The Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s Annual General Meeting, which took place in Toronto this year, is where OFA members and voting delegates get together to deal with the business of the organization. It’s an opportunity for members from across Ontario to debate resolutions and help shape the direction of OFA policy and activity for the year ahead.
The Haldimand Federation was able to send four voting delegates this year: Bruce Armstrong, Charlotte Huitema, Hayden Fox, and Taylor Hoeflaak.
“As a first time attendee I had no idea what to expect, but I walked away with a greater appreciation for Ontario agriculture, knowledge on how Ontario farmers bridge the gap between farmers and consumers, and how Haldimand farmers can shape agricultural policy,” said Fox. “I loved getting to meet farmers from across Ontario and talk about the challenges and successes on their farms.”
“OFA members are growing in Ontario, which makes me so excited to hear young farmers are getting more involved in agriculture,” he added. “I was so proud to learn that OFA was one of the key driving forces in getting the Greenbelt land swap proposal reversed.”
He provided the following highlights of the AGM:
Ontario Agricultural Minister Lisa Thompson spoke to Ontario farmers about how the government is pushing for agriculture in classrooms and helping preserve Ontario farmland.
Participants attended a workshop where they learned to lobby governments and get narratives across to the media.
The silent auction raised over $12,000 to fund scholarships for those wishing to pursue further education in agriculture.
Huitema said, “I enjoyed being back for another year. Being able to connect with familiar and new faces.”
She participated in a breakout session on ‘Farming a Story, Engaging with Government & Media’, where two guests from Enterprise shared tips about how and what effective communication to use.
“It’s all about the message you leave. Effective communication tips: 1. Be prepared; 2. Plan for the win; 3. You are the message – first impression, dress to impress; 4. Talk to your audience, know the needs; 5. Stay in command – you’re in charge,” shared Huitema on what she learned. “It is important to relate to your audience and stockpile topline messages. I felt this workshop was handy to attend because I can use the information they shared and use it for when I volunteer at the Egg Farmers of Ontario booth at various events throughout the year.”
Other special guests present at the OFA AGM included Senator Rob Black, Lisa Thompson, CFA President Keith Currie, and Canadian comedian Derek Edwards.
The Tuesday evening, everyone was able to come together to celebrate the harvest with a locally sourced gala dinner and tastings from local wineries and breweries.
Taylor Hoeflaak attended the breakout session on Deadstock Management, looking at how many producers struggle to get dead animals picked up, as well as the cost associated with it.
“Although there are other options approved in Canada, many producers cannot use these options – such as burial in winter months if the ground is frozen – and sometimes the regulations approved for deadstock management don’t work with other environmental regulations, which end up cutting out a few options for livestock producers,” she explained.
“We discussed that there is not enough information and resources out there for producers to find a method that works for them,” Hoeflaak continued. “One example would be composting. Some producers in the discussion said that this is a very good method that is used on their farm, but it is very finicky and there isn’t much information out there to teach them how to properly do it.”
She noted that discussion included potential future options for research, but these options must be further considered for potential risks to biosecurity, the workload required, and other potential negative impacts that may outweigh the benefits.
“Overall, there were some great discussions going on and, although no solution was found, it does not happen overnight and these discussions help to brainstorm potential options,” she concluded. “Overall, the AGM was an amazing opportunity to connect with hardworking passionate people, all with the same goal: to protect Ontario farmers and work together to navigate through problems and come up with the best solutions. Even though Ontario is such a large place with different weather conditions, topography, soil – it’s amazing how we tend to face similar problems while bringing our own perspective and ideas.”
Peggy Brekveld served as the OFA President for three years. HFA had the privilege of having her at its June Board of Directors meeting this past year.
She shared her happiness with the many places OFA has been able to “share the voice of agriculture and help make things better for farmers in Ontario,” including issues such as “food security, fertilizer, taxation, environment, farmland preservation, and ensuring our ability to take care of animals, and although many of those conversations are ongoing, I’m also proud of the wins we were able to chalk up this year.”
“The provincial government announced funding for soil health, veterinary capacity, and rural infrastructure; we were able to help ensure that federal fertilizer tariffs paid by farmers were returned back to agriculture; and a federal bill expanding carbon tax exemptions for farmers is now before the Senate,” noted Brekveld on those successes.
Looking ahead, OFA will continue to work on many issues that have dominated the calendar in 2023. Land use and urban sprawl are hot topics, for example.
We are losing productive farmland in Ontario at rates that are unsustainable – an average of 319 acres a day, according to the latest Census of Agriculture numbers. That’s land that produces food, fuel, fibre and flowers, supports jobs, preserves wildlife habitats, and makes positive environmental contributions.
Drew Spoelstra, a dairy and crop farmer from Binbrook, was elected as the new president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) this year.
Spoelstra has served on the OFA board as a director representing farmers from Halton, Hamilton/Wentworth, and Niagara since 2013, and has most recently held the role of Vice President.
Spoelstra stated, “We’re also going to see a continued focus on the environmental sustainability issues around agriculture. That includes emission reductions to support climate change mitigation; policies and programs to support even more widespread adoption of soil health practices; and addressing water quality and management. At the same time, we must ensure that farms can also stay economically sustainable, so we’ll continue to raise awareness of concerns around profitability and the impact rising input and production costs, carbon tax, and high interest rates is having on our ability to farm competitively and produce food.”
