IN THIS ISSUE

Sustainable Food and Farming workshop

1 to 5 p.m., April 15, 2014 - Teatro Convention Centre, Milton
 

 Talking Tough Topics Communications Workshop
7 to 9:30 p.m., April 15, 2014 - Teatro Convention Centre, Milton
 

Farm & Food Care Annual General Meeting
9 to 4 p.m., April 16, 2014 - Teatro Convention Centre, Milton

  

Media Training Workshops

March 26 or April 29 - Ontario AgriCentre, Guelph

  

Ontario's Harvest Gala

October 30, 2014 - Location to be confirmed.

FIND US ONLINE

For members:
www.farmfoodcare.org

For consumers:
www.virtualfarmtours.ca

www.facesoffarming.ca

Our blogs:
www.letstalkfarmanimals.ca
www.caringfortheland.com 
 

Our photo library:
www.farmphotos.ca

 

Our foundation:
www.farmcarefoundation.ca

Online farm tours:
www.virtualfarmtours.ca

   

LivestockWelfare.com is a Canadian farm animal welfare resource centre. This website aims to enhance communication and advance farm animal welfare knowledge.

 

The four Farm Animal Care Councils have come together to provide information to those looking for accurate information and research on how farm animals are raised in Canada.

Farm & Food Care Conference, Communications Workshop and AGM

Conference: Sustainable food and farming. What does it really mean in Canada? (April 15: 1 to 5 p.m.)

  

Sustainability has different meanings to different people. Come and hear insights on what it means to the Canadian public and Ontario farmers and join the discussion to share your thoughts.  Dr. Alan Ker, Chair of the Department of Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph and Ruth Salmon of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance will be featured on the afternoon's program as will a panel discussion on the topic "What does sustainability mean to Ontario's food chain?"

 

Following a combined session, participants will be asked to pick one of two afternoon programs related to farm animal care and the environment. Highlighted afternoon speakers include Heather Mak, Sustainability Manager at Retail Council of Canada (RCC) and Alice Johnston of Butterball, LLC.

  

Workshop: Talking Tough Topics (April 15: 7 to 9:30 p.m.)

  

Biotechnology, pesticides, antibiotics and hormones are all issues that farmers deal with on a day to day basis - but they can be difficult to explain to a non-farming public.  In a workshop setting, participants will be given tips and techniques related to answering questions and having confident conversations about topics like these.

 

Joining the workshop will be Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Director of McGill University's "Office for Science & Society". Participants will then have the opportunity to work on answering practice questions related to their farming practices.
 

Annual Meeting (April 16, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

 

On April 16, Farm & Food Care's annual meeting will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The morning keynote speaker will be Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Director of McGill's Office for Science & Society on the topic "Science, Sense and Nonsense".

 

The second feature speaker will be Ruth Salmon of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance on the topic "Farmed Seafood Sustainability Movement: A case study".

 

Kim McConnell, strategic advisor and former CEO of AdFarm and director on the Farm & Food Care Foundation, will present on the topic of "What are we going to do about turning up the volume?". McConnell will give an update on the creation of a national strategy designed to help grow public trust and confidence in Canadian food and farming.  

 

The meeting will also include highlights of Farm & Food Care's 2013 activities, presentation of the Farm & Food Care Champion Award, election of the 2014-2015 Board of Directors and more.

 

To Register:

 

Registration for both the April 15 conference and workshop are free to all Ontario farmers. The cost to other participants is $60 for the conference and $100 for the communications workshop. Registration for the annual meeting is $80 in advance of March 31 and $100 after that date for all registrants. To register, visit www.farmfoodcare.org.

Job Posting: Animal Welfare Program Manager

The Animal Welfare Program Manager will be responsible for planning and implementing a new Farm Animal Welfare Program, with a goal of developing practical and professional training and related communications programs and resources.

 

This is a full-time contract position for two years beginning April 2014 reporting to the project's Program Lead.

 

Scope of Responsibilities:

• Developing and delivering practical training resources and workshop modules on farm animal welfare for farmers and other industry partners;
• Working with farmers and industry stakeholders to help determine farm animal welfare related priority areas, including identifying new and practical opportunities for improving farm animal welfare;
• Planning and implementing project objectives together with the project team;
• Hiring and managing a team of subject matter experts to help achieve the project goals, on time and on budget;
• Writing project reports, tracking budgets, and planning project business plan schedules;
• Managing project communications with the project team, Farm & Food Care's Farm Animal Care Council and members, government and industry partners including developing and delivering presentations and communications resources and planning meetings.

 Desired Skills & Experience

• A degree in animal science, veterinary science or animal welfare related studies, with a minimum of five years of relevant experience;
• Strong interest and current understanding of farm animal welfare, Codes of Practice, on-farm animal welfare programs, on-farm auditing, and related programs;
• Proven track record of project management skills, including writing detailed reports and developing and managing project budgets, with the ability to multitask, prioritize and implement programs with attention to detail;
• Demonstrated business leadership with the ability to work well in a team environment and independently;
• Strong communications skills, both written and oral, with a businesslike approach to project management;
• Experience in adult education and training, with a background in developing workshop curriculum and materials with a creative approach.

This Program Manager position will be based out of Guelph at the Farm & Food Care office with some travel required throughout Ontario.

 

Please submit your resume and salary expectations to jobs@farmfoodcare.org with Program Manager as the subject line by March 21, 2014. We thank all applicants for their interest however, only select candidates will be contacted. 

 

Media Training Sessions March 26 or April 29

Back by popular demand, two more media training sessions have been planned for March 26 or April 29. The two courses offered last spring were both sold out.

 

The sessions will be interactive and give the participants the understanding of the media, the tools needed to prepare to face the media and an interview process that will give each person real life interview experience. The program is useful for board members and staff at commodity associations who speak regularly about issues related to their sectors or any primary producer who is asked to give farm tours or speak on behalf of agriculture at municipal council meetings or other events.

 

Each session will include a focus on:

• Media tips and techniques
• Writing letters to the editor and opinion pieces
• Key messages - what are you saying, who are you saying it to and why?
• Interview/public speaking techniques
• Dealing with difficult questions
• Two to three on-camera practice sessions with review and feedback.

The cost is $400 per attendee (Farm & Food Care members receive a 25% discount) and space is limited to the first 10 participants who register. Book a spot by emailing info@farmfoodcare.org. 

If you've misplaced a copy of the newsletter or want to check an item from a past issue, they're all archived on our website under the Media Centre section.

We encourage you to forward this newsletter to other members of your company or organization who might be interested. They can also subscribe directly by emailing info@farmfoodcare.org.

100 Stone Road West, Suite 106
Guelph, ON
N1G 5L3
519-837-1326
www.farmfoodcare.org
Twitter: @farmfoodcare
Email: info@farmfoodcare.org