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Speakers' Bureau training session - Napanee
March 3
Strathcona Paper Centre
Register by emailing info[at]farmfoodcare.org Water Adaptation Management and Quality Initiative Symposium
March 3
Guelph - Hanlon Convention Centre. Register here.
Speakers' Bureau training session - Kincardine
March 9
Lake Huron Learning Centre
Register by emailing info[at]farmfoodcare.org
Speakers' Bureau training session - Essex
March 31
Essex Civic Centre
Register by emailing info[at]farmfoodcare.org
Media training for FFC members
April 2
Guelph - Guelph Agricentre
Cost $400 per person
Register by emailing info[at]farmfoodcare.org
Farm & Food Care Annual General Meeting
April 14-15
Milton - Teatro Conference and Event Centre
Breakfast on the Farm
June 6
Veldman Poultry and Grain
Embro
Farm & Food Care Foundation's annual Harvest Gala
October 29
Kitchener
Bingemans Park Conference Centre
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Ag Ambassador Tip
of the Month
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Tell your story. The public is often interested in hearing how someone decides to be a farmer, or what he or she cares about in addition to farming. Even a brief meeting with someone that lasts several minutes leaves enough time to share a few details.
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The Innovative Management and Practical Animal Care Training (IMPACT) program provides farmers and handlers with new skills and confidence in animal handling through practical training and resources.
By building on pre-established Canadian resources, IMPACT will develop practical resources and training to help improve farm animal care.
Who should get involved?
- farmers
- stockpeople and farm employees
- vets and vet technicians
- Transporters and catchers
- sales barn and processing staff
Resources will include:
- smartphone apps
- webinar presentations
- interactive online resources
- kitchen table meetings
- hands-on workshops
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Visit Farm & Food Care's Youtube channel to see two promotional videos on the new Innovative Management and Practical Animal Care Training (IMPACT) program. |
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Farm & Food Care's Annual Meeting ~ April 14 & 15
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Farm & Food Care Ontario's Annual General Meeting is coming in April, and an agenda packed with informative and entertaining speakers has been set.
Agenda highlights . . .
Tuesday evening, April 14
Communications Workshop: Real Dirt Speakers' Bureau Facilitator Bernard Tobin will take attendees through an
abbreviated presentation of the Real Dirt on Farming Speakers' Bureau training series that is underway in several provinces across Canada - a program designed to help farmers reach non-farming audiences and tell their own story. Details of the program, and why it's important for farmers and agribusiness people to speak up for who they are and what they do will be discussed.
Wednesday, April 15 Connecting with Canadians Through Transparency and Authenticity Sherry MacLauchlan, Director of Sustainability and
Government Relations for McDonald's Canada, will
be speaking about her company's "Our Food, Your Questions" campaign, which has been tackling misconceptions about food head on since 2012. She will discuss how McDonald's Canada used the power of transparency to connect with and educate consumers about its food, while changing brand perceptions one question at a time.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Social Media
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Carrie Mess (left), Sarah Schultz (centre) and Andrew Campbell (right)
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Speakers for this session include Wisconsin dairy farmer Carrie Mess (@dairycarrie), Alberta grain farmer Sarah Schultz (@nurselovesfarmr) and Ontario dairy farmer Andrew Campbell (@freshairfarmer). Collectively, these three farmers/social media experts have over 50,000 followers and have been active in using Twitter, Facebook and blog postings to tell their stories about food and farming. In this afternoon session, they'll talk about some of the highs and lows of their engagements with the public (including the newest #farm365 initiative) and share tips on what they think works well.
Plus:
* Highlights of Farm & Food Care's 2014 activities;
* Presentation of the Farm & Food Care Champion Award;
* Farm & Food Care Foundation Report & Strategy Update;
* Elections by the membership of the 2015-2016 Directors;
* And much more
Where:
Teatro Conference and Event Centre, 121 Chisholm Drive
Milton, ON L9T 4A6
Cost:
$20 Communications Workshop
$80 (AGM early bird registration)
$100 (AGM registration fee after April 1)
Register online here.
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Nominate your Ag-Champion
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Farm & Food Care wants to recognize an Ontario "Champion" who works to get the message out about agriculture. The Champion Award is presented to individuals, organizations or businesses who have helped to inform the public or the agri-food industry about issues in agriculture.
Award winner(s) will be honoured at the upcoming Farm & Food Care Annual Meeting, held on April 15 at the Teatro Conference and Event Centre in Milton.
