Local Food Week 2015 is coming to Ontario on June 1-7 this year, providing a great opportunity for residents across the province to celebrate their passion for Ontario food and farming. 

For the second year in a row, Farm & Food Care Ontario is partnering with Foodland Ontario to spread the word about Local Food Week. Visit www.loveontfood.ca to see or post upcoming local food events, web links and other local food resources. 

• Social media: Join Foodland Ontario on June 3 at 8:00 pm for a #loveONTfood Twitter Party, and include #loveONTfood in all your social media sharing. Watch www.loveONTfood.ca for your chance to register. 
• Roadside signs and posters: Do you or anyone you know have a road sign or counter space for signage? Proudly tell those driving by or visiting to "Celebrate local food!" and include the website or hashtag in your message.
• Websites and advertisements: If you have a website, blog, or any advertising options, visit www.loveONTfood.ca to download and include a local food celebration button or other graphics.
• Your ideas here... Think creative and fun. Share what you did or plan to do to celebrate local food by email at info@farmfoodcare.org or by using the #loveONTfood hashtag.
• Tour a farm: Visit www.VirtualFarmTours.ca to find out more about how food is produced here at home.
• Support your local farmers: Choose Ontario products all year long. 

Picture left: Bernard Tobin introducing the Real Dirt Speakers' Bureau training series | Picture right: From left, Dave McEachren, Bernard Tobin and Aaron Stevanus

The meeting kicked off with an abbreviated presentation of The Real Dirt on Farming Speakers' Bureau training series - a now nationwide program designed to help farmers reach non-farming audiences and tell their own stories. With support from previous program participants Aaron Stevanus and Dave McEachren, facilitator Bernard Tobin took 90 attendees through the The Real Dirt on Farming, and how it can help agricultural stakeholders communicate with consumers. 

Brent Royce of Listowel has been named the 2015 recipient of

the Farm & Food Care Champion Award. The award - which is

presented to individuals, organizations or businesses who have

helped to inform the public or the agri-food industry about issues in agriculture - was presented by board member Bruce Christie to Royce and his wife Christa. Royce was nominated for the award by Turkey Farmers of Ontario (TFO) and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. 

Sherry MacLauchlan, Director of Sustainability and Government Relations for McDonald's Canada, explained and discussed her company's "Our Food, Your Questions" campaign. MacLauchlan focused on the campaign's effectiveness in communicating with consumers, changing brand perceptions and the importance of transparency. 

Ontario dairy farmer Andrew Campbell, Wisconsin dairy farmer Carrie Mess and Alberta grain farmer Sarah Schultz are social media experts who took attendees through the highs, lows, stresses and triumphs of communicating their stories to consumers through social media. The speakers described common goals and trials through different stories and experiences, and ended with a Q and A period with the audience. 

Picture left: The three speakers during Q and A period | Picture right: From left, Andrew Campbell, Sarah Schultz and Carrie Mess

 

• 2014 ~ Year in Review video
• Annual Meeting Photo Gallery
• 2014 Annual Report 

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