ISSUE 2016-02 | February 01, 2016
February 2016 E-News
IN THIS ISSUE
SAVE THE DATE
Real Dirt on Farming Speakers' Bureau training workshops

Soil Health Roadshow:
 
Farm & Food Care Ontario AGM and Conference
Teatro Conference and Event Centre, Milton
April 12 - 13, 2016
 
Canadian Centre for Food Integrity ~ Launch
Delta Hotel, Ottawa May 31 - June 1, 2016
FIND US ONLINE
Ag Ambassador Tip
of the Month
Remember to listen and understand someone's position as a whole rather than focusing on individual details. 
NEW ON OUR WEBSITE
Focus on Farm Women ~ Canadian Association of Farm Advisors conference

The Canadian Association of Farm Advisors Inc. is hosting the Focus on Farm Women conference on February 25 in Guelph. 

Many keynote speakers are scheduled for the day-long event. More details are available on the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors website.
2016 Annual General Meeting
Farm & Food Care Ontario's 2016 Annual General Meeting and Conference will take place on April 12 and 13 at the Teatro Conference and Event Centre in Milton. Details will soon be made available through Farm & Food Care Ontario's website and the March newsletter. 
Breakfast on the Farm: host farms needed
Farm & Food Care Ontario is looking for farms to host this 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 real, working farms. 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 during Ontario's Local Food Week in June and 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 on the website.
Nominate your 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 following link: Champion Award
Soil Health Roadshow ~ Southwestern Ontario, March 1 to 10
Farm & Food Care Ontario is hosting a series of soil health workshops in southwestern Ontario. These workshops are free, funded by the Great Lakes Agriculture Stewardship Initiative (GLASI), run from 9:30 to 3:30, and focus on improving soil and nutrient management in the Great Lakes region. 

Each workshop will include presentations and demonstrations from OMAFRA's Soil Team, and feature local farmers and crop advisors discussing practical solutions to improving both soil health and water quality. 

Further details are available here. Registration links are available for the following sessions:
Producer stories needed ~ soil health on rented land 

Farm & Food Care Ontario is also partnering with GLASI, the Ontario Farmland Trust and others to create online resources on sustainable farming on rented land. 

Experiences from landlords and renting farmers relating to soil health are needed to help develop these resources. If you have a story you would like to share, please contact Mel Luymes by the end of the month: mel@farmfoodcare [519 837 1326 x 291]
Job opportunity ~ Communications Coordinator
Farm & Food Care Ontario is hiring a Communications Coordinator. Reporting to the Communications Manager, the coordinator will be an active and engaged member of the communications team, working on all outreach activities including projects, social media, websites and event planning and coordination.
 
Further information about knowledge and skill requirements are available on the Farm & Food Care Ontario website. 
 
Email your resume no later than Thursday, February 11, 2016 to: info@farmfoodcare.org.
IMPACT resources available at events across Ontario

Farm & Food Care Ontario will be attending events throughout 2016 to distribute Innovative Management and Practical Animal Care Training (IMPACT) program resources.

Get your free resources and animal handling training information at the following events: 
  • London Dairy Congress ~ February 4, 5
  • South Western Ontario Pork Congress ~ February 17
  • Beef Farmers of Ontario AGM ~ February 17, 18
  • Ontario Goat AGM ~ February 24
  • Sheep District 10 Meeting ~ March 1
  • Central Agricultural Conference ~ March 3
  • Ottawa Valley Farm Show ~ March 8, 10
  • Veal Farmers of Ontario AGM ~ March 9
  • Progressive Dairy Operators Symposium ~ March 23
  • Canadian Meat Goat AGM ~ April 9
  • Ontario Pork Industry Council Producer Meeting ~ four meetings throughout 2016
  • Ontario Pork District Meetings ~ seven meetings throughout 2016
Contact the IMPACT team for further information. 
Speakers' Bureau Presentation Skills workshop series
Four 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.
 
Space is limited to the first 25 participants. The $50 cost includes lunch and all workshop materials.
 
To register, click on the links above. 
FARM & FOOD CARE CANADA NEWS
The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity ~ Public Trust Summit 
Connecting the dots & tackling the trends: May 31, June 1

Social license, public trust and transparency are hot topics.  People make things happen and the first step to success in a unified effort for the Canadian food system is to get to know stakeholders from across the value chain. The Summit, hosted by Farm & Food Care Canada and the new Canadian Centre
for Food Integrity, offers a unique opportunity for food system leaders to gather and delve into current issues related to public trust in food and farming  - both globally and here at home in Canada.

The Summit will provide attendees with a chance to learn how to more effectively reach consumers with the right messages and messengers, with practical insights from various leading experts, companies and organizations.
 
Highlights will include: 
  • Speakers from the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States highlighting lessons learned from their parts of the world related to public trust in food and farming;
  • The release of Canadian public trust in food and farming research;
  • The launch of the new Canadian Centre for Food Integrity.
The two day summit will be held at the Delta Ottawa City Centre hotel in Ottawa May 31-June 1, 2016. The registration system and a complete agenda will soon be available at www.farmfoodcarefoundation.ca.
 
For more information or to be added to the E-News list on this and related work of Farm & Food Care, email info@farmfoodcare.org .
One million copies of The Real Dirt on Farming reach Canadians
One million copies of The Real Dirt on Farming booklet have now been distributed to Canadians from coast to coast. The milestone was reached just 15 months after the booklet's publication.

The Real Dirt on Farming, available in English and French, is a national initiative led by Farm & Food Care Canada and its provincial associations in Ontario and Saskatchewan as part of its mandate to cultivate appreciation for food and farming by connecting farm gates to dinner plates. 

Copies of The Real Dirt on Farming have been distributed at fairs, grocery stores, in newspapers and other media throughout 2015.
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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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