Algoma Soil & Crop Improvement Association Summer Tour
The Algoma Soil & Crop Farm Tour will take place this year on Thursday August 13th starting at 7 p.m. This year’s Farm Tour will include stops on St. Joseph Island, including the farms of Tom Murdock and John Hawdon.
Tom & Gail Murdock own Murdock Gardens where they grow vegetables and raise cattle. John Hawdon owns Hawdon’s Sunrise Dairy Farms where he will be showcasing his crop of underseeded barley.
The focus of this year’s Farm Tour will be all about building healthy soil including soil testing, health and rejuvenation. Speaker Terry Phillips will speak about different practical tools and techniques to improve your soil.
Terry Phillips is a Sales Agronomist for Co-op Regionale de Nipissing-Sudbury Ltee; he farms 340 acres with his brother Jack as Phillips Seeds Ltd where he grows Pedigreed Oats & Barley, Faba beans, Flax and Soybeans in 2015. Terry is District 15 Director of Grain Farmers of Ontario and Chair of Ontario Canola Growers Association.
RAIN Ag Innovation Open House
Make it a day and come enjoy a taste of St. Joseph Island before the summer tour. The Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN) researchers are opening the doors at the Keyline Subsoiling research site where you can come and see demonstrations of the keyline subsoiler, modern farm surveying equipment from Total Precision Surveying (including drones!) and live weather station.
There will be plenty of locally sourced food and drink and lots of information and discussion about agricultural research happening in Algoma. No cost and open to the public from 3:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP with Saul Fraleigh for food numbers (705) 942-7927 x3034. The open house event is sponsored by Scotiabank.
Island Farm Tour Agenda, Thursday Aug 13th
Download the Poster for Directions
3 p.m. – RAIN Ag Innovation Open House, Bishop Farm, 2509 I Line, St. Joseph Island
7 p.m. – Algoma Soil & Crop Farm Tour Begins, Murdock Gardens, 2490 Huron Line, St. Joseph Island
7:45 p.m. – 2nd stop, Hawdon’s Sunrise Dairy Farms, West of 2637 Huron Line
8:30 p.m. – Jocelyn Town Hall/Snowmobile Club (1125 P Line) for a presentation by Terry Phillips
For more information on the ASCIA Farm Tour, Contact Tim Harris at
For more information on the RAIN Ag Innovation Open House, contact Saul Fraleigh at (705) 942-7927 3034.
Tour Map & Directions
Upcoming Farm Tours Across the River
Chippewa County Forage Field Day, Fri July 24, 2015 4 pm – 7 pm – 3 Rudyard area farm visits focusing on annual forage selection/utilization and economical use of lime and fertilizer to improve hay production with Dr. Kim Cassida, MSU Forage Extension Specialist. Register by contacting MSU Extension at 906-635-6368 or msue.chippewa@county.msu.edu View Poster PDF
MSU Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center Field Day Sat July 25th 8:30 am – 3:30 pm – Tour the various research efforts underway at the farm. Featured topics include: grazing and pasture management, the Chatham Red Angus herd, malting barley and forage variety trials, season extension technologies at the North Farm, and a rainfall simulation to illustrate infiltration. For more info on registration, visit the MSUE Website. View Poster PDF.