ISSUE 2015-06 |May 28, 2015
Farm & Food Care E-News
IN THIS ISSUE
SAVE THE DATES

Local Food Week

June 1 - 7

Events in communities across Ontario

 

IMPACT workshop series: Stockmanship for Better Production

June 1 - 12

Various dates & locations

 

Ontario Agriculture Week

October 4 - 10

Events in communities across Ontario

 

Farm & Food Care Foundation's annual Harvest Gala

October 29
Kitchener
Bingemans Park Conference Centre
 

 

FIND US ONLINE
Ag Ambassador Tip
of the Month

If you are hosting a farm tour, look at your farm the way an outsider will see it before the tour arrives. It might help you spot a detail you have overlooked, or prepare for a question you had not anticipated earlier.  

 

Ask Farm & Food Care Ontario for its checklist of items to consider.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Ontario Pork releases Learn About Our Farms videos  

 

In an effort to address consumer questions on pork production practices, Ontario Pork has released its Learn About Our Farms series of informational videos.

 

Based off research conducted to enhance the sector's competitiveness, the seven-part series contains two segments focused on the economic impact and evolution of the family farm; another five "Question and Answer" videos addressing specific topics - such as housing and what pigs eat - are also available.   

 

The videos were developed as part of the 2011 Ontario Pork Development Industry Strategy Table, and are available via Ontario Pork's website and Youtube channel. 

 

 

Provision Coalition hosts 

Industry Forum and Annual General Meeting  

 

The Provision Coalition, an organization focused on sustainability in the Canadian food and beverage sector, is hosting its 2015 Annual General Meeting and Industry Forum on June 9. 

 

The forum will feature Andrew Winston, author of The Big Pivot: Radically Practical Strategies for a Hotter, Scarcer, and More Open World, and Terry Fleck, Executive Director of the Center for Food Integrity, as keynote speakers.

 

Visit the Provision Coalition's website to learn more about the forum (including preferred rates and sponsorship opportunities), or see the event e-flyer.    

Help celebrate Local Food Week 2015

 

Local Food Week 2015 is coming to Ontario on June 1-7 this year, and with it comes many opportunities to celebrate food and farming in our province.

 

In partnership with Foodland Ontario for the second consecutive year, Farm & Food Care Ontario will be spreading the word about local products through a number of events:

  1. Queens Park Farmers' Market ~ June 4, Toronto (begins at 12 noon)
  2. Stratford Farmers' Market ~ June 6, Stratford (7 a.m. to 12 noon).
  3. The Great Canadian Cheese Festival ~ June 6 & 7, Picton (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
  4. Wing DingJune 6 & 7, Cookstown (7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. respectively)
  5. #loveONTfood Twitter Party ~ On June 3 at 9 p.m. join farmers and foodies for the 2015 #loveONTfood Twitter Party; it's a chance to connect online, win gift packages, and celebrate all things food and farming in Ontario. Register by visiting www.loveONTfood.ca and clicking on the Twitter Party logo.  

 

Show Your Love for Local: the 
#loveONTfood contest

Can't make the #loveONTfood Twitter Party? Why not show
your love for local by sharing a picture of how you are supporting local food week? By posting pictures on Twitter and Instagram, participants automatically enter to win cool prizes like Blue Jays tickets and local food apparel. The contest began on May 19 and runs until June 8, with winning entries selected daily.   

Want to learn more about these and other events? Visit www.loveontfood.ca to find event schedules, downloadable promotional materials and other local food resources.  

 

Other ways to get involved  

 

Here are some quick tips on how you can take part in the Local Food Week celebration, both during the week and all year long:

  • Social media: include #loveONTfood in all your social media sharing. 
  • 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.
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
The annual Ontario Agriculture Week, scheduled for this coming October 4 -10, will be another opportunity to boost our collective efforts in support of Ontario farmers and the food they produce.
Farm Animal Care E-Newsletter: June 2015
Farm & Food Care's latest quarterly Animal Care e-newsletter is
now available here. 
 
The newsletter features:
  • An overview of resources developed for the Innovative Management and Practical Animal Care Training (IMPACT) program;
  • Dairy stockmanship workshop information;
  • Information on upcoming animal husbandry how-to videos, and much more.
IMPACT workshop series: Stockmanship for Better Production

 

Farm & Food Care Ontario's  Innovative Management and  Practical Animal Care Training (IMPACT) program is hosting a series of free workshops this May and June on dairy stockmanship and how it can improve production.   

Held on dairy farms across the province and facilitated by Dr.
Don Hoglund, an expert in large animal handling techniques, the workshops will include a morning presentation followed by an afternoon of on-farm demonstrations and skills development. 

Workshop dates and locations:
  • June 1 - Embro
  • June 2 - Woodstock
  • June 3 - Ilderton
  • June 4 - Glencoe
  • June 5 - Ilderton
  • June 8 - Williamstown 
  • June 10 - Brockville
  • June 11 - Arnprior

Pre-registration for these free sessions is required, though space is limited. Waiting lists for full sessions are available. 

  

Register at www.farmIMPACT.ca.


 

 

~To read about Dr. Hoglund and the low-energy, behaviour-based handling techniques being taught at the workshops, click on the following article from the London Free Press:

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www.farmfoodcare.org
Twitter: @farmfoodcare
Email: info@farmfoodcare.org