Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance offers this bi-monthly e-newsletter featuring the foundational pillars of the Headwaters Food Charter. The Charter was developed in partnership with WDG Public Health and has been widely endorsed. This series aims to keep you informed about issues and events relating to the Charter's 6 Pillars, 15 Goals and 27 Actions prioritized by our communities to enhance our food system.
Do you miss Local Food Club?
We do too.
Let's reminisce over some seasonal favourites.
The development of our new website and ordering system is underway! In the meantime we have decided to share our best coping mechanism for LFC withdrawal: make a past LFC recipe with the family!

Warm up with this Honey-Mustard Parsnip & Potato Bake circa February 2018. 

The ingredients you need are pretty simple for this recipe. To go the extra mile we made suggestions for where to get your local ingredients! 

  • Potatoes  - Reid's Potatoes and Country Market in Mono or Fiddle Foot Farm in Mulmur or Downey's Farm* or Rutledge Potato Farm* in Melancthon (*sold in most local grocery stores)
  • Parsnips - Am Braigh Farm in Mono
  • Butter - local butters are sold at Landman Gardens in Grand Valley and Maple Grove Farm in Mulmur
  • Milk (or unsweetened alternative) - Sheldon Creek Dairy in Loretto (sold at Foodland and Sobeys) 
  • Honey - Ontario Honey Creations in Mulmur or Fiddle Foot Farm in Mulmur
  • Bread crumbs - make your own crumbs using Amanda's Country Bakery in Melancthon or Landman Gardens in Grand Valley or allergy-friendly Shine Baking Co. in Shelburne
  • All purpose flour
  • Whole grain mustard
  • White vinegar
  • Parmesan heese

We miss you and can't wait to pack up some local food and start our 2022 season soon!

Let us know how your Honey-Mustard Parsnip and Potato Bake turns out!
There are 45 recipes for you to try out while we wait for LFC to return. Check out the list and try some oldies but goodies! 
Live Free Campaign Final Days
Donate now to support student nutrition
February 2 to March 4, 2022

Every day, many children in our community live without basic necessities that many of us take for granted. Often these children arrive at school without the proper nutrition they need to help them focus in class. Put simply, they are too hungry to learn.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 1 in 3 children may experience food insecurity.1 The Help Kids Live Free From Hunger "30 in 30" campaign, presented by Keyspire, will be working towards raising enough funds to provide 30,000 meals to local children and youth in 30 days, from February 2nd to March 4th. 
Food & Friends
At Home program ending with return to schools

In-school student nutrition programming is the ideal setting for students to receive this nutrition, and as such should be available and offered at schools. The Children’s Foundation’s Food & Friends at Home initiative was an interim measure and we acknowledge recipients relied on the food support they received during this difficult time; however, this initiative is finishing at the end of March. It’s been a pleasure bringing healthy food to hungry minds! 
FREE Soils and Livestock Webinar
Smart Cities Our Food Future
March 4, 1 - 3pm

You are invited to an online event for the agricultural community. The webinar will feature internationally recognized farmer and author Gary Zimmer in conversation with local experts Janet Harrop and Jonathan Zettler, discussing soil health and livestock nutrition. It will also present local resources on regenerative agriculture, and will conclude with a message from Canadian Senator Rob Black.

The webinar is being presented as part of the Smart Cities Our Food Future initiative, which is focused on building circular economy supports for our regional food system.

Join the Circular Economy
Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad
ReSource Exchange

RSX is an exchange platform that connects organizations that may have surplus organics/by-products from their production process with others that could use it!
 
It’s all about making connections and keeping waste out of landfill – the added benefit is that “giving” organizations may reduce costs or start a new revenue stream, and those “receiving” access new (possibly less expensive) production inputs.
Apply by February 28, 2022 at 11:59PM

If you are a Black "foodpreneur" in Dufferin and are a Canadian Citizen or a Permanent Resident then the Start and Scale Advisor-Led Support Paths project is for you!

Cohort 2 applications are now open, and due February 28, 2022 at 11:59PM.
Make Local Sourcing Work For You
Culinary Tourism Alliance free course
Free 5-module course for a limited time

Food tourism is one of the fastest growing forms of tourism and a powerful driver for sustainable economic development in Ontario. Culinary Tourism Alliance in partnership with OTEC, has announced the launch of a brand new, free certificate training program called "Make Local Sourcing Work For You".

Learn how leveraging local sourcing, storytelling and partnerships can help grow your business and attract more people. This self-paced eLearning Course, divided into five (5) modules, is offered FREE for a limited time! 
County of Dufferin
Developing plans that will impact agriculture and natural assets
Check out these opportunities to engage

inDufferin is continuing to work hard on the Meat Processing Project, speaking with the best investors and business partners around to help make this project a “go."

