By Crispin Colvin, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Food has always been a key ingredient in bringing people together. And during these uncertain and challenging times when so many of us are apart, food is still helping us connect with each other.
Families are spending more time in the kitchen talking about where food comes from, food security and maybe even cooking together for the first time. Social distancing could see a new generation of Ontarians taking more interest in food than ever before. Food literacy, building healthy eating patterns, food safety, and how to clean, prepare, cook and serve food are all essential skills. Now that kids are spending more time at home, why not make the best of the COVID-19 situation and use this extra family time to learn more about food literacy?
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is a proud advocate for food literacy through the Six by Sixteen initiative – a resource that encourages families to use their family time in the kitchen. Six by Sixteen focuses on teaching youth how to plan and prepare six nutritious, locally sourced meals by the time they are sixteen years old. The website offers resources from OFA and supporting partners to help young people develop lifelong skills, healthy eating habits and a new appreciation for food. Fostering food literacy skills and challenging our youth to embrace and enhance their culinary skills also extends their educational studies like math and science as they measure and test ingredients. Six by Sixteen also promotes buying fresh, healthy, local Ontario-grown food to support the local economy.
The website, sixbysixteen.me offers food literacy resources for families with children and young adults of all ages, including recipes, cooking videos, how to find local, in season food, and more. OFA encourages families to share photos of their cooking activities by tagging #sixbysixteen in your social media posts. OFA is also offering families an exclusive Six by Sixteen recipe guide to help inspire the next generation to learn how to plan and prepare healthy meals. The recipe guide is available for download here. For more inspiration, follow Six by Sixteen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
OFA is proud to partner with Ontario and Canadian agricultural organizations to offer Six by Sixteen’s online resource. We’ve also partnered with education and awareness groups to bring Six by Sixteen and food literacy into local communities. Working together with 4-H Ontario, OFA’s food literacy initiative has been adapted into a 4-H club that is offered provincially. Through the club, youth members learn about knife safety, proper handwashing, how to source and prepare six meals, and the importance of food literacy for overall health. OFA has also partnered with Farm & Food Care Ontario to promote the program at their Breakfast on the Farm events.
In the fall of 2019, Six by Sixteen had the opportunity to promote food literacy to more than 2,500 students for Education Day inside the Semex Ring of Excellence. OFA representatives guided students through Kitchen Party, an interactive and educational game designed to teach kids about food literacy and shared the Six by Sixteen recipe guide.
An appreciation of food, understanding of how to safely prepare and serve it, and the pride of enjoying a meal you’ve created are all part of the Six by Sixteen experience. As more families turn to their own kitchens and spend time at home together, why not take the Six by Sixteen challenge – to learn how to plan, prepare and cook six meals by the age of sixteen. Together, we can learn to eat healthy and stay healthy.
 
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For more information, contact:

Crispin Colvin
Director
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-868-7317

Cathy Lennon
General Manager
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883

Coping with COVID-19 on the farm this springPosted on 9 April 2020 in Commentaries

By Drew Spoelstra, Executive Member, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
As spring rolls on and the pressures of COVID-19 unfold, Ontario farmers are bracing for the full impact of this pandemic. Many sectors within the agri-food value chain are already dealing with significant ramifications of the virus – from labour shortages, excess product supply and reduced processing capacity, to raw dairy products being dumped, cancelled or reduced contracts and prolonged delays in feed and supply deliveries.
The agri-food industry anticipates more challenges as the growing season moves forward with the expectation that every farm and agri-business will be impacted to some degree by disruptions along the supply chain.
A drastic shift in consumer spending and shopping patterns at grocery stores along with unexpected overnight changes in markets like restaurants, schools, community and recreational facilities has required the entire food value chain to fundamentally rebalance the distribution of products. With an excess supply of fresh products and the fluctuation in consumer demand, many Ontario farmers and agriculture organizations are donating their goods to food banks and shelters in an effort to adjust to the new realities of our supply chain. Supporting Ontarians in need through COVID-19 offers a glimmer of light and positivity during an otherwise difficult situation for our industry.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) understands the transition to the new normal of the value chain will take time, but it’s important to remember we are all in this together, and we are advocating for workable solutions to ensure production and processing across the agri-food sector is maintained. We are regularly engaging with our members and industry organizations for perspectives and insights on how COVID-19 is impacting farm businesses.
OFA members are sharing their concerns about accessing necessary inputs, safety and sanitation needs, veterinary supplies, livestock bedding and equipment parts. They are also concerned about access to farm services like agronomists, nutritionists, veterinarians and mechanics. OFA recognizes each service provider is making modifications to their businesses to keep their staff safe while serving the needs of their customers, and this new situation could result in some service delays.
CropLife Canada reports that most seed and early-season pesticides are already within the Canadian supply chain and there are no concerns about supply shortages at this time. The organization also notes their members throughout the supply chain have implemented a number of COVID-19 contingency plans to ensure employees are protected and farmers receive essential crop inputs in a timely manner throughout the growing season.
As the COVID-19 response continues to evolve, farmers may need to adopt new farm practices to manage social distancing, including video conferencing with crop specialists and sending high quality images of problem areas to their agronomists. Farmers are encouraged to be proactive and communicate with retailers to schedule deliveries and pick-ups of crop inputs.
The Ontario Agri-Business Association (OABA) offers suggestions for farmers to help the retail sector manage during these challenging circumstances.

