OFA and The Co-operators team up to encourage farmers to annually review farm insurance policies9/27/2021 By Bruce Buttar, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Choosing the right insurance policy for your farm is never an easy task. It’s often a difficult and taxing job finding an insurance policy that best suits the unique needs of your farm business. Understandably, it’s hard to think about investing in insurance when things are going well on the farm. But, when unexpected accidents or events occur, the last place you want to be is left out in the cold facing financial hardships because you didn’t have the proper property and liability insurance. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), in partnership with The Co-operators, wants to encourage our members to review their insurance coverage annually to ensure they are adequately covered if unexpected events occur. Although the task may seem daunting, complicated or confusing, it is important to ensure that your plan accurately covers the unique needs of your property and reflects market changes. Insurance is a form of risk management, helping to ensure you and your property are protected in the act of damage, fire, flooding, etc. When seeking out insurance, one thing to keep in mind is creating a positive relationship with your farm insurance broker. Your broker will assist you in assessing the value of your assets, offer professional advice and create a policy specific to your business. One thing we encourage members to keep in mind is to ask questions, safeguard against risk and ensure that no information or assets are being overlooked. Farms are a complex entity, making it vitally important to accurately respond to questions or concerns from the broker in order to obtain the proper coverage. Two-way dialogue with your insurance broker is vital when updating your policy. One area that is often looked over is the limits of property insurance. Due to challenges and changes in supply chains, it has never been more important for farmers to check that the coverage limits of their structures, animals and machinery are sufficient in case replacements need to be made. When increases in items such as lumber or machinery occur, farmers can find themselves in situations where their total insurance coverage falls short of the amount of money needed to replace the damaged property. We encourage our members to stay familiar with the current market prices of their assets and to regularly reference their limits of property insurance to ensure they have the correct coverage. OFA also reminds members to regularly update their insurance broker when new machinery or equipment is purchased. We suggest all operators keep a detailed inventory of their farm assets and update their insurance carrier when changes occur. This will help make sure you have adequate coverage to cover the cost of all your equipment in the event an accident occurred. The Co-operators currently offer OFA members exclusive coverage and savings on insurance plans. The Co-operators share that members should be mindful of the limits of liability insurance. As farmland continues to become less and less available, the price of that land continues to increase. The overall net worth of a farm and its owners, partners, and inhabitants need to be considered when placing liability limits. Understanding exactly how much liability insurance each farm operation requires is a complex process that takes many variables into account, including the value of the operation and the primary commodities being produced. OFA strongly recommends members contact their insurance advisor to ensure they have sufficient liability coverage. The Co-operators is also encouraging members to consider loss of income (business interruption). Catastrophic loss is never planned for and occurs when we least expect it. Business interruption insurance is a type of commercial property insurance that protects against income loss as a direct result of damage or destruction to insured property. Farmers without any type of business interruption insurance could find themselves in a situation where they are without income when farm assets are damaged or destroyed. Business interruption insurance can help bridge the gap and maintain cash flow in certain situations. We encourage our farmers to check if their policy has Business Interruption Insurance and to determine if the level of benefits they would receive is adequate. Additionally, OFA has collaborated with The Co-operators to release more in-depth information on our website dealing with Limits of Property Insurance, Limits of Liability Insurance, and Loss of Income. OFA hopes that all members utilize these tips and considerations when it comes to annually reviewing their insurance coverage. We want to ensure that in case of an emergency or catastrophic event, our members have the coverage they need to get through it. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected]
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By Jennifer Doelman, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Labour has been a longstanding critical issue impacting the agriculture and food value chain — including planting, production, quality control, processing, distribution and research. It is not only difficult to attract, but also to retain employees in the various sectors of agriculture. The Feeding Your Future initiative was developed with the primary objective of addressing chronic labour shortages. Funding from both the Ontario government and Canadian government through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) created the opportunity to introduce more than just a labour initiative, but a long-term strategy to live beyond the immediate impacts of COVID-19. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) appreciates the government support to empower the agricultural community to address an ongoing challenge that has hindered growth of the sector. Job vacancies have cost farmers an estimated total of $1.5 billion. As an essential industry and significant economic contributor, the agri-food sector is part of the solution for economic recovery in this province. Filling vacant roles along the food value chain will create investment opportunities, job growth and help to secure a sustainable food production system. Feeding Your Future has built momentum over the past year, connecting employees with employers, and helping to address immediate labour gaps. Services have uniquely been tailored to serve Ontario farmers in a virtual format due to the lack of personal interactions occurring over the last 18 months. This initiative has been an excellent opportunity to collaborate and build relationships with stakeholders in the industry and welcome diverse backgrounds and skillsets. As the largest general farm organization in the province, OFA provides