Robert Spencer, commercial horticulture specialist at the Alberta Ag-Info Centre, has published a 'to do' list for the month of January.
- Register for relevant winter workshops.
- Consider specific training courses for both yourself and staff, such as first aid, advertising, electronic bookkeeping, record keeping, etc., and book it!
- Are all of your licences or certificates up-to-date?
- Review your insurance coverage. Do you have sufficient coverage for your activities? Are all the items or activities that happen on your farm covered? Has anything changed?
- Review your project to do/wish list from the end of last season. What are some of the things you identified?
- Start thinking about and planning your field layouts for the coming season. Does your current set-up work for any new crops? Do you have sufficient space for everything you have planned, such as headlands, activities, parking, etc.? Consider field orientation, irrigation systems, shelterbelts and traffic movement – foot, equipment, vehicles, etc.
- Have you ordered the plant material that you will need for the next season? Planning and ordering in advance can save many headaches in the spring.
- Are you ordering transplants? Growing your own? Cleaning up the greenhouse might also be in order.
- Update, tidy up and repaint sales sheds and signs.
Source : Alberta.ca