Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Fresh Facts
Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

Presidents Message Newsletter #320

Feb./March 2017
Volume 33, Number 2
I am always amazed at how quickly time goes by. It has been 6 years that I
have been an OFFMA board member, the last 2 years serving as president. It is
now my turn to bow out and hand over the reins over to the new incoming presi-
dent.
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with a group of marketers Inside this issue:
who are smart and forward thinking and I thank them for their commitment and
contributions to the association. Being involved in Farm Fresh has made my Membership News 2
membership so much more meaningful. How to Get the 3
I missed writing a letter for the last newsletter as life got in the way; the article Most Out of Any
Conference
Cathy put in its place was timely and a good start to the year. Time manage-
ment is an important skill to develop and reading the list of mistakes to avoid I OFFMA Survey 4
ResultsPart 3 of 5
can confess to having committed all of them at some point in time.
I like to write things down and I have found the following resource very helpful in Sample Interview 5
Questions
getting me motivated and organized to manage my time better.
http://buildingastorybrand.com/episode-25/ talks about their productivity sched- Ontarios School 6
Curriculum and
ule tool and how to use it. This could help make time management achievable Your Farm
for you. Take a listen to some of Donald Millers other podcasts while you are Upcoming Events 8
on iTunes and check out Chris Blanchards Farmer to Farmer podcast with Brian
Bates as well. He is one of our presenters at the conference.
We are currently planning workshops and activities for the coming year and be-
yond and your input is important to keep OFFMA relevant in your life. The con-
ference is coming up; it would be great to hear your feedback and suggestions
so make sure you attend the AGM as well as talk to a board member for your
voice to be heard. Participate in our round table discussions; join our members
only Facebook page if you havent yet done so to communicate with members
throughout the year. There are many opportunities to be involved, this year es-
pecially, as Canada is celebrating 150 years in the making.
Save the date Monday July 17th - we are reintroducing the OFFMA summer pot-
luck which will be held at Thatcher Farms. Come on out and enjoy good food
and fellowship.

See you in Niagara Falls.

Leslie Forsythe
OFFMA President
Page 2 Fresh Facts

MEMBERSHIP NEWS Welcome to our new member, the

easiest way to get the most out of
Membership fees are now due. your membership is to come out to
Thank you to everyone who has an OFFMA event. Plan on it.
decided to support the Direct
Farm Marketing Industry in On- New Associate Member
tario by renewing their member- Matthew L. Venne
RLB Chartered Professional
ship. We appreciate your sup-
Accountants
port. Fergus, ON 519-843-1320 ext. 505
If you have not paid as yet, send www.rlb.ca
your payment to the OFFMA of-
fice ASAP to continue to receive RLB is the largest full service regional
your membership benefits. public accounting firm in Southwestern
Ontario, proudly serving their communi-
Classifieds ty for more than 60 years. They offer a
variety of services including bookkeep-
ing, HR consulting and tax planning ser-
FOR SALE:
vices with offices in Guelph, Kitchener,
Delhaven Orchards Ltd., and Fergus.
Blenheim, ON
Frozen, pitted sour cherries Food Trails Planning Report
available for wholesale and retail What Visitor Want and
Call 519-676-4475 or How Businesses Can Deliver
e-mail [email protected] By John Stanley

WANTED: Food tourism is one of the fastest grow-

Room mate for the OFVC, Sue Gam- ing tourism sectors with tourists search-
mond has booked a room at the Em- ing out new local food adventures. Be-
bassy Suites but is willing to share cause of this, food businesses and tour-
with another female. Contact Sue at ist organizations around the world are
developing Food Trails to enhance the
807-475-9609.
visitor experience.
Johns e-book discusses:
FOR SALE:
What visitors are looking for
How to develop an extraordinary
experience
What types of business should be
involved?
The secrets of success
Developing a member charter
Trail Management

2L and 4L plastic baskets, made in Food Trails Planning Report e-book is

Canada, sturdy handles, strong dura- available at www.johnstanley.com.au
ble plastic, weatherproof, reliable,
delivery, www.shouldicefarm.com May love and
[email protected] laughter
613-838-4203 light your days
and warm your
heart and home.
 Newsletter #320 Page 3

How to Get the Most Out of Any Conference

Many people wonder what farmers 6. Get the most
do all winter. Besides planning, taking out of every
care of equipment and some down session by par-
time, farmers are also going to work- ticipating. Ask
shops and conferences to learn about questions
what is new in their ield. With the make contribu-
Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention tions. Dont be
just around the corner, this infor- afraid to speak
mation is very timely. up. Youve paid
to be there so
1. Dont treat a conference like a holi- why not get
day, it is a business opportunity. your moneys worth.