a vehicle to connect our members and job seekers, but we cannot succeed independently. The project has opened opportunities for further collaboration, allowing OFA to pull groups and individuals together to expand beyond our network. Offering regional and province-wide virtual career fairs with AgCareers.com and CareersInFood.com has provided the opportunity for employers to connect directly with job seekers despite the barrier of no in-person job fairs. Webinars, hosted by AgCareers.com, have covered relevant topics for employers to learn strategies to implement on their farm during and after the hiring process. Crafting job descriptions, enhancing workplace culture and diversifying the workplace are a few of the topics that have provided an opportunity for employers to learn from experts and engage in Q & A sessions to follow. It’s no secret that as farmers, we prefer to focus our energy on growing our crops or raising our livestock, rather than trying to teach ourselves how to become a human resources department. It is important to recognize however, that workplace culture is everything when it comes to retaining employees on the farm. These webinars provide the tips and strategies for the hiring process as well as how to improve communication and enhance workplace culture – which means that we can use these tools and then get back to doing what we love. For hiring on our farm this year, we utilized the job matching concierge service of this project. We were able to work with an AgCareers.com staff member who helped us create a job description for the vacant position we were looking to fill and connected us with applicants. It was a very easy, hands-off process that was also free. This was a great low-risk opportunity for us to try this service because we didn’t need to budget for a job ad that we weren’t sure would be filled. Ontario farmers are receiving the benefit of personalized services for hiring in agriculture which helps fill a short-term void. While this initiative has had a short-term focus, it aims to have a long-term vision. Educational resources have been established including the Agriculture Worker Safety and Awareness Certificate, developed with the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. This certificate program addresses both challenges of labour attraction and retention. As an introductory program, it welcomes those who may have limited to no knowledge in the agriculture field and provides basic farm awareness to build confidence. This confidence becomes part of the retention strategy as this technical knowledge is applied to an agriculture workplace. To grow exposure of the various education and career opportunities in agriculture, a new certificate program is currently being developed with an accredited post-secondary institution. OFA appreciates that the Canadian and Ontario government have responded to this long-standing challenge, and we hope to gain this continued support in the future. Collaboration welcomes positive change, and it is important to provide our members with resources that offer a long-term gain. With a lack of sufficient labour, burnout and exhaustion can happen easily, which further emphasizes the need for a long-term strategy to ensure the agri-food value chain remains strong, reliable and profitable. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] By Crispin Colvin, Executive Member, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Throughout the month of September, all levels of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) have been actively involved in advocating for the betterment of the agriculture industry and our rural communities. From county and regional federations to the OFA board of directors, our representatives have been engaging federal candidates across the province, ensuring the needs, priorities and opportunities for agriculture remain at the forefront of their political platforms. As a grassroots organization, OFA believes in the importance of a unified voice. Utilizing and mobilizing our local federations has been vital to our federal advocacy efforts. One-on-one conversations mixed with regional all-candidates meetings have been a powerful tool in communicating key issues and messages, while personalizing them based on local interests and concerns. Throughout this election, many of our federations have taken the initiative to reach out to candidates in their communities and plan opportunities for member engagement. These meetings provide the chance for farmers, agri-business owners, rural residents and community leaders to meet their candidates, speak up for agriculture, voice local issues and reiterate the needs of the region and province. I believe these meetings are a valuable way to understand each candidates’ perspective and perception of our sector and for our members to engage with future leaders. I had the opportunity to attend the all-candidates meeting, hosted by the Lambton Federation of Agriculture, and enjoyed the experience. I found it to be an excellent opportunity to connect with the local candidates and understand each political party’s platform and their level of knowledge of agriculture and food in Ontario. These meetings have offered the chance to share our priorities, educate federal candidates, and brainstorm how to work collaboratively to ensure our sector remains strong, profitable and viable. To further communicate our key messages, OFA’s executive board members have been targeting federal candidates in urban ridings to reiterate priorities of the industry, collaborate on economic growth opportunities and discuss the benefits investments agriculture and rural Ontario can have on the provincial economy. OFA board members continue to meet virtually with members of all political parties bringing important messages about the need for environmental sustainability, a fair carbon pricing policy, revisions to the current business risk management programs and access to skilled labour. These priorities have been outlined and shared in a detailed package that was distributed to all levels of the organization to ensure we approach the election with a unified voice. OFA encourages members interested in getting involved to reach out to their local federation of agriculture or Member Service Representative (MSRs) to inquire about all-candidate meetings in their riding. Share agriculture’s message on social media and engage with candidates in your area. Together, we can ensure that federal politicians understand the value and tremendous opportunities the agri-food sector and our rural communities have to offer. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] South Dundas Municipality is hosting their 3rd annual South Dundas Awards of Excellence Program to honour successful and outstanding individuals and businesses that contribute to the growth of South Dundas' community.
