By Drew Spoelstra, Vice President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Last week was municipal election day across Ontario. Although the campaigns aren’t generally as high profile as during provincial or federal elections, these local contests are no less important.

In fact, one could argue that they might even have more impact on our daily lives since it’s municipal governments who make decisions about many of the local issues that affect us directly, from housing and taxation to snow removal and garbage pick up.

This year, many municipalities saw new faces take leadership positions as mayors, deputy mayors and councillors. My community is one of them. My family and I farm in Binbrook, which is in the southeast corner of the City of Hamilton, and we have a new mayor – former provincial New Democratic Party leader Andrea Horwath – and 10 new councillors.

As we welcome our newly elected and newly re-elected politicians across Ontario to the posts they’ll hold for the next four years, it’s important that farmers and others in rural communities start building new relationships with these individuals or strengthening existing ones.

In my area for example, even though we’re part of a city, our municipality is about 75% rural, which means that farm and rural issues are incredibly important, and as farmers, we must do our part to ensure that those who represent us know what matters to us and why.

As they likely were in many other parts of the province, farmland preservation, urban boundaries and taxation were top issues in our local elections – but we also had more urban-focused priorities take a high profile, like a planned Light Rail Transit system in Hamilton.

The issue of farmland preservation is a critical one not just to farmers, but to everyone in our province. Our farmland is disappearing at a rapid pace, so it is vital that we preserve our ability to grow our own food, fuel and fibre.

At the same time, we recognize the need to find solutions to the housing crisis, which means we need responsible and long-term land use planning that takes a balanced approach to supporting economic growth and protecting agricultural land.

Election campaigns can be intense, but the work doesn’t end once the votes are cast. As the voice of Ontario’s farmers, we will continue to work hard to keep the importance of farmland preservation and other key issues at the top of municipal agendas.
And that’s where all farmers can play a role too. Many of our newly elected mayors, deputy mayors and councillors have varying backgrounds and may not be as well versed in farming and agricultural practices and now find themselves representing agricultural constituents.

I encourage you to get to know your local politicians, speak to them about issues affecting agriculture and invite them out to your farm for a visit so they can see for themselves what you are talking about. Often, a picture – in this case, a live, in-person one – really does speak a thousand words.

As well, take some time to follow the issues that are discussed at your local council meetings. Many municipalities livestream council meetings online, for example, or make recordings or minutes available for review. Get involved and share your opinions and viewpoints from the farm or rural perspective.

Many areas also have local agricultural advisory committees, like we do in the City of Hamilton, which play a key role in reviewing and advising on agricultural policies and policies that can impact farmers.

We all know that relationships matter and as our local politicians take office, we have an opportunity to get involved, help them get to know agriculture and make sure our voice is being heard.

Farmers make up a very small part of the population, so it’s up to us to make sure that people understand what we do, the role we play in broader society and why that matters – to us and to them.
​
For more information, contact:
Tyler Brooks
Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883 ext. 218
tyler.brooks@ofa.on.ca

By Tracey Arts, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Farm theft and trespassing incidents are increasing, and sadly, it’s a trend that is expected to continue as people struggle with inflation and growing fears of economic recession. Crops and livestock are easy targets for thieves, along with equipment, fuel and other high value farm items that may not always be protected.

Although some thefts are crimes of opportunity, professional criminals are increasingly engaging in daytime thefts as they’ve come to learn that many people in rural areas are away from their properties during the day.

It’s not always theft that brings people onto farm properties without permission, though.

Reports of people going onto farms uninvited in search of that perfect Instagram photo in a field of sunflowers, pumpkins or canola in full bloom are on the rise, for example.

Right now, it’s fall hunting season, and although hunters are strongly encouraged to ask landowners for permission before going onto their properties, not everyone extends that courtesy. We’re also just a few weeks away from winter, which means snowmobiling and other winter sports that take people outside.

My family farms in Oxford County and we often deal with people riding their all-terrain vehicles through our property or using our land for horseback riding without our permission. Not only is that trespassing, but what may seem like an innocent outdoor activity actually causes damage on the farm.

