Thurs., March 14 will welcome thousands to the EY Centre in Ottawa for the Ottawa Valley Farm Show. The feature meal for the day is pork brought to you by Ontario Pork.

9 a.m. Doors open

9 a.m. – 10 a.m. Shurgain Presents: 4 Ways to Produce More Fat- Douglas Castagnino Ph.D, Pierre Dionne Agr. and Jakob Vogel – Hall A

Dairy fat accounts for roughly 58 per cent of a dairy producer’s revenue. With this high correlation, and costs of production continuing to rise – the importance of maximizing the fat production on farm is one that proves to be the most economical, year after year. Within this mini conference – we will explore the four ways to improve fat production on your dairy.

9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Algonquin College: Business – Agriculture Diploma with Martin Savard and Blair Dow – Hall A

Algonquin College’s Perth Campus offers a two-year Ontario College Diploma in Business – Agriculture, effective Sept. 2019. The program combines agriculture technical skills with business and management training, providing graduates with skills necessary to successfully operate a farming operation or to provide services to agricultural businesses.

10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Getting to the Farm with Michel Lalonde, VP operations and sales, Storm Internet – Hall A

This session covers how Storm Internet can bring connectivity to your farm by working with communities to find infrastructure that makes the internet cost-efficient; providing fast and easy distribution of high-speed internet to the communities and what the farmers can do to help their communities.

10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. What Happens at the Farm with Peter Vanderlind, business development associate, Storm Internet – Hall A

This session covers topics including: once your farm has internet connectivity, now what? Networking your farm; the use of Internet of Things (IoT) in farming, and why smart farming is the way of the future; and a move towards semi-automation.

11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Confined Space with Sheila James, WSPS – Hall A

Silos, manure pits, some grain bins, well shafts and milk tanks can be deadly if there is insufficient oxygen. You may be overcome by toxic gases and be unable to escape unaided.  Learn how to make a plan before entering confined spaces.

12 p.m. Prestigious Pedigreed Seed Auction, hosted by OVSGA – Court of Honour

Proceeds of this year’s auction will be directed to Camp Bloom of the Development and Rehabilitation Transition Services at CHEO. The auction features eight to 10 lots of pedigreed soybean, barley, and spring wheat seed, donated by local seed establishments of eastern Ontario, as well as many carefully selected and donated items, including a framed painting by a local artist, “Sparkle in the Rain” quilt, and a Massey 44 model tractor with wagon. Find the auction in the Court of Honour.

12 p.m. – 1 p.m. How to Turn Your Data into Dollars with Mike McBride, JLD-LAGUË – Hall A

We’ve been hearing for years now that collecting data from your operations is necessary to achieve better yields. You’ve collected and are still collecting that information but now what? Come and learn about the tools available from John Deere that will help take your data and turn it into decisions that can help improve profits on your farm.  

1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Your Health, Your Biggest Asset with Farzi Taj, The Edge Benefits on behalf of The Co-operators Eastern Ontario Agencies – Hall A

Your Health, Your Biggest Asset. Farm operations often depend on their owner’s health. Are you well covered if you become disabled? Votre actif le plus important: votre santé. L’opération d’une entreprise agricole dépends souvent de la santé de ses propriétaires. Êtes-vous bien assuré en cas d’invalidité?

2 p.m. – 3 p.m. 2019 Grain Market Outlook with Moe Augustino, Farms.com – Hall A

U.S./China Trade Key to Higher Prices! Come and learn how to unlock the potential for $5 corn, $13 soybeans and $7 wheat in 2019, when trade will be the most important factor for higher prices!

4 p.m. Doors close