OSCIA delivered biosecurity webinars are the place to start developing an on-farm biosecurity program to protect the health of your crops and livestock. OSCIA is offering commodity-specific biosecurity webinars in both English and French in September and October. Webinars are customized by commodity-type and include Generic Livestock (Beef, Dairy, Sheep, Goat), Crops and Horticulture, Bees, and Poultry. Webinars consist of two 2-hour sessions, usually held one week apart.

Depending on the commodity, participants are led by a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) or veterinarian to learn the benefits of having a biosecurity plan, review case studies and be able to identify gaps in your current practices that could be putting your farm at risk from pests and/or disease. Common topics include access management, animal and plant health management, and operational management. At the end of the webinar, an OSCIA Workshop Leader will walk through potential cost-share funding opportunities.

Webinars are offered free of cost to producers and participants must pre-registration. Participants do require a reliable internet connection and a laptop or desktop computer (smart phones and tablets are not recommended). Upon completion of both webinars, you will receive a Biosecurity Webinar certificate of completion, as well as access to valuable biosecurity resources like farm signage and visitor logs.

For more information and to register, please visit: https://membership.ontariosoilcrop.org/oscia-programs/workshops-webinars/biosecurity-webinar/.

Biosecurity webinars are delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) with funding through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.