan Huck, BDO; and BDO Tax Partner Brandee Ceaser MacDonald. Thursday February 16th 9:45 - 2:00 pm. RSVP to attend in-person at Grey Ag Services. Course fee: $40.00, lunch is included.
Will you make 2023 the year you get the conversations started with your family? Just START now by attending this hands-on workshop with like minded farm operators. At this session you will: 1.Learn why planning for the future of your farm is so difficult. 2.Learn the most common roadblocks. Turn them into building blocks 3.Hear a couple of stories of farming families that overcame the inertia and started their planning This workshop includes providing you with some experience working with new tools uniquely designed to kickstart your continuity journey and keep you moving. As a bonus, we will include a short remote, live Q & A session. Brandee Ceaser MacDonald from BDO Wiarton will explain how the recent tax changes might help you realize that now is the time to start your planning. You can help us plan for this session by sending in your tax questions to Grey Ag Services, in advance.
Weed ID Workshop
Sorry, this course is over with!
Presented by: Kris McNaughton, U of G, Ridgetown College. Tuesday February 21st 1:00 - 3:00 pm. RSVP to attend in-person at Grey Ag Services. Course fee: $20.00.
Have you ever wondered how you can quickly identify between green, giant, and yellow foxtail or even fall panicum? If so, this hands-on weed identification session may be for you! A combination of live weed samples and images will be used to share tips and tricks on how to distinguish between similar looking weeds and how to identify weeds in our fields, including glyphosate-resistant like Canada fleabane and waterhemp.
The Guardian Network Training
Sorry, this training is over with.
Presented by: Canadian Mental Health Association of Grey Bruce. Wednesday February 22nd 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Click Here to attend in-person at Grey Ag Services. Course fee: free.
The Guardian Network is a volunteer suicide -prevention network for the agricultural community. Do you work face to face with farmers and their families? Whether an agribusiness member, a neighbour, or a farmer yourself, all of us can play a part in preventing suicide. This training provides tools and strategies for recognizing signs of suicide and other mental health difficulties, aiming to equip guardians for conversations with farmers in distress.
Beekeeping Part Two
This course is over - but you can still get a recording if you want it!
Presented by: Janine McGowan, owner of Our Bee Lab. Thursday February 23rd, 5:00 - 7:00 pm. RSVP to attend in-person at Grey Ag Services or Register Now to attend via Zoom. Course Fee: $20.00.
Join Janine for an interactive presentation covering: •Adding honey bees to the farm: on-farm and soy pollination •Honey bees and pesticides •Honey bees and native pollinators: is there competition? •Approx 30 minutes of Q&A: please bring your honey bee related questions!
Advanced Grazing Systems - Paddock Design Workshop
Sorry, this course is over with!
Presented by: Dean Cober, Cobercow Hay and Cattle. Monday February 27th 1:00 - 5:00 pm. RSVP to attend in-person at Grey Ag Services. Course fee: $20.00.
Dean is a mentor for the Ontario Forage Council's Advanced Grazing Mentorship Program. He will be leading this workshop on paddock design for rotational grazing systems as part of Grey Ag's Winter Course Series. Come prepared to design your own rotational grazing system for your farm in this hands-on workshop!
Sheep Body Condition Scoring for Monitoring Feeding Programs
Sorry, this course is over with!
Presented by: Delma Kennedy, OMAFRA. Wednesday March 1st 7:00 - 8:30 pm. RSVP to attend in-person at Grey Ag Services. Course fee: $20.00.
This is a hands-on workshop that will discuss why and when body condition scoring is important as well as using loin models to practice identifying different body condition scores.
Get to Know Your Cow-Calf Business & Production Information
Sorry, this course is over with!
Presented by: James Byrne, John Molenhuis, and Steve Duff, all from OMAFRA. Thursday March 2nd 9:45 am - 2:45 pm. RSVP to attend in-person at Grey Ag Services. Course fee: $40.00, lunch included.
Join us for this informative day where James Bryne will talk about making breeding decisions to maximize your dollars, Steve Duff will give a market outlook for 2023 and discuss direct to consumer sales in the beef industry, and John Molenhuis will present on beef operation cost of production data. Lunch is included, so come with friends and be prepared to network with other beef producers too!
The Wild and Wonderful World of Vegetables
Sorry, this course is now over with!
Presented by: Grey County Master Gardeners. Thursday March 2nd 7:00 - 9:00 pm. RSVP to attend in-person at Grey Ag Services. Course fee: $20.00.
The course will engage participants in learning the basics of vegetable garden planning, planting, harvesting and use. We will incorporate lots of opportunities for Q and A so bring your questions!
Success with Pair Raising Calves
This course is over - but you can still get a recording if you want it!
Presented by: Marlene Paibomesai and Tom Wright from OMAFRA. Tuesday March 7th 1:00 - 3:00 pm. Register Now to attend on Zoom. Course fee: $20.00.
In this workshop, participants will learn about raising two calves together and key strategies to have success. It will cover why it matters, housing options, and how to overcome common challenges when moving to pair raising calves from raising calves individually.
Starting a Farm in Ontario
This course is over - but you can still get a recording if you want it!
Presented by: Erich Weber, OMAFRA.
Crops Night: Thursday March 16th,
Livestock Night: Thursday March 23rd,
Direct to Consumer: Thursday March 30th.
Pick one or attend all. Each evening is from 7:00 - 9:00 pm, on Zoom. Register Now to attend.
Networking session for all participants: Unfortunately we do not have enough participants registered to run this at this time, but please stay tuned for updates!
Course fee: $20.00, networking session will be free.