If you have a champion in mind, please fill out the nomination form available at Farm & Food Care's website. Nominations must be submitted by March 20.
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Media Training Session ~ April 2
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Farm & Food Care Ontario will be offering a media training session in Guelph on April 2. The day-long, interactive session will give participants a better 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 grower who is asked to give farm tours or speak on behalf of agriculture at municipal council meetings or other events.
The cost is $400 (less 25% for Farm & Food Care members). To register, email info@farmfoodcare.org.
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Upcoming Dates:
The Real Dirt on Farming Speakers' Bureau
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 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.
Four more sessions have been planned for March. They are as follows:
- March 3, Napanee - Strathcona Paper Centre
- March 9, Kincardine - Lake Huron Learning Centre (a $10 charge applies for this session)
- March 31, Essex - Essex Civic Centre
- April 14, Milton - Teatro Conference and Events Centre (this is an abbreviated communications workshop during Farm & Food Care's Annual General Meeting; a $20 charge applies)
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!
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Local Food Week: June 1-7, 2015
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Local Food Week runs from June 1 to 7 this year, and we would like to work with you to help celebrate the passion for, and work that goes into, Ontario's bounty.
Many efforts to highlight local food and Ontario's farmers take place throughout the week, and Farm & Food Care would like to encourage you to participate by hosting events, sharing ideas and promoting key messages, as well as utilizing social media resources and artwork.
Here are just a few tips on how you can share the #loveontfood celebration June 1-7 and all year long:
- Plan an event: Organize a local food event and highlight it on www.loveontfood.ca.
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Social media: Include #loveONTfood in all your Tweets, Instagrams, Facebook posts, and other social media sharing.
- Websites & ads: If you have a website or blog or advertising options, visit www.loveontfood.ca to download and include a Local Food Celebration button so your readers can easily find everything they need to know about Local Food.
- Talk to food partners: Talk to food partners: Speak with your favourite local restaurant, market or grocery store and encourage them to join the Local Food celebration.
Visit www.loveontfood.ca to access more local food resources, or email info@farmfoodcare.org to learn about other Local Food Week opportunities.
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Breakfast on the Farm: June 6, 2015
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Farm & Food Care is please to announce the first Breakfast on the Farm event of 2015.
This time, Breakfast on the Farm visits Veldman Poultry and Grain farm in Embro. Hosts Dan and Glynis Veldman and their children Megan, Josh, Ben and Kayla, are a third generation farm family raising laying hens, veal calves and crops like corn, wheat and soybeans.
After being treated to an all-Ontario breakfast featuring farm-fresh eggs, sausage, milk, pancakes and more, visitors will be able to see laying hens in both conventional and enriched housing systems, an egg packing facility, veal calves, and many aspects of the family's grain farm -such as their grain elevator and feed mill.
The event will run from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., with breakfast being served until 11:30 a.m. Attendance is free, but complimentary breakfast tickets must be reserved online here.
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Waterloo Region Farm Innovation Tour ~ March 24
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On March 24, Farm & Food Care is heading to Waterloo Region for another farm innovation tour - a hands on series profiling farm innovations in animal welfare and the environment.
This time, the tour will visit:
1) Floradale Feed Mill (Floradale)
2) Martin's Family Fruit Farm (Waterloo)
3) Heritage Hill Farms (Plattsville)
To reserve a spot and find more information about the tour, visit the Farm & Food Care website. Reserve your spot on the tour here.
Join your fellow government and agri-business leaders for this unique day of learning, networking and discussion.
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Farm & Food Care Foundation News
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Upcoming webinar highlights insights from moms, millenials and foodies
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Date: March 6, 2015
[NOTE TIME CHANGE]:11 a.m. to 12 noon EST.
Science may say it's so, but often today's consumers say, "Not so fast." How do we make complex and controversial technical information relevant and meaningful to them as they make decisions about food issues?
The webinar will delve into consumers' complex decision-making processes to:
* Learn how to best introduce technical information in agriculture and food so it's embraced;
* Understand what messages, messengers and communication channels work best to reach moms, millennials, foodies and the early adopters who are driving the conversation.
Charlie Arnot, CEO of the US Center for Food Integrity (CFI) will highlight CFI's extensive research findings on public trust on food and farming in the USA on this webinar.
Questions about the webinar? Contact the Farm & Food Care Foundation at (519) 837-1326 or info@farmcarefoundation.ca |
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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 |
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