2. Do some pre-conference home- 7. If you identi ied the workshop as
work by researching the speakers so meaningful to you, its worthwhile
you have a better understanding of to take notes. Without taking notes
what they are presenting. Most con- and after attending multiple work-
ferences will have speaker bios on shops, you probably wont remem-
their websites. ber who said what. You just lost a
lot of the value of attending the
3. Based on your research, put togeth- workshop.
er a strategy before you go. Review
the agenda and workshops, and iden- 8. Make the most of the Trade Show.
tify which presentations will be the Those exhibitors are there because
most useful to you. Familiarize your- they believe they have a product or
self with the loor plan so you know service that will help enhance your
where you are going. Take a note- farm operation.
book, a good pen, and lots of business
cards. 9. Enjoy the social elements of the
conference by mingling and making
4. Dont just associate with people contacts. Network!
you already know, you are there as
well to make new contacts. Confer- 10. After the conference, develop an
ences are great networking opportu- action plan. Write down the speci ic
nities that can lead to new and better items you learned, experienced or
business. saw that will lead you to start doing
things differently or better in your
5. Stay focused. Turn your phone off. farm operation. Prioritize your ac-
Its bad etiquette to be texting, e- tions and focus on the top three for
mailing, or talking while a session is this year.
in progress and its unfair to the This action is your major take-home
speaker and those people around you. value from the conference.

If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you.

If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.
Page 4 Fresh Facts

OFFMA Survey Results Part 3 of 5

Visitors and Marketing Strategies
By Suzanne Ainley

In the 2009 report it was reported fore demonstrating that a local market
about twenty percent of farms were remains a strong customer-base for
open year round and a similar propor- DFM businesses in Ontario. To reach
tion, 25 percent of 2016 survey re- their customers the five, highly effective
spondents, were open year round in marketing strategies used by respond-
2015. Operating Direct Farm Market ents included: customer refer-
(DFM) businesses on a seasonal ba- rals (83% of all respondents); own
sis continues to be strong. With the website/blog (48% of all respondents);
months of August, September and Oc- Facebook (44%); Roadside signs/
tober having over 80 percent of re- billboards (42%); and Referrals made
spondents being open at least by other businesses (39%). Also
one of these harvest months worth noting as somewhat effective
in 2015. January was found strategies used by more than half of the
to be the month when DFM 2016 survey respondents were
businesses were least likely regional tourism organization guide or
to be open in 2015. When web listing, Local food map/Food trail
asked how many days the and the members Own Brochure.
farm was open to cus- There were a long list of marketing
tomers in 2015, the strategies not being used by the majori-
range was from 30 to ty of OFFMA members who responded
364 days, with the av- to the survey, these being: online dis-
erage being 175 days. count deals, TripAdvisor/Yelp reviews,
A running total of 2.2 million Email bulletins, Instagram, Twitter, TV
customers were attracted in 2015 to advertising, Newsletters/Direct mail,
only those 59 farms who responded to Radio Ads, Posters/Flyers, Newspaper
this particular question in the online ads, bus tours, sponsorship of teams/
survey. The range of visitors was from community events. It is interesting that
20 to 500,000 visitors per farm that many of these local market marketing
reported with an average of 37,500 strategies arent being used by OFFMA
visitors in 2015. Based on estimated farms as the core market lives within 30
averages of visitors, annual visits to kilometers of the farm.
on-farm markets in Ontario is increas- The majority of respondents (80%)
ing: the 2005 study found over half of felt the local food movement was driv-
its reporting farms had more than ing growth of DFM businesses. Further,
10,000 visits and almost 20 percent about felt their farms were the face
had more than 50,000 per year; the of farming with the public and almost
2009 study reported that more than all agreed or strongly agreed (57% and
one-third of farms estimated they 39% respectively) that their farms were
served over 25,000 customers a sea- meeting expectations of customers.
son. In 2015, close to half of farms On average, about of 2015
had more than 10,000 visits; with 25 gross sales from all reporting farms
percent reporting more than 50,000 were derived from retail customer
per year. One-third of farms reported sales. With wholesale customers mak-
having over 35,000 visitors in 2015. ing up 18 percent, sales made between
Over of the farms in 2016 re- farms or farm-to-businesses another 8
ported they were within 30 kilometers percent, and on-line sales, on average,
of the closest urban centre where their were 1 percent of gross sales made in
customers predominately live. There- 2015.
 Newsletter #320 Page 5