Starting a farm in Ontario can be a daunting task. This course will walk you through the different stages that you will have to deal with when trying to start your new farm business. This course is broken into three different webinars: March 16, 2023 the course will focus on people who are interested in starting a crop based farm (ie. corn, soybeans, grapes, apples, etc.). March 23, 2023 the course will focus on people who are interested in starting a livestock based farm (ie. beef, turkey, sheep, goat, etc.). March 30, 2023 the course will focus on people who are interested in starting a farm business that will sell their products direct to the consumer. The three webinars will start at 7pm on each day and will go for approximately 2 hours and will cover such topics as: Business planning Financing options Tax considerations Commodity/farm organizations and how they can help you.
Elevate your Grain Storage Game
This course is over - but you can still get a recording if you want it!
Presented by: James Dyck, OMAFRA. Wednesday March 22nd, 1:00 - 3:00 pm, on Zoom. Register Now to attend. Course fee: $20.00.
You work hard all year to grow your crops, battle the weather to get them harvested, and then you…. stick all that grain in a big tin can and forget about it? Without proper management, grain quality can deteriorate rapidly in storage and impact your earnings. This webinar will help you better understand your grain drying and storage systems, discuss ways to improve drying and storage outcomes, teach you a few useful tools, and highlight the latest drying and storage technologies and research.
Learning the Costs on Ontario Dairy Goat Farms
This course is over - but you can still get a recording if you want it!
Presented by: John Molenhuis and Marlene Paibomesai, from OMAFRA. Wednesday March 29th, 12:30 - 3:00 pm, on Zoom. Register Now to attend. Course fee: $20.00.
What does it take to be a profitable dairy goat producer? Dairy goat cost of production was recently benchmarked for the years 2019 to 2021 with Ontario dairy goat producers. This session will showcase what we learned from producers, the industry and walk through knowing and comparing your cost of production with a new tool.
Accelerated Lambing – Critical Components for Making the System Work
This course is over - but you can still get a recording if you want it!
Presented by: Delma Kennedy, OMAFRA, and panelists Harold & Barb Zettler, and Steve Ernewein. Wednesday April 5th, 7:00 - 9:00 pm, on Zoom. Register Now to attend. Course fee: $20.00.
This webinar will discuss what success looks like and factors affecting success. This will include producers who will discuss their accelerated programs and the challenges and benefits of the system on their farms.
Feeding the Performance Horse
This course is over - but you can still get a recording if you want it!
Presented by: Jessica McCoag, Purina. New Date: Thursday April 20th, 7:00 - 9:00 pm. RSVP to attend in-person at Grey Ag Services or Register Now to attend on Zoom. Course fee: $20.00.
This course will cover building a diet - starting with forage, adding energy & protein, vitamins and minerals. Participants will go over topline evaluation and body condition scoring, water and electrolyte requirements and how to select a feed for a performance horse.
2-day Intensive Food Preservation Workshop
Sorry, this course is now over with! Reach out if you would like to be put on a waiting list for the next time we run this workshop.
Presented by: Martha Rogers, Master Food Preserver. Friday April 28th & Saturday April 29th, 8:45 am - 4:00 pm each day. RSVP to attend at the Rocklyn Community Centre.
The following is a preliminary set of objectives to be met during this workshop. Updates may be made as we move closer to the course! 1. Develop an understanding of food safety and the science of food preservation. 2. Examine how science informs methods of food preservation such as water bath/steam canning, pressure canning, freezing, dehydration and fermentation. 3. Explore the equipment required for various methods of food preservation. 4. Demonstrate canning, fermenting, dehydrating and freezing techniques and methods using recipes developed in approved test kitchens. 5. Discuss Public Health Ontario’s regulations related to the production and sales of high acid foods including certified kitchens, label requirements, documentation, products that are & and are not allowed to be sold at Farmers Markets and stores. 6. Identify scientifically sound resources for recipes and methods of food preservation. 7. Discussion of steps to achieve Certification if desired.
Horse Night: Lameness and Alternative Therapies
This course is over - but you can still get a recording if you want it!
Presented by: Dr. Tee Fox and Dr Marika Van Schaik, Markdale Veterinary Services. Tuesday March 28th 2023, 7:00 - 9:00 pm. RSVP to attend in person at Grey Ag Services or Register Now to attend online through Zoom. Course fee: $20.00.
Join Dr. Tee Fox and Dr. Marika Van Schaik, both from Markdale Veterinary Services, for an informative evening with fellow horse enthusiasts. They will be covering Lameness and Alternative Therapies, come prepared with questions!
Back for the second time!!
Two-Day Intensive Food Preservation Workshop
Presented by: Martha Rogers, Master Food Preserver. Friday October 20th & Saturday October 21st, 8:45 am - 4:00 pm each day, at the Rocklyn Hall.
Workshop fee: $200.00.
A $100.00 deposit is required at the time of registration.
This hands on workshop will cover various methods of canning, drying, fermenting and freezing to preserve your own food. Take home recipes and samples of goods made over the two days!
Starting a Farm in Ontario - Network with the Pros!
Saturday Oct 14th, 1:30 - 4:30 pm at Grey Ag Services, Markdale.
This is offered as a follow up session to the Starting a Farm in Ontario webinars that were presented in March. All are welcome, whether a participant in the webinars or not! The event is free. The afternoon will consist of two panel presentations and ample networking time. The first panel will include a business coach from the Business Enterprise Centre, a tax and account expert from Bowler & Company CPA, and a financial specialist from Farm Credit Canada. The second panel will be comprised of farmers with new but established businesses representing various commodities. Bring your questions and plan for discussion with folks who have been in your shoes, or work day to day on ag-business start-ups!