The fall is when we prepare our fields for next year’s crops, and whether someone criss-crosses the land on a horse or an ATV, that activity will leave behind an impact that we will feel well into the next growing season and sometimes longer in the form of damage to crops and soil.

But there can also be unforeseen dangers for the people who are engaging in trespassing. Some farms, like ours, harvest sap for maple syrup production, which means there are sap lines running through the bush. On other farms, equipment can be stored outside that isn’t visible when it’s covered by snow, posing risk of unexpected injury.

We are livestock farmers, and for us, trespassing comes with another very serious threat: the potential for animal diseases to come onto our farms that can seriously harm or even kill our herds or flocks. Most livestock and poultry farms follow what we call biosecurity protocols – specific steps and processes designed to keep our animals safe from disease.

That includes keeping uninvited visitors away from buildings and barnyards, for example, to minimize the risk of disease that could wipe out an entire livestock herd or poultry flock. It may not seem like a big deal to most people, but it is a very big deal to those of us who care for livestock every day.

Our farms are our businesses, so trespassing is an important issue for farmers and our livelihoods. Our farms are also where we live, however, so it’s also an issue of safety and security for us and our families.

It’s important for Ontarians to be aware of trespassing rules and their responsibilities around making sure they ask permission before they enter private property or staying on marked, designated trails if out snowmobiling, for example.

But there are also actions that farmers and rural landowners can take to help protect their property against trespassing and theft.

According to law enforcement, posting clearly visible “no trespassing” signs is the best way to let people know they are not welcome to roam your property without your consent. Although signs won’t necessarily keep intruders out, having them clearly visible at every entry to your property will help build a case with police if you do have an incident.

Watch for unknown tire tracks, discarded cigarettes, garbage, or alcohol containers on or near your property, as well as drones flying overhead that may be collecting information for theft or activism. Locations can be scouted before they are targeted, whether for theft or even anti-agricultural activist activity, so keep an eye out for people who look out of place or who are taking photos of vehicles or people.

Be careful what you post on social media about where your farm is located, or if you’re going to be away etc. While farmers try to be transparent online about farming practices and helping people understand where their food comes from, it’s important we don’t become targets or inadvertently place our families or our farms in jeopardy.

More information about how to protect your farm or rural property against theft and trespassers is available in this Securing your assets fact sheet from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

For more information, contact:
Tyler Brooks
Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883 ext. 218
tyler.brooks@ofa.on.ca

​By Peggy Brekveld, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Each year, the week leading up to Thanksgiving is Ontario Agriculture Week. With fall harvest in full swing and Ontarians marking the holiday with gatherings and special meals, it’s an ideal time to celebrate food and farming in Ontario.

This year, we celebrated Ontario Agriculture Week with a series of food-focused events across the province as part of an initiative called Source Local. It’s a partnership between Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and Farm & Food Care Ontario that was launched late last year to raise the profile of locally grown food.

There are many things that divide urban and rural Ontarians, and those are often what people first think of or are reported in the media. If you stop and think about it, though, we also have a lot of things in common – like caring about our families and our communities, our future and our food.

Source Local is a year-long pilot project designed to showcase those shared values between farmers, consumers and others involved in producing our food. During Ontario Agriculture Week, OFA hosted four “farmers and food trucks” events in Thunder Bay, London, Milton and Ottawa.

OFA and Farm & Food Care staff and OFA board members, along with volunteers from local federations of agriculture and other farm organizations, were present at each event, answering questions and handing out food. Displays and exhibits showcasing the depth and breadth of Ontario food production, from chicken and mushrooms to garlic, greenhouse vegetables and more, were also at each event.

Food trucks provided complimentary lunches using all-Ontario ingredients to passersby. At the London event, for example, a local mushroom farm also provided samples of mushroom chili and the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers handed out locally grown greenhouse cucumber and tomato snacks. And in Ottawa, event participants could also enjoy chocolate milk, hardboiled eggs and locally made pepperettes.

In my home community of Thunder Bay, a great group of local farmer volunteers hosted a barbecue at the Marina, giving away lunches to passersby, which included a group of police officers interested in learning more about local food.