Are You Hiring? Sample Interview 8. Tell me about a project or accom-

Questions plishment that you consider to be
the most significant in your
Its that time of year again and many career?
OFFMA members will be looking for
employees. Although there are a lot of Want to learn more about hiring prac-
standard interview questions that you tices? Sign up for OFFMAs webinar on
can use when looking for people to hire Effective Hiring Practices with Angela
at your on-farm market, try some of Leach, Tuesday, February 28th at
these the next time you are interview- 2:00pm.
ing. The webinar will cover
1. How long are you willing to keep how to conduct job analysis
pushing on a good project until you Developing job descriptions
give up?
Reviewing applications
2. How hard is it to get you to change
your mind when you're wrong?
Best practices for interviewing
3. How much do you learn from Checking references
failing? Send an email to the
[email protected] indicating
4. How long does it take you to learn
your interest in this free webinar.
something new?
5. When have you been most satisfied OFFMA also has a Job Opportunities
in your life?
section on its website that members
6. Who is your role model, and why? are welcome to populate. Just send
7. What things do you not like to do? your details to the OFFMA office.
 Page 6 Fresh Facts

Ontarios School Curriculum and Your Farm:

Connecting Students with Agriculture
By Erica Pate, OMAFRAs Direct Farm Marketing Specialist (A)

School tours are a lot of fun for young students and also provide important hands-on learning
opportunities. If you already host school tours, or are looking into hosting school tours this
spring or fall, understanding the requirements of the Ontario Curriculum will help you plan your
school tours around the various learning goals for each grade level.

When you can demonstrate to educators that your farm tour is an educational resource that
supports the curriculums requirements, they will appreciate that it will help them to meet
their teaching objectives.

Many parts of the provincial curriculum relate to agriculture. By welcoming students to visit
your farm, you can teach them about soils, animals, local food, the importance of a healthy
diet and more. Most importantly, you can make sure that students are well-informed on agri-
culture in Ontario, the importance of knowing where your food comes from, and how farmers
are stewards of the land.
Subjects in Ontarios elementary curriculum that relate to agriculture and food production in-
clude:
-Health and Physical Education
-Science and Technology
-Social Studies
-Language

Here I outline a few of the curriculums Big Ideas* of Science and Technology in Grades 1 and
2 that visiting a farm can help students to understand.

*Big Ideas broad, important understanding that students should retain for years to come.
Big ideas describe aspects of the fundamental concepts that are addressed at each grade lev-
el.

Grade 1 Needs and characteristics of living things

Big Ideas -Living things grow, take in food to create energy, make waste, and reproduce.
-Plants and animals are living things.
-Living things have basic needs (air, water, food, shelter) that are met from the environment.
-All living things are important and should be treated with care and respect.

Grade 1 Daily and seasonal changes

Big Ideas - Changes in daily and seasonal cycles affect living things.

Grade 2 Growth and changes in animals

Big Ideas -Animals have distinct characteristics.
-There are similarities and differences among different kinds of animals.
-Humans need to protect animals and the places where they live.

Grade 2 Air and water in the environment

Big Ideas -Air and water are a major part of the environment.
-Living things need air and water to survive.
-Changes to air and water affect living things and the environment.
-Our actions affect the quality of air and water and its ability to sustain life.
 Newsletter #320 Page 7

Science and Technology curriculum overview

Integrate these Big Ideas that students are learning in the classroom into your school
tour program. Teach them about the diverse crops and livestock produced in Ontario, the
different parts of plants and animals, how you raise them, what they produce and what
products they are used for, and how you protect them and their habitats (high tunnels,
irrigation, pest management, row covers). There is so much for these students to learn in
their science and technology curriculum; visiting your farm can help them increase their
understanding.