Spread the word and help beef up Dufferin's local meat supply in 2022!

The Official Plan is the County’s vision for the future. This review process will help answer the following questions:
  • Where will future residents live?
  • What types of houses will be built?
  • Where will people work?
  • How will we move around the County?
  • How will we protect our agricultural areas and natural features?
We are expecting to grow to 95,000 in population and 39,000 in jobs by 2051, according to the growth forecast release by the Province. One key element of this review process is to engage with people in our community, so the County wants to hear from you.
What does your ideal County Forest look like? When you picture the Rail Trail, what do you see? Share your ideas and answer a quick survey to help this process get started.

Dufferin County is inviting input to inform a new outdoor recreation plan.

Ideas are due by April 22, 2022 and participants have a chance to win 1 of 3 $50 gift cards to an independent business of their choice in Dufferin County.
It can be done
Precedent-setting decision
Motions for no urban boundary expansion in Halton passed by a majority 15-9 vote, protecting farmland and farming in that region until at least 2041

Young farmers, women farmers, farmers with disabilities, Black farmers, Indigenous farmers and food providers, farmers of colour, small-scale farmers, 2SLGBTQ+ farmers, and new Canadian farmers often experience additional and unique barriers to enter and succeed in the sector. In learning directly from equity-deserving farmers, the authors of the Framework found that the most common barriers faced include access to information, financing, and land.

Farmers for Climate Solutions’ (FCS) mission is to advance supportive conditions for farmers to adopt climate-friendly practices, including policy proposals. This comprehensive document lays the groundwork for FCS’s ongoing work in this area, through concrete recommendations to advance equity internally, and across their policy and program development, demonstrating commitment to fostering greater inclusion of a diversity of people in agriculture.
Must Watch
Brent Preston's keynote at Guelph Organic Conference

Farmers for Climate Solutions Director Brent Preston discusses farmers' potential to address today's climate issues, focusing on the role organic farming plays in this growing movement.
Landowner Grants, Programs and Resources
Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority

NVCA coordinates a number of programs that offer funding and technical suppo​rt to landowners looking to undertake stewardship initiatives.

If your list of things to do this spring includes environmental restoration projects, NVCA may be able to help you.
'Green Your Property' Video Series
Credit Valley Conservation

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) has developed a Green Your Property video series to help landowners protect their gardens, lands and maximum yield intensity without pesky insects feasting on plants.
FREE Evaluation Webinar Series
Farm to Cafeteria Canada
March 7, 24 and 29 at 1pm

Farm to Cafeteria Canada (F2CC) is hosting an Evaluation Webinar Series to help farm to school programs get started with their evaluation work.

Sign up for any of the following events:

  • On Monday, March 7th, at 1 p.m. EST, join Airin Stephens from Roots to Harvest. Roots to Harvest offers young people the opportunity to engage meaningfully in the food system as growers, market gardeners and lifelong learners. Register for this event here.


  • On Tuesday, March 29th, at 1 p.m. EST, join Rebecca Tran from The Station Food Company. The Station Food Company is located in Newport Station, Nova Scotia, and is a food production facility with a focus of getting more local food into schools and other institutions. Register for this event here.
Headwaters Food Charter
This newsletter supports the Pillars, Goals and Actions of the
Headwaters Food Charter, developed by the community, for the community
Pillar


Goal 1


Goal 2

Goal 3


Actions
Agricultural Sustainability
We value a diverse and prosperous farming community.

There is high demand and opportunities for buying and selling local food.

Prime agricultural farmland is protected.

Urban agricultural practices are encouraged in the towns and hamlets of Headwaters.

The following actions will help ensure that the Agricultural Sustainability goals are achieved:

  • Develop a communication strategy for the public that promotes food produced, sold and consumed in Headwaters.
  • Create opportunities for farmers, regardless of practice, to come together and discuss ideas, issues and opportunities for agriculture in Headwaters.
  • Analyze the types of farms in the Headwaters region and identify potential opportunities and gaps that exist.
  • Advocate for supportive policies in land-use, local food procurement, urban agriculture, and zoning that help agricultural operations remain viable.
Join the HFFA Hub
We have empty seats at the table. The next meeting of the HFFA Coordinating Hub is scheduled for April 1, 2022. Email us if you would like to attend and see what we're all about!
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Our Vision
The Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance (HFFA) envisions a food system that is productive, sustainable, transparent, and fair; supports the health and well-being of our residents and food providers; and contributes to the prosperous and equitable economy.
Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance (HFFA) is a project of
Headwaters Communities In Action