Brockville - Gord Brown, Member of Parliament for Leeds-Grenville, hosts an information evening for farmers from 7-9 pm on Thursday, November 16 at Spring Valley Hall.

"I meet with the farming community as often as I can to ensure that information is flowing both ways," says Brown. "This is the first time I have attempted a large meeting such as this."

He notes that he will bring farmers up-to-date on federal government initiatives and there will be a time available for farmers to express their thoughts.

Also on hand will be representatives of two other organizations of current interest to Leeds-Grenville farmers, ALUS and Greenfield Ethanol.

Alternative Land Use Services or ALUS is a landscape conservation plan designed by farmers that is taking root in Ontario. The ALUS concept was developed by Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), Manitoba's largest general farm organization.

Locally, Delta Waterfowl, a conservation organization, has also helped KAP develop and promote ALUS across the country.

The Norfolk Federation of Agriculture near Simcoe offered to establish a pilot project to test ALUS in Norfolk County. Since then, awareness of ALUS has spread across the country, with pilot projects planned or underway in Manitoba, PEI, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture and its member organizations have officially endorsed the ALUS concept.
Bob Bailey from Delta Waterfowl will be on hand to discuss ALUS.

GreenField Ethanol will be available to discuss its Ontario Buy Direct Program. It is the first of its kind in Ontario for a commercial operation, meaning that Ontario corn growers can sell their corn directly to the buyer - GreenField Ethanol Inc., formerly Commercial Alcohols.

"This initiative reflects our commitment to Ontario's corn growers and will help to create a sustainable and profitable Ontario grain market," says GreenField Ethanol President and CEO Bob Gallant.

The Ontario Buy Direct Program is only available to Ontario farmers. The program offers producers several grain-marketing alternatives to manage their risk, provide control over cash flow, potentially increase profitability and provide contract flexibility.

The program offers a variety of sales contracts such as "Futures First," a contract that allows producers to lock into futures prices today and set the basis prior to delivery.