ISSUE 2016-01 |  December 4, 2016
January 2016 E-News
IN THIS ISSUE
SAVE THE DATE
Real Dirt on Farming Speakers' Bureau workshop series
January 14, 2016 ~ Ancaster
March 9, 2016 ~ Lambton
March 10, 2016 ~ Chatham-Kent
March 30, 2016 ~ Cornwall
March 31, 2016 ~ Carleton Place

A Clear View of Transparency and How it Builds Consumer Trust in Food Webinar
January 18, 2016

Farm & Food Care Ontario AGM and Conference
April 12 - 13, 2016

Canadian Centre for Food Integrity ~ Launch
May 31 - June 1, 2016
FIND US ONLINE
Ag Ambassador Tip
of the Month
Explain why you do things on your farm a certain way, rather than just describing how you do them.
NEW ON OUR WEBSITE
Cowspiracy
The movie Cowspiracy is being shown in venues across Canada and is available on Netflix.   The feature-length environmental documentary is by filmmaker Kip Andersen who claims that animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution.
  
Farm & Food Care, with help from Beef Farmers of Ontario, has reviewed the movie and written a document that highlights the movie's claims as compared to Canadian farming realities.
  
If someone has watched the movie or read something on a similar topic, this paper will be a good starting point for discussion and will help to answer questions about how food is produced in Canada.
  

 
Industry Updates
Agri-Food Management Institute's communications skills workshop
 
      If you missed the Challenge the Conversation 2.0 Workshop, this is your chance to learn how to:
  • Avoid uncomfortable or challenging discussions;
  • Spend a lot of time fixing issues and misunderstandings.;
  • Deal with performance issues more effectively;
  • Work in partnership with employees & family.
 
This is a workshop designed to help managers, employees, spouses, and other family members learn how to communicate effectively on a daily basis, including tackling those difficult succession planning, and business management/operations conversations.
 
Visit the AMI website for registration information: http://takeanewapproach.ca/Events.htm
 
New Executive Director ~ Farm & Food Care Ontario
Farm & Food Care Ontario is pleased to announce the hiring of Tracy Hussey to the role of Executive Director. Hussey replaces Crystal Mackay who has transitioned to the new national Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position for Farm & Food Care Canada.
 
Hussey has over 20 years of experience working in food and health-related roles, with 10 years in senior leadership positions. A registered dietitian by training, Hussey has a Masters of Health Sciences degree from McMaster University. She comes to Farm & Food Care Ontario with experience in the food industry, a hospital environment as well as family medicine.
 
John Maaskant, chair of Farm & Food Care Ontario, said that the interview process for the new Executive Director was an extensive one. Said Maaskant, "We're so pleased to have Hussey joining our team. Her strong background in nutrition and dietetics will be a great asset to the organization as we work to continue to connect farm gates to our dinner plates."
 
Said Hussey, "Throughout my career, I've had the pleasure of listening to and deciphering many urban voices. In the past, I've so often heard consumers cite confusing media messages about food as being truth. I'm passionate about increasing Farm & Food Care's opportunities to have conversations with non-farming Ontarians while helping them to understand our complex food systems."    
 
In addition to serving as Executive Director of Farm & Food Care Ontario, Hussey will also represent Ontario on Farm & Food Care's national senior management team with representatives from Farm & Food Care Canada and Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan.
 
Hussey begins employment with Farm & Food Care Ontario on January 4, 2016.
Nominate your Farm & Food Care Champion
Nominations are now being accepted for Farm & Food Care's 2016 Champion Award.

Annually, 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 winners will be honoured at the upcoming Farm & Food Care Ontario annual meeting in April.

Nominations must be received at the Farm & Food Care office by March 20, 2016. For more information and the application form, please visit the link below:

Speakers' Bureau Presentation Skills workshop series
Five Real Dirt on Farming Speakers' Bureau Workshops have been planned for the winter of 2016.
 
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.

They are as follows:
Space is limited to the first 25 participants. The $50 cost includes lunch and all workshop materials.
 