In Ottawa, our Source Local event was held at Algonquin College, giving us a great chance to engage with students during their lunch break. Most had never heard of any of our groups or of Ontario Agriculture Week, but once conversations began, there were plenty of questions and genuine interest about food, farming and the importance of buying local. We often talk to consumers who are principal grocery shoppers or people who come out to fairs and other events, but we rarely get the chance to talk to young adults, especially those who have just moved away from home for the first time and now have to make their own food decisions. We were also able to make a donation to Algonquin’s food cupboard program, helping to provide essential food supplies for students needing a little extra assistance.

In London, we were also ideally located at Dundas Place in front of Fanshawe College, also bringing students to our event on their way to and from class, and in Milton, our set-up at a farm market meant many visitors were families with small children.
It’s always a unique opportunity when, as a farmer, you have a chance to have a conversation with someone about what you do on your farm and how food is produced. The questions are invariably interesting – and we usually both go away having learned something.

That’s what makes special events like these so valuable, and I’d like to extend my thanks and appreciation to everyone who helped contribute to our provincial Source Local events this year. It takes time, effort and people to build relationships, but it’s much easier to get started when you have things in common – and local food is something we can all agree on.
​
For more information, contact:
Tyler Brooks
Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883 ext. 218
tyler.brooks@ofa.on.ca

By Louis Roesch, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

It’s fall in Ontario and harvest is in full swing on farms across the province. It’s an important time of year for farmers as it’s when we bring in the crops we’ve been nurturing all season long and prepare our fields and farms for the winter season.

It also means that there are more tractors, combines, and other farm equipment on the road than normal. I farm in Chatham-Kent near Chatham, where we grow a lot of processing tomatoes, corn and soybeans, so you’re likely to see a lot of tractors, wagons, and trucks on the road hauling those crops to processing plants, grain elevators and on-farm storages at this time of year.

The crops may be a bit different in other parts of the province, but you’ll still see a lot of farm vehicle traffic, which makes road safety for both farmers and motorists absolutely essential to help all of us prevent accidents.

In Essex County, our local federation of agriculture has partnered with ADM Windsor, Corteva Canada and Essex Grain Farmers to draw attention to the importance of harvest season road safety by producing and releasing a video message through Bell Media’s Fields to Forks campaign. Our goal is two-fold: we want to remind farmers to be cautious on the road and encourage motorists to be patient and alert around slow-moving vehicles.

Many rural roads have narrow shoulders, which makes it difficult if not impossible for farmers to pull off to the side safely to let motorists pass. A gap between a slow-moving vehicle and an ongoing car can close very quickly, for example, so we urge drivers to pay attention to indicator lights – and to remember that passing safely is important to keep everyone safe.

This year, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) also launched a province-wide billboard campaign, accompanied by audio ads played during radio traffic updates to draw attention to slow-moving farm vehicles and how to safely share the road with these large pieces of equipment.

A committee of OFA board members and staff gathered input from local federations of agriculture across Ontario to identify which roads and highways would let us reach large numbers of motorists travelling to and from work or the cottage, for example. The call-to-action to lead a campaign about SMV signs and farm equipment on the roads was brought forward by the membership as a resolution at a recent Annual General Meeting. As an organization, we see this as an investment in the safety of our members and the public.

I know that in my area, we’ve seen a positive impact from this campaign. It’s very common to have two or three accidents involving slow-moving farm traffic per season, and so far, we’ve been accident-free.

Farm safety isn’t just about roads and traffic, though. It’s also about physical, emotional and mental health. There have been many studies done in recent years about the high stress levels felt by farmers, and harvest is a particularly stressful time of year.

A lot of work that needs to happen in a relatively short period of time and if the weather doesn’t cooperate, equipment breaks down or there are labour shortages, it can add additional stress to an already extremely busy season.

This is where the Farmer Wellness Initiative can help. It includes a confidential telehealth line that makes mental wellness support available free of charge to all Ontario farmers and farm families 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in English and French, as well as up to 30 other languages.

