Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

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

President’s Message……A Year in Review

This March completes our second year of the four year Pick Ontario Freshness Initiative. Your
Board has been active in investing $200,000 in the following 5 key areas: increased consumer Newsletter #256
awareness, skills development and tech transfer, increased number of farmers who are selling March 2010
directly to the consumer, a vibrant direct farm marketing industry, and research. Before this initia- Volume 25, Number 3
tive, as a Board we decided our priorities were to focus on our members and their skills develop-
ment – teaching farmers to be the best marketers. With the Pick Ontario Freshness Initiative we
have been able to not only offer more skill development but dramatically tell consumers how to
get fresh.
Here is your OFFMA Year in Review: Inside this issue:
March 2009 - Susan Sweeney’s Web Site Report Card Workshop
Members News 2
April - Several First Aid Courses are set up across the province
May - Nathan Phillips Square and Metro Hall Farmers’ markets start another season. Business Develop- 4
ment Funding Pro-
- we secured the back cover of Harvest Ontario gram
June - OFFMA’s website gets a face list. It is now more consumer friendly, from the Views from the Front 5
‘Find a farm’ feature to the virtual barn to the recipes while keeping all the of the Room
resources for farmers. The web site was launched with much fanfare at Queen’s
Park in June 2009. The Financial Post ran an article and the web was all a twitter What’s Your Produc- 6
tion Plan?
with the news about the new site.
- $15,000 worth of aggressive ad campaigns with the weather network Local Foods Curricu- 7
to ‘Find a Farm’. lum

July - A summer student was hired and 20 years worth of bus tour photos were Upcoming events 8
scanned and sorted by the bus tour year and category; like lighting, produce
displays, bakery displays, signs, etc. This CD is available for purchase from
OFFMA, check annual Product Sales Catalogue.
August - Networking picnic took place at Mapleton’s Organic Farm in Moorefield
where we ate ice cream, played a round of farmer’s golf, saw a CSA in action
and networked with approximately 30 direct farm marketers.
- ERS starts OFFMA members survey.
September - $15,000 worth of aggressive ad campaigns with the weather network to
‘Find a Farm’.
October - First consumer e-newsletter sent out
November - Bus tour to Eastern Ontario and Quebec which gave us the opportunity to visit
many of our OFFMA members in the region– great tour!
- Royal Winter Fair— ‘Ask a Farmer’ booth in Journey to Your Good Health,
opportunity to market your farm and our new OFFMA puppet show debuting in
the Tim Horton’s Ag-tivity Centre. If you missed the show join us this summer at
our networking picnic at Whitty‘s Farm on Tuesday, August 10th. Mark Henry
from Fields on West Lake also had the privilege of meeting Camilla, Duchess of
Cornwall. Rumour has it that the Duchess asked that her route through the Royal
be adjusted so that she could stop at OFFMA’s ‘Ask a Farmer’ booth and talk to
a real farmer.
- Congratulations to the many OFFMA members who won awards at the Royal:
Brantwood Farm River’s Edge Goat Dairy Campbell’s Orchard
Cont’d on page 3
Page 2 Fresh Facts

MEMBERSHIP NEWS New Members

Welcome to the following farms, be
2010 memberships fees sure to get involved to get the most
are now overdue out of your membership.

If we have not received your membership Kar-Dean Farms

fees in the OFFMA office there will be a yel- Karen Campbell-Hill & Dean High
low reminder attached to this newsletter. Vineland Station, ON 905-562-
To avoid disruption to your membership, 4394
please send payment immediately.
Svetec Farms
Paul & Jenny Svetec
Banquet Recognitions and Thank You’s Hampton, ON 905-263-4655
On Tuesday, February 23rd, many OFFMA
members enjoyed each others’ company with a Telford Farm
fine meal provided by the Niagara Gourmet at Tom & Larissa Telford
Caroline Cellars, a lovely, newly renovated lo- Orono, ON 905-983-6468
cation in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Brian Hugli was an excellent MC trying to be Round the Bend Farm
Brian & Sue Feddema
all inclusive with his jokes and stories.
Kettleby, ON 905-727-0023
Darling Insurance provided funds for the
shuttle bus that ran very punctually from both Kustermans Berry Farm
hotel locations. Steve Kustermans
Many thanks to everyone who participated and Mount Brydges, ON 519-264-9199
added to the festivities.
Our annual banquet is another opportunity to Munro’s Country Garden
get together with members and share a meal Ron Munro
while you discuss successes and challenges re- Grand Valley, ON 519-928-3173
lated to our industry. Looking forward to see-
Raymont Berries
ing everyone at this event next year.
Brad & Terri Raymont
Cottam, ON 519-839-5422
Classifieds
FOR