• Reduce the number of trips, visits and contacts where possible.
• Maximize deliveries by considering what products could be delivered at the same time instead of separate shipments.
• Provide a detailed description of where deliveries should be placed. And when deliveries arrive, do not meet with delivery staff – always maintain physical distancing.

We are all living in a period of adjustment and uncertainty. We can work together to keep our businesses and industry moving with as little disruption as possible. CropLife Canada reminds growers that our industry continues to adhere to public health recommendations regarding physical distancing and hygiene and is adapting how we do business to ensure farmers get the support they need as they head into the planting season. CropLife Canada and the plant science industry is also looking at what the longer-term impacts of COVID-19 might be and are watching how the pandemic develops in places like India and China, where a significant amount of pesticide manufacturing happens.
Spring is already one of the busiest, most stressful times on the farm. This year, we all need to work patiently and understand we’re all affected in one way or another. If you have concerns about inputs and product availability, reach out to your supplier. If you’re having a hard time managing stress or coping with the unexpected, reach out and talk to someone you trust or access mental health support at ofa.on.ca/resources/managing-farm-stress-during-covid-19. OFA is working with government leaders and industry organizations to ensure the challenges and frustrations faced by our members and everyone along the agri-food supply chain are heard and considered as new accommodations and decisions are being made every day.
For more information, contact:
Drew Spoelstra
Executive Member
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
905-379-5751
Cathy Lennon
General Manager
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883

​By Mark Reusser, Vice President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Our distribution network is one of the keys to keeping our agri-food system functioning in normal and extraordinary times and we rely heavily on the trucking and transportation industry to make that happen. The trucking and transportation system is entrenched in the strength, safety and viability of our entire food value chain.
The federal government has acknowledged the important role trucking and transportation plays in maintaining our food system by deeming commercial truck drivers as essential workers through the COVID-19 pandemic. As farmers, and the foundation of our farm-to-fork value chain, we rely on truck drivers for a wide range of goods and services, from farm inputs, equipment and commodities vital to crop production through to the delivery of livestock and poultry and ultimately the distribution of essential food products.
The trucking industry plays an integral role in our entire food supply chain and we need to keep the food production system operating during this pandemic. It is estimated that more than 90% of all consumer products and foodstuffs are shipped by truck and there are approximately 200,000 trucks travelling Ontario roadways on any given day. That’s why the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has been advocating with the federal government to keep our trucking and transportation employees safe and healthy, and the system moving to ensure Canadians have continued access to fresh, healthy and safe food products during these difficult times. We’ve also been sharing that message with our counterparts at the provincial level.
OFA has been engaged in conversations at the federal and provincial levels of government on several issues that have been identified within the trucking industry, including lack of rest areas, bathroom facilities, food services and insurance coverage related to travel in the U.S. OFA has received confirmation that OHIP and insurance will continue to cover travel in the U.S. for the transportation sector – a critical member of our supply chain. Premier Doug Ford and the Ontario government has already committed to keeping the province’s ONroute Service Centres open to offer truck drivers access to necessary facilities, rest stops, food and fuel.
Together, OFA, Food and Beverage Ontario and the Ontario Agri-Business Association recently sent a letter to Minister Hardeman requesting an exemption from Ontario’s reduced load period weight restrictions on all Ontario highways and roads in response to COVID-19. We’re asking for this temporary exemption to streamline the movement of the agri-food value chain, including food products, critical farm inputs and essential goods necessary for processing and producing food. Quebec has already implemented a similar temporary exemption.
Not only do Ontarians rely on keeping our trucks on the road, but farmers and businesses too. Approximately two-thirds of Canada-U.S. trade by value is transported by trucks, including three-quarters of Ontario’s export trade to the U.S.
Thank you to everyone working long hours to maintain all of our businesses along the food value chain, and ensuring all Ontarians have access to safe and reliable food through these times of unprecedented demand and uncertainty. And remember – if you got it, a truck brought it.
For more information, contact:
Mark Reusser
Vice President
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-591-4223
Cathy Lennon
General Manager
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883