With funding from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year federal-provincial-territorial initiative, OFA has partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) – Ontario Division and LifeWorks to develop and launch this initiative. It is the first step of a multi-year, province-wide program that provides free counselling services virtually, in-person or on the phone by professional counsellors with agricultural backgrounds and training. OFA and its partners graciously appreciate the continued support for this initiative from Ontario government and specifically Hon. Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

If you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, you can reach the mental health helpline for farmers at 1-866-267-6255, and additional resources are available on the Farmer Wellness Initiative website.

And finally, farm safety also means just generally being aware of precautions you can take on the farm to avoid accidents and injuries – especially during harvest. That means keeping equipment fixed and up to date, taking a break when you’re tired or fatigued, and even though it might be tempting, not cutting corners when you’re in a rush.

Be kind to yourself and keep safety top of mind this harvest season.

For more information, contact:
Tyler Brooks
Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883 ext. 218
tyler.brooks@ofa.on.ca

​By Paul Maurice, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Fruit and vegetable growers in Canada have long been asking for the federal government to establish legislation that would ensure they get paid for their crops if a produce buyer goes bankrupt.

At the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), I represent Peel, York and Simcoe, home to many fruit and vegetable growers, particularly around Bradford and in the Holland Marsh, which is often called Ontario’s salad bowl because of the sheer volume of fresh produce grown there.

That makes this issue an important one in our area, and this past June, Scot Davidson, the MP in our local riding of York-Simcoe just north of Toronto, introduced a private member’s bill in the House of Commons. If passed, Bill C-280, the Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act, will help protect the fresh produce sector from the catastrophic impacts of buyer bankruptcy.

This bill is expected to come up for debate in the House of Commons later this fall and we need help making sure your MP knows how important it is to support our fruit and vegetable growers by voting in favour of Bill C-280. If you work in the produce sector, if you’re a farmer, or if you love and support local food, this legislation matters. Here’s why.

Under the current federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, suppliers can recover their product if a buyer becomes insolvent. However, this doesn’t apply if that product has been resold, or is no longer identifiable or in the same state.

As we all know, fresh fruits and vegetables spoil quickly, so it is incredibly rare for a supplier to reclaim their produce – and even if they could, it would no longer be in any condition to be sold for human consumption.

Supply chain disruptions, price increases, and business closures have become part of daily life since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and unfortunately, the fruit and vegetable sector is unlikely to be immune to insolvencies. This makes financial protection a priority issue that affects all of us.

MP Davidson’s bill is a private member’s bill, which means the Second Reading vote on this legislation will be open and MPs are free to vote as they choose instead of having to follow their party’s official position. That’s why it is critical that as many MPs as possible from all parties vote in support of this bill.

If it becomes law, Bill C-280 will be the first time that Canadian fruit and vegetable growers and producer sellers have guaranteed payment for goods we are selling. It would let anybody who sells produce, from growers and wholesalers to distributors, marketers, and pack houses, to sell in trust and receive priority status in case of a bankruptcy or an insolvency.

Bill C-280 could also let Canada offer financial protection to produce buyers from the U.S. Canadian produce sellers used to enjoy this kind of protection when exporting to the United States, but their preferential status was revoked in 2014 because Canada didn’t have legislation to offer the same protections for American produce sellers in Canada. The Canadian produce industry would certainly benefit if we were able to regain reciprocal protection with our nation’s largest trading partner.

Together with the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association and the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, the OFA is asking you to take a few minutes to call, write or email your MP about Bill C-280 so they’re aware of why it matters, and how important our fresh produce industry is to their communities and to our provincial economy. Ask them to support the bill during Second Reading so that we can continue to enjoy fresh produce that’s grown close to home.

With all of the produce grown in my area, I know first-hand how significant a role fruit and vegetable growers play in our food supply and the impact it has on the provincial economy. I also know how critical this financial protection legislation – which comes at no cost to the government or taxpayers – is to the businesses and jobs in the produce sector, to protecting local food production, and to ensuring our ongoing ability to feed ourselves.

Visit protectproducesales.ca to learn more. We all benefit from a strong, healthy and secure food system.

For more information, contact:
Tyler Brooks
Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883 ext. 218
tyler.brooks@ofa.on.ca