OFA to focus on connecting with Ontarians in 2022

The leadership of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) was re-elected by the Board of Directors for a second consecutive term at its annual general meeting Nov. 22.

This is the second year the President and Executive Committee has been elected by the board of directors following a bylaw ratification which was voted in by the delegates at the 2020 annual meeting.

OFA president Peggy Brekveld began the meeting with “wow, what a year!” and highlighted the work that the board and executive committee achieved in the past year. Despite having to work remotely the majority of the time, “we doubled down on our lobbying efforts in pursuit of Farms and Food Forever, and we saw huge wins pertaining to rural broadband, mental health, a number of government investments and funding,” she said.

Why it matters: Ontario’s largest farmer organization is focusing on promoting the province’s agri-food sector with consumers for the next year. 

The theme of the annual meeting was “Connecting with Ontarians.” This theme was chosen to reflect the focus for the farmer organization for the next year, which will be promoting Ontario’s agri-food sector and food value chain. The Connecting with Ontarians initiative encourages farmers “to tell their stories, bridge the gap between the urban-rural divide and make lasting relationships with consumers.”

Brekveld said prime farm land is disappearing across the province at an alarming rate due to the encroachment of urban development. Farm land loss is estimated to be 175 acres per day. 

Public trust campaign

At the meeting, the OFA announced that it is launching a year-long pilot project called Source Local in partnership with Food and Farm Care Ontario (FFCO). Source Local is a public trust/consumer outreach program to increase support for food and farming in the province. 

The project complements the OFA’s public awareness campaign Homegrown, launched earlier in 2021, that focuses on protecting Ontario’s farmland and domestic food production, said Brekveld. 

“We aim to tell the Homegrown story through a compelling narrative based on emotion and perception while instilling discipline and consistency in our messaging and outreach,” she said. “To date, more than 17,000 people have signed on in support of our campaign through the change.org petition. We understand cities and municipalities need to grow. 

“But our message is for land use planners and developers to start looking inward and upward before they look out.”

She said Source Local will also focus on strong communications through both traditional and digital media opportunities, and that details will be available to membership soon. 

A highlight of the meeting was keynote speaker, Terry O’Reilly, a marketing author and radio personality with CBC Radio. A powerful storyteller, he told attendees that when talking about the agriculture sector, it’s important to remember to connect with people using your heart instead of your mind. 

“You can’t open new doors with old keys,” he said. When speaking to a non-farming public, he said try using a technique you haven’t tried before, or share a personal story. 

Changes to the Board of Directors

Three members vied for the vacant position of Director-at-Large. Sara Wood, a Perth County field crop and poultry farmer, was elected to the position for a three-year term.

New board members were also welcomed to the organization in a provincial board meeting that was held immediately following the annual meeting: Ethan Wallace, Vanessa Renaud and Paul Maurice. 

A special farewell and words of appreciation were shared to outgoing valued team members of both staff and board, including staff members Laura Jeffery and Heather Derks as well as retiring directors Keith Currie (Past President), Hugh Simpson, Brent Royce and Rejean Pommainville. “Each have left a lasting impression, impact and have worked tirelessly for the betterment of Ontario’s agriculture sector.”

More than 50 applications from across the province were submitted to OFA’s post-secondary bursary program. This year’s recipients are Allison French, Kristen Kelderman and Sabrina Van Schyndel. 

Brekveld closed the annual meeting by thanking attendees for taking the time to participate and looks forward to what the next year brings. 

“We are looking forward to a new year full of possibilities,” she said. “We will continue to work hard for our strong dynamic sector that feeds families across Ontario, this country in the world.”