To find learning goals and the rest of the elementary science and technology curriculum,
visit: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/scientec18currb.pdf

For helpful educational resources visit:

AGSCAPE (https://agscape.ca/) is a registered charity, partially funded by OMAFRA,
which provides curriculum-based food literacy resources and programs to Ontarios edu-
cators and students. These include resources on Health and Physical Education, Lan-
guage, Social Studies, and Science and Technology, for grades 1-12. For example, a
Grade 1 Science and Technology resource includes an activity identifying what different
animals eat and what different animals look like. A Grade 3 Health and Physical Educa-
tion resource on eating local includes a breakdown of the curriculum and different teach-
ing and learning strategies that can be adapted for your school tour. Make your own ac-
count on Agscape to gain access to these free resources!
Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C)( http://www.aitc-canada.ca/en/) is a not-
for-profit organization that also provides curriculum-linked resources and programs on
agriculture.
 Page 8 Fresh Facts

Upcoming Events
Feb. 21 Pre-convention WorkshopFresh, Fun Fabulousfull day Farminar with
Pete Luckett. A few spots still available.

Feb. 21 OFFMA s Awards of Excellence Banquet in Niagara Falls

Ontario Farm Fresh Feb. 2223 Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention Niagara Falls, go to OFVC.ca for
Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director details.
2002 Vandorf Rd. Aurora, ON L4G 7B9
Phone: 905-841-9278 Feb. 28 Effective Hiring Practices Webinar, complimentary, contact the
E-mail: [email protected]
www.ontariofarmfresh.com OFFMA office to register
2016-17 OFFMA Board of Directors
Leslie Forsythe, President March 3 Food & Beverage Convention, Scotia Convention Centre, Niagara Falls,
Forsythe Family Farms go to takeanewapproach.ca for additional info.
Steve Martin, Vice President
Martins Family Fruit Farm
Brian Hugli, Past President
March 30 Sorting out the Millennial Mystery, full day workshop with Barbara
Huglis Blueberry Ranch Wold, Stouffville Museum, contact OFFMA office for additional info
Kristin Ego MacPhail, Ego Nurseries Ltd.
Hollis English, Murphys Farm Market & July 17 OFFMAs Annual Potluck at Thatchers Farm, Rockwood
Bakery
Cara Epp, Associate Member
Edana Integrated Marketing
Nicole Judge, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery Looking for Ontario products to carry in your on-farm market?
Dana Thatcher, Thatcher Farms Be sure to check out the Member Marketplace on the OFFMA website in the
Karen Whitty, Whitty Farms
Erica Pate, OMAFRA Advisor
Members Only Section. It lists many shelf stable products developed by other
OFFMA members using Ontario fruits and vegetable, maple syrup.

Do you have a products you would like to wholesale?

Think about including it in the Member Marketplace. It showcases your prod-
uct to other OFFMA members who are looking to increase their product line.
Either way the consumer is exposed to more Ontario products made by Ontario
farmers.
WIN-WIN-WIN

Anne Saunders
1940-2017
A lifetime of playing, learning and growing

Anne Saunders, passed away peacefully on January 19th in the com-

fort of her home. She was married to William Bill Saunders for 55
years and together they created an amazing life, including pioneering
agri-tourism in Ontario and raising four children; Vicki, David, Mark &
Matthew.
Anne taught kindergarten for 33 years in the Carleton Board of Educa-
tion and helped nurture hundreds of young ones. She co-wrote a se-
ries of reading books which were the standard by which other childrens reading programs were evaluated.
Through Saunders Farm, she worked alongside thousands of young people often in their first jobs. She
touched their lives deeply with her generosity, her kindness, her tough standards and her always-present
cookies. She and Bill built an institution in Saunders Farm that has touched over one million people in the
past 40 years. Mention Saunders Farm to almost anyone in the Ottawa area and youll see a smile cross
their face. Memories flood in of school tours, family outings, freedom, giggles, scares and love.
Nana leaves a legacy for generations to come of play, of nature, of fun and of connection. Her impact on
thousands of friends and their community is immeasurable. Her hugs, her toughness, her raised bar, her
grounded nature and her deep caring is simply one-of-a-kind. There is no one, who compares to this incred-
ible soul, who will be so deeply missed.