AgInsight: The pressing need for technology transfers to the farm

Thursday, April 2, 2009

The loss of extension services has made it all the more important that farmers have access to sound information on technology and the right advice to help them in making decisions

by JIM DALRYMPLE

The role of government extension personnel, agribusiness and farm organizations in informing and educating all the players in the agriculture and food industry has evolved over the last century.

In the early 1900s, when the first agricultural representative was hired, many farmers questioned the need for such a position. But the extension service evolved over the next 50 years with many other staff being added.

In the mid-1900s, home economists, agricultural engineers, soil and crop specialists and livestock specialists expanded the advisory services offered by the agriculture ministry and similar developments took place in other provinces.

I have talked with many people at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and they tell me that they develop programs but basically do not provide one-to-one services. I was told by an engineer who wants to remain nameless that they cannot go out to a farm to check possible manure storage problems, but must be there promptly if so requested by a Ministry of Environment official.

Today's "field staff" have largely disappeared, being replaced by a telephone and Internet "call centre." Current roles of the remaining OMAFRA staff are now directed at regulatory enforcement and the development of new regulations and programs, such as dead animal disposal, the Environmental Protection Act, pesticide regulation, animal welfare, feed regulations and the Nutrient Management Act.

In the 1960s, the agricultural colleges, of which there were five, and the Ontario Agricultural College and the Ontario Veterinary College, played a much greater role in "extension" or advisory services. But two of the agricultural colleges have since been closed. Scientists at many of the Agriculture Canada locations also were more directly involved in day-to-day farmer contact than they are now.

In Ontario, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Centre for Food and Animal Research was closed in the mid-1990s, with most staff being transferred to other provinces or their activities phased out.

Today there is little one-to-one contact between farmers and OMAFRA or the University of Guelph and its campuses, and there is little visibility of teaching and research staff in rural Ontario.

Our competitors. The United States and Europe have also altered extension roles, but U.S. land grant colleges continue to provide advisory services to a greater extent than in many Canadian provinces.

The 30 staff members provide technical advice and consultancy to individual farmers, agri-business and agricultural industry associations.

As well as extension work, there is also a consultant service on a user-pay basis for some services.

Information technology developments. Ontario's farmers, farm organizations and industry partners have ready access to hundreds of information websites from all parts of the world.

But farmers still need to seek information on the application of technology as it relates to local climates, market opportunities, regulations, and third- party advice in many cases is critical. Neighbours used to be a good "sounding board," but today local producers growing the same crop or raising the same species of animals are not always located nearby.

Commodity specialists. Many commodity organizations now employ staff with some responsibility to directly assist producers. Agribusinesses play a greater role in education and information access. Fee-for-service specialists, such as crop advisors, are now are available in most disciplines to help farmers on crop production and to assist in decision making but many small or part-time farming operations cannot afford them.

Farmers are also faced with hiring advisors for many of the nutrient management and feed regulations and in dealing with possible water use regulations, the Endangered Species Act and other added costs to their operations.

Internet availability. Many parts of Ontario still lack high-speed Internet service so that they can quickly access current information related to various aspects of agricultural production.

Farmers are still seeking advice in the decision-making process on most components of the farming operation and are uncertain in many cases where to seek assistance. BF

J.R. (Jim) Dalrymple, P.Ag., CAC, is a former Ontario government swine specialist and owner of Livestock Technology Services in Brighton.