E-NEWSLETTER
Issue 2016-07 | July 2016
Another successful Local Food Week 
Ontario food highlighted at events and online 

With over 38 events, 1.3 million impressions on Twitter and a ton of media coverage, Farm & Food Care and Foodland Ontario were proud to support another week of Local Food Week celebrations. 
 
The #loveONTfood Contest
The #loveONTfood contest was held from June 6th to 12th. Participants could enter by sharing a photo on Instagram or Twitter showcasing their love for local food and adding the hashtag #loveONTfood. The advertising campaign for the contests generated 20,000 impressions, and 519 entries were received.


VIP Food Influencer Tour 
On June 8, 53 food bloggers, writers and
Tour guests enjoy an all-Ontario lunch
 communicators, as well as 17 other guests, visited Smith Gardens and Gwillimdale Farms - two root vegetable farms in the Holland-Marsh area. Speakers on the bus to and from the farm stops talked about pollinator health and the Northern Ontario School fruits and vegetable program, while the farm families showed just what it takes to get root vegetables from field to fork. Attendees were surveyed after the event, responding with overwhelmingly positive results. Watch a video of the tour here. 

Thanks to project partners Foodland Ontario, Croplife Canada and the Holland Marsh Growers' Association.


 

Connecting at Queen's Park
Ag-Minister Jeff Leal speaks at the Queen's Park Farmers' Market
Farm & Food Care and many other representatives of Ontario's food and agriculture industry visited downtown Toronto for the Queen's Park Farmers' Market on June 9, showcasing the province's bounty to decision makers and government employees. Farm & Food Care staff engaged visitors about food and farming, and distributed The Real Dirt on Farming.



Another successful Breakfast on the Farm
2100 people attended Woodstock event

Volunteers serve breakfast on the farm

After being treated to an all-Ontario breakfast featuring eggs, pancakes, sausage and more, visitors got a first hand look at Veldale Farms - a real, working Canadian farm business. 
 
Patrons saw dairy cattle, farm machinery, robots at work, and many other aspects of the Veldehuzine family's business. Interactive displays, activities and exhibits also showcased many other types of farms, and provided visitors the opportunity to have their questions answered by members of Ontario's agricultural community.
 
 
Farm & Food Care Ontario would like to thank the event sponsors for helping to make the day a success, and a perfect wrap-up to the province's Local Food Week celebrations. 
New executive elected
The Farm & Food Care Ontario Board of Directors elected a new Executive Committee at its meeting on June 21.
 
Brian Gilroy, representing the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, has taken the position of chair, replacing long-time chair John Maaskant. Gilroy is an apple grower from Meaford.
 
Christine Schoonderwoerd of Mitchell moves into the role of vice-chair. She was nominated to the board by Wallenstein Feed and Supply Ltd. 
 
New director Sandi Brock of Staffa takes over the role of secretary at-large from retiring director Beth Clark. Brock was nominated to the board by the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency. 
 
Jim Gowland of Holyrood is now treasurer. Gowland was nominated to the board by the Ontario Bean Growers and replaces Joe Hickson (nominated by the Ontario Seed Growers' Association) who continues to serve as a director.
 
For more information on board elections, see the official press release. 
Brian Gilroy
Member Survey
Farm & Food Care Ontario is looking for feedback from our members and stakeholders about member services and the projects and programs we coordinate. The information from this survey will be used to help guide the organization over the next year.
 
Please take a few minutes and complete this short survey.

Environment updates

On-Farm Solutions for Lake Erie 
Farm & Food Care is working with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario to run a farm tour on July 6 for staff of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as well as the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.The tour will highlight the best practices related to greenhouses, soil health, 4R Nutrient Stewardship, drainage and wetlands.
 
Pollinator Week   
A series of short videos highlighting the ways farmers promote pollinators has been developed.They feature producers who plant and maintain flowering shrubs in hedgerows, along stream buffers and through planting cover crops. These videos were promoted on social media for Pollinator week June 20-24, and can be viewed here.
 
Environmental Advisory Council
The council met in June and discussed environmental concerns across the industry. Visiting from Alberta to discuss carbon offset opportunities under Ontario's cap and trade system was Karen Haugen-Kozyra from Viresco Solution webcast. Kevin McKague, OMAFRA engineer, discussed the prevalence of soil erosion in Ontario and outlined the current best management practices to mitigate erosion, while Paul Smith and Sara Moore-German introduced the work of the provincial soil strategy working group. Their discussion paper will be released for comments later in 2016. 

Animal Care ~ There's an APP for that!
IMPACT program resources available for free download

Animal care info at your finger tips, in the tractor, at the chute, at the kitchen table or in the barn. With the IMPACT APP, you can watch videos, use the loading density calculator, identify animals that are not fit for transport and
quickly reference farm animal information when and where you need it.
 
Download it for free from Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Contact Us

info@farmfoodcare.org
1 (519) 837-1326
100 Stone Road West,
Suite 202 Guelph, ON N1G 5L3