Future of Organic Research in Ontario

OCO recently sent a letter to Marc Godbout, who is authoring a report concerning the future of Alfred College to be submitted to Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

In the letter OCO indicated our full support for the pursuit and expansion of education and research at Alfred College, particularly with respect to its certified organic dairy research, education, and demonstration farm.

OCO believes that Alfred College is a rare jewel, a critical part of a small but growing number of science, research and educational facilities supporting the blossoming organic sector. The College is a major player with several research projects in progress with the Organic Science Cluster. OSCII is supported by $8M in federal research moneys, over 65 contributing partners on 37 Research Activities. OSCII includes over 170 collaborating researchers at over 36 institutions across Canada.

As the organic sector is fairly young and relatively small, organic farmers often operate in isolation, in the absence of formal or practical training in organic production, without the support of expert resources and mainstream scientific resources. Alfred College is a part of the movement to correct that isolation. The College is already a dairy producer and active scientific contributor in the organic dairy sector in Ontario and Quebec. Farmers rely on easy access to technical expertise at the college. The college organizes and participates in organic farm conferences locally and across Canada.

To read the full letter click here: https://organiccouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Letter-OCO-to-Marc-Godbout.pdf