ISSUE 2015-01 | January
Farm & Food Care Ontario Newsletter: January 2015
CHANGE YOUR RECORDS
Farm & Food Care Ontario has moved up in the world (one floor that is) to: 

100 Stone Rd. West, Suite 202
Guelph, ON
N1G 5L3 
IN THIS ISSUE
SAVE THE DATE
January 27, Guelph
Speakers' Bureau skills training session: Register by emailing info[at]farmfoodcare.org

January 29, Rostock 
Speakers' Bureau skills training session: Register by emailing info[at]farmfoodcare.org.

March 6, 11am EST
Center for Food Integrity Webinar

April 14-15, Milton
Farm & Food Care Annual General Meeting:
Teatro Conference and Event Centre

October 29, 2015
Kitchener
Farm & Food Care Foundation's annual Harvest Gala: 
Bingeman's Ballroom
FIND US ONLINE
For members:
www.farmfoodcare.org 
wwwlivestockwelfare.com

For consumers: 
www. facesoffarming.ca
www. realdirtonfarming.ca

AG AMBASSADOR TIP OF THE MONTH
Beware of absolutes. As farmers, we like to think that all farmers and farm workers are treating animals with the best care possible. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. You will lose credibility and ground in a debate if you start a rebuttal with "all farmers" or "farmers would never". Instead, use terms like "most" or "in general".
NEW ON OUR WEBSITE
Ontario Farmers celebrate 2014's Agriculure Week at the Toronto Argonauts game: see the video here.
IN OTHER NEWS
CleanFARMS is expanding its pilot seed and pesticide bag collection project in 2015. According to its December 16 press release, the organization's goal this year is to operate "large-scale pilots at 200 collection sites" across Ontario and Quebec. 

Farmers are being asked to return their empty seed and pesticide bags to their local ag retailers, who will then send them for high energy incineration.

More information about the pilot program will be shared by CleanFARMS as it becomes available. Those with further questions are encouraged to visit the organization's website.
The Real Dirt On Farming Speakers' Bureau 
Training Sessions


The Farm & Food Care Foundation recently published the newest edition of The Real Dirt on Farming, and with it comes The Real Dirt on Farming Speakers' Bureau training sessions.

For farmers and agribusiness people alike, the Speakers' Bureau series of workshops is designed to encourage those involved in agriculture to tell THEIR stories - what they do and why they do it - to non-farming audiences like school groups, service clubs, municipal councils and more. It's a program set-up to better equip those interested in engaging more urban audiences, and help them clear up misconceptions about Canadian agriculture. 

The program sessions run from approximately 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on each scheduled day, and includes (but is not limited to) a review of Microsoft Power Point slides based on The Real Dirt on Farming; how to customize slides to include your story; speaking and presentation tips and techniques; how to answer the tough questions; and how to find speaking opportunities in your area. Participants will also be provided with copies of the latest Real Dirt on Farming booklet and other related resources.

Five sessions have been planned for the winter of 2015. They are as follows:
1- January 27, Guelph - Arboretum Auditorium, University of Guelph
2- January 29, Rostock - Rostock Agricultural Hall
3- February 20, Niagara - Rittenhouse Hall, Vineland Research Station
4- February 24, Ilderton - Coldstream Community Centre
5- March 3, Napanee - Strathcona Paper Centre

There is no charge to participate, but space in each session is limited to the first 20 participants. Those interested in attending can email info@farmfoodcare.org, or call the office at (519) 837-1326. 

Help non-farmers get The Real Dirt on Farming. 
Speak Up and tell your farming story. It's important! 
Annual General Meeting: 2015
Farm & Food Care Ontario's Annual General Meeting is set for April 14 and 15 at the Teatro Conference and Event Centre in Milton. 

This year's headlining speakers include Sarah Schultz, a farmer from Alberta well known on twitter as @NurseLovesFarmer and www.nurselovesfarmer.com, as well as Carrie Mess, a Wisconsin dairy farmer known popularly for her social media work as Dairy Carrie. Bernard Tobin, an agricultural communications expert, will also give a communications workshop based on the Farm & Food Care Foundation's Speakers' Bureau program.

Further information regarding scheduling and registration will be available February 1 via Farm & Food Care Ontario's website.
Pollinator Health Update
Farm & Food Care Ontario members have identified pollinator health as a priority topic on behalf of the whole agri-food sector in Ontario. In response, Farm & Food Care staff have composed a "Pollinator Health Update" providing details about what action the agricultural industry has taken to address this issue. 

The report contains many useful links and references that provide valuable context and information on this topic; overall, it is designed to support an informed discussion about the state of and how to improve pollinator health.

The full report can be viewed here.
Farm & Food Care Foundation supports Center for Food Integrity research
The Farm & Food Care Foundation has signed a letter of intent with the USA-based Center for Food Integrity (CFI) to investigate bringing CFI programs to Canada.

The agreement shows support for the potential cross-border replication of CFI's consumer and public trust research, and the Creation of a Canadian Centre for Food Integrity more generally. 

Much of the CFI's latest research findings will be broadcast in a number of online webinars in January, February and March. To find further information or register for any of the webinars, visit CFI's website.

All About Food educational resource: fifth edition

Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc. (OAFE) and Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) Canada recently launched the fifth edition of the popular educational resource All About Food: Exploring Canada's Food System; allaboutfood.aitc.ca -a companion website that supports high school curriculum across Canada- also comes with the publication. Its purpose is to assisting teachers and students in learning about one of our country's largest industries.

With generous funding and support from CropLife Canada, All About Food explores Canadian food production from farm to fork; it highlights topics and issues related to production, food safety, healthy eating, the environment, as well as technology and trade. The new, interactive website provides an opportunity to investigate the Canadian agri-food system in greater depth with articles, videos and critical thinking questions, and also features career connections throughout the resource. 

Available in both English and French, copies of All About Food can be ordered or downloaded from OAFE at 
www.oafe.org, or from provincial Agriculture in the Classroom organizations at www.aitc.ca. 
General information
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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 202
Guelph, ON
N1G 5L3
519-837-1326
www.farmfoodcare.org
Twitter: @farmfoodcare
Email: info@farmfoodcare.org
© Farm Food Care Ontario
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