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In This Issue
- FFCO's 2023 Annual Conference highlights
- Jean Sullivan awarded Food & Farming Champion Award
- FFCO elects 2023 Board of Directors
- Save the date: Local Food Week, June 5-11, 2023
- Breakfast on the Farm: Farm crawl edition, June 17th, 2023
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The Real Dirt on Farming photo contest open
- Update from the Feather Board Command Centre
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Help fund the 6th edition of The Real Dirt on Farming
- FFCO welcomes new members
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FFCO's 2023 Annual Conference highlights
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On April 13, 2023, 125 farmers and agriculture business representatives gathered at the GrandWay Events Centre in Elora, to participate in Farm & Food Care Ontario’s (FFCO) 2023 Annual Conference, Table Talk: Shifting Perspectives.
Participants joined from across the province to listen to three speakers; Dr. Michael von Massow, a faculty member from the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph; Hayden Fox, TikTok agricultural influencer; and Stephani Roy McCallum, a facilitator, coach and trainer.
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2023 Food & Farming Champion award recipient announced
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Jean Sullivan has been recognized with FFCO's 2023 Champion Award.
Sullivan was nominated by the Ottawa Valley Seed Growers’ Association in recognition of her broad range of agriculture-focused volunteering, with letters of support submitted by Bruce Hudson and Ashley Knapton.
Pictured, right: Her award was presented by FFCO Vice-Chair Crispin Colvin (left) with assistance from Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Lisa Thompson (second from right) and Senator Rob Black (right).
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FFCO elects 2023 board of directors
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Farm & Food Care Ontario’s (FFCO) 2023-2024 board executive was chosen on April 18th, following the successful annual conference on April 13th.
Crispin Colvin, representing the Ontario Federation of Agriculture on the FFCO board, has been elected chair for a one-year term. Janelle Cardiff, nominated by Egg Farmers of Ontario, will serve as first vice chair, and Jennifer Mitchell, nominated by Ontario Canola Growers, as second vice chair. John Taylor, nominated by the Ontario Mutual Insurance Association, has been re-elected as treasurer. Bonnie den Haan steps into the role of past chair.
This board meeting followed the board elections that took place at the organization’s annual conference on April 13, 2023. Newly elected or re-elected directors in the board’s Livestock, Crop/Horticultural and At Large categories include:
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Janelle Cardiff, Egg Farmers of Ontario
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Crispin Colvin, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
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Bonnie den Haan, Sheldon Creek Dairy
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Mark Hamel, Dairy Farmers of Ontario
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Joe Hickson, Ontario Seed Growers’ Association
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Steve Lake, Grain Farmers of Ontario
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Quintin McEwen, Ontario Sheep Farmers
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Jennifer Mitchell, Ontario Canola Growers
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Nicki Scott, Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers’ Association and Ontario Potato Board
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John Taylor, Ontario Mutual Insurance Association
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Andrea Veldhuizen, Chicken Farmers of Ontario
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Jason Leblond, Beef Farmers of Ontario (Ex Officio)
There is currently a vacancy in the "At Large" category due to a director making a career change. Voting members will receive ballots, by mail, in the next couple of weeks to choose a replacement.
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Pictured left: Retiring director Brian Gilroy, who served on the board for the last ten years, and as the board’s chair from 2016 to 2018, was thanked for his years of service and commitment to the organization.
To show appreciation FFCO gifted Brian a licorice printed tie (shown here) along with a photo book filled with kind messages from colleagues and photos from over the past ten years.
Pictured below: A 'Licorice Toast' at AGM, to honour retiring board member and past FFCO Chair Brian Gilroy. Brian is known for bringing licorice to board meetings, and so licorice was selected for this salute to his service.
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Save the date: Local Food Week, June 5-11, 2023
Local Food Week is taking place June 5-11, 2023. Local Food Week is a celebration of the bounty of fresh, healthy food grown, produced and processed right here in Ontario. Farmers work every day to grow and produce safe and nutritious food for all Ontarians to enjoy.
FFCO in partnership with Agscape, will be celebrating Local Food Week by hosting five virtual food & farm field trips everyday from Monday to Friday. The tours will be live on Facebook and YouTube for all to watch.
Show your love for Ontario food using #loveONTfood across your social media networks.
