Yearly banquet hosted by the HFA to take place at the end of the month

By Mike Renzella

The Haldimand Press

HALDIMAND—The Haldimand Federation of Agriculture’s (HFA) 79th annual banquet is approaching fast. The event is scheduled to take place on February 29, 2020 at the Haldimand Agricultural Centre.

A dinner of beef and ham will be provided by Saint John the Divine Anglican church based out of Cayuga. There will also be a cash bar available to serve the approximately 120-150 guests expected to attend the yearly event.

“It’s a chance to get farmers out and socialize and let them know what’s going on and to celebrate farming at a time of year when it’s not so busy,” said HFA President Hank Lise.

“The event keeps us in contact with our members and showcases some of the things that the Federation is doing,” added Nick Huitema, a representative for the HFA. He went on to highlight two projects that are of high importance to the Federation this year.

Firstly, he described an initiative known as The Emily Project. The project began its existence following a tragic accident near Hastings County where local farmer Scott Trudeau lost his daughter in a farming accident. At the time, Trudeau attempted to call 911, but due to his remote location, the ambulance was unable to locate the scene of the accident in time.

The project’s goal is to attain civic addresses for rural properties, and to place clearly visible 911 location signs on properties that otherwise would be difficult for a first responder to locate quickly in the event of the emergency.