Among the categories is the Agricultural Leadership Award. If you know an individual or business in agriculture deserving of recognition, please visit the page for the Awards of Excellence on the Municipality's website to submit a nomination. Self-nominations are also accepted. Nominations for the awards opened on September 9th and remain open until September 30th. By Brent Royce, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture As the fall season approaches and some normalcy returns to our daily lives, the pace of traffic has picked up. School buses are back on their routes, commuters are home from summer vacation and back to work, and as farmers, some of us are already back on the road with harvest equipment. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) reminds equipment operators of the responsibility of abiding by road safety rules, including the increased use of lighting and signage. Being proactive rather than reactive can be the difference between another day on the job and a dangerous accident. Doing our part as farm equipment operators increases our visibility and creates more awareness among motorists on the road who aren’t accustomed to encountering farm equipment. Some farm implements, wagons and tractors across Ontario still lack proper lighting, reflective gear and up-to-date signage which is necessary to avoid road accidents. We encourage our membership to recognize the role and responsibilities we have to keep the roads safe. As an organization, we are lucky to have county and regional representatives across the province to ensure pressing farming issues are considered and addressed. Specific to road safety, OFA’s Member Service Representatives (MSRs) are engaging with local federations on the increased awareness of Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) signs and sharing the road with farm equipment. Through the OFA Revive Fund, county and regional federations have gained the opportunity to develop campaigns, initiatives and projects focused on road safety in an effort to make a difference in their region. In Huron County, the local federation is collaborating with grain elevators for this year’s harvest season. Pending supplies, from September to December, the Huron County Federation of Agriculture (HCFA) is promoting the use of SMV signs by distributing them through local grain elevators. These signs are also reflective for an extra element of safety. Elevator staff can flag the absence of signage or worn signage on equipment and wagons that come through and distribute these signs for free. The intent is to provide open communication and explanation of the meaning and importance of this signage on social media platforms as well as local publications. This information serves our farming community as well as education for those who do not operate farm equipment but may encounter it on the road. The Leeds County Federation of Agriculture (LCFA) and Grenville Federation of Agriculture (GFA) have also teamed up to implement an educational road sign campaign. These county federations are purchasing additional roadside ‘Caution Farm Equipment’ signs and ‘Horse and Buggy’ signs to place along major roadways in Leeds and Grenville counties. The focus is to not only increase awareness of farm traffic on roadways, but also to educate travellers on the difference between farm equipment and regular vehicles. Engagement and support from local police departments and municipalities has enhanced the power of these campaigns and helped to spread the messaging further than the agricultural echo chamber. OFA’s Revive Fund has provided an excellent medium to facilitate these campaigns and OFA is proud of the federations that have initiated these road safety initiatives. Hopefully the increased use of signage can spread across the province to help protect both rural and urban drivers. We care about the safety of everyone on the roadways and recognize the importance of shared responsibility to ensure we all return home safely. As leaders in the Ontario agriculture community, it’s important that we all continue to take initiative and improve the situation. These campaigns offer an opportunity for non-farming community awareness, in addition to peer education among the farming population. When it comes to safety, training, reminders and extra precautions to prevent avoidable accidents on roadways are time well spent. This approach can be successful in yielding a long-term impact by increasing the consistent use of signage and providing education that resonates. For more information, contact: Tyler Brooks Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 ext. 218 [email protected] |
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