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Breakfast on the Farm: Farm Crawl Edition
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This June's event will return to being ON the farm with stops at two farm locations, in a first of its kind format for the popular event. The Huron County Farm Crawl starts with breakfast and a farm tour at Grazing Meadows Wagyu, operated by the Prior family near Brussels. The farm will showcase their head of 60 Wagyu beef cows and calves, their new barn which includes automatic feeders and a wagon ride for visitors to see the cattle on pasture. The Prior family will also host a breed education area showcasing a variety of other beef breeds.
In addition to the Grazing Meadows facilities, this site will include farm equipment, other types of farm animals, and interactive, informative displays from commodities and farm organizations so that families can see a wide variety of modern agriculture and talk to farmers from many groups.
The second location is the Hallahan Dairy Farm, 15 minutes up the road towards Blyth. Guests will tour this modern seventh generation dairy farm. The farm crawl will wrap-up with a focus on dairy products with an ice cream giveaway.
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The Real Dirt on Farming photo contest
Farm & Food Care is holding a nation-wide farm photo contest with $4,000 in cash prizes available for winners in six categories.
Winning photos will be used by the organization in the upcoming sixth edition of The Real Dirt on Farming, a publication that answers common questions about food and farming practices in Canada. For more information on this publication and to view the latest edition, visit www.RealDirtonFarming.org.
Photos may also be used in other Farm & Food Care initiatives.
CATEGORIES
1. Canadian Farm Scenes – Capture the beauty of Canada’s rural landscape;
2. Faces Behind Food & Farming – From farmers to chefs and everyone in between – all the people who make food & farming possible doing what they love.
3. All about Animals – Farm animals in the barn or field;
4. Farm Innovation – Technology at work on Canadian farms;
5. Crazy about Crops – Photos of crops being grown in fields, orchards or greenhouses across Canada; and
6. Farm to Plate – Showcasing the fresh, delicious and nutritious food grown and produced right here in Canada.
More information, including contest rules, eligibility, format, identification and judging are posted at the link below.
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Update from the Feather Board Command Centre
Avian influenza is a critical concern to FFCO members in the poultry sector. As such, the following update from the Feather Board Command Centre (FBCC) is important across the province:
IMPORTANT: Change to Dead Bird Surveillance (DBS)
April 25th, 2023
As a result of learnings from the 2022 HPAI outbreak across Canada, CFIA has changed the protocols surrounding Dead Bird Surveillance (DBS) for farmers located in CFIA-imposed PCZs. This change means there will be no more DBS bins at the end of a driveway.
As mandated by CFIA, effective immediately, farmers are responsible for collecting and delivering their own surveillance samples for DBS purposes prior to being able to apply for movement control permits. Farmers will be required to take swabs from mortalities and transfer the swabs to CFIA for testing.
MORE INFORMATION & DROP OFF
STAY INFORMED
FBCC is committed to providing timely communications to Ontario’s poultry industry. If you haven’t already done so, please visit the FBCC website and sign up for Disease Alerts.
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Help fund the 6th edition of The Real Dirt on Farming
This nation-wide initiative is produced to help Canadians connect with their food and the farmers that produce it – who they are, what they do, and why they do it. Using stories and credible science, the publication addresses common questions and misconceptions about Canadian food and farming, and highlights innovations that support our diverse food system.
Demonstrate your advocacy for Canadian agriculture through support of this important resource. Partners will receive recognition on The Real Dirt on Farming website, in industry-facing presentations, Farm & Food Care Ontario’s annual report and at industry-facing launch events. Individual donors are eligible for a charitable tax receipt from Farm & Food Care Ontario.
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Farm & Food Care Ontario welcomes new members
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FFCO welcomes the following new members:
Gold members
Silver members
- Acute Environmental & Safety Services
- Upper Grand Veterinary Services
Supporter members
- Beeton & District Agricultural Society
- Caledonia Agricultural Society
- Cribit Seeds
- LCP Farms INC
- P.T. Sullivan Agro Inc.
- Russell Agricultural Society
Individual members
- Larry Davis
- Steve & Arletta Hallahan
Thank you for your membership and support, as you join us to bring awareness of food and farming to consumers in Ontario and across Canada.
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Become a Member
Did you know?
- You, your farm or your business can become a member of FFCO
- Your support in membership makes FFCO's work possible
- Corporate members ($1800+) can access free training and workshops
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Not a subscriber? Become one here:
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