To register, click on the links above. 
Animal Care Newsletter: January 2016
Farm & Food Care Ontario's latest Animal Care Newsletter is now available. 

The newsletter provides a 2015 year-in-review summary, analysis of Farm & Food Care Ontario's beef handling workshops, coverage of now-available resources developed through the Innovative Management and Practical Animal Care Training (IMPACT) program, and more.
Environment: farmland stewardship & water-use efficiency 

Farmland Stewardship

Four million acres (35 per cent) of Ontario's farmland is rented, and there is evidence to suggest soil health and environmental stewardship efforts could be improved on this land. Research also shows that the majority of these rental agreements are essentially handshake-based. 

Farm & Food Care's Environment Team is working with partners across the industry to create educational and legal resources for both landowners and farmer-renters, and foster discussion soil health. The Great Lakes Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (GLASI) is supporting this project. 
  
Water-use Efficiency Assessments 

Farm & Food Care is working on a Smart Water Project with on-farm water users, such as irrigators, greenhouses or vegetable growers in the Holland Marsh, Leamington and throughout SW Ontario. The goal is to measure and reduce the amount of water used on-farm through efficiency and water recycling, where possible. Less water use also means less treated water.

The first case studies have found opportunities to recycle water in a carrot washing facility, while still maintaining quality and safety standards. 

Keep checking the environment section of the Farm & Food Care Ontario website for details on these and other projects. 
Breakfast on the Farm: host farms needed
Farm & Food Care Ontario is looking for a farm to host next year's Breakfast on the Farm events.  

Breakfast on the Farm provides a unique opportunity for farmers and non-farming Ontarians to have a conversation about food and farming. It gives Ontarians the chance to visit a real, working farm. It also provides a showcase for agriculture and gives non-farmers the opportunity to meet real farmers and members of the agri-food industry.

The events will take place either during Ontario's Local Food Week in June or Agriculture Week in October.  If you are interested in hosting the event, contact Sue McLarty for more information: sue@farmfoodcare.org.

An application form and check list for those interested is available through the Farm & Food Care Ontario website.
FARM & FOOD CARE CANADA NEWS
A Clear View of Transparency and How it Builds Consumer Trust in Food ~ Webinar

Join Farm & Food Care Canada, in partnership with the Center for Food Integrity's latest public trust research, in defining transparency and detailing specifics about consumers - what they want and a clear path to achieve it. 

"A Clear View of Transparency and How It Builds Consumer Trust in Food." January 18, 2016 1:00 PM EST.

To register for the webinar, click here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Download a copy of the US data from the Center for Food Integrity, "A Clear View of Transparency and How It Builds Trust" by visiting www.foodintegrity.org. 

Save the date ~ Canadian Centre for Food Integrity launch May 31-June 1 2016

Farm & Food Care Canada will be launching the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity at a summit in Ottawa on May 31 and June 1. The organization will focus on consumer research and Canada-specific resource and strategy development. It will work in partnership and as part of Farm & Food Care Canada. More details will be made available in subsequent newsletters.
Thanks to our Farm & Food Care Canada Supporters
Thank you to our corporate partners for their generous support. Their investments in Farm & Food Care helps build public trust in food and farming in Canada.  These partnerships enable us to expand successful local projects and resources to the regional, provincial, national and international levels. 

If you are interested in becoming a corporate partner contact Fundraising Manager Marthe Robertson marthe@farmfoodcare.org .
 
Recent new partnerships include:

Advocate ($10,000 to $49,999 annual contribution)
  • Alltech
  • Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd
  • Hensall District Co-operative
  • Jefo Nutrition Inc.

Partner ($1,000 to $9999 annual contribution)

  • DSM
  • Elmira Pet Products
  • Furst-McNess Company of Canada, Ltd.
  • Halchemix Canada Inc.
  • Pestell Minerals and Supplies
  • Rothsay
  • Southwest Ag Partners
  • U-Pak Group of Companies 
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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 106
Guelph, ON
N1G 5L3
519-837-1326
www.farmfoodcare.org
Twitter: @farmfoodcare
Email: info@farmfoodcare.org
© Farm Food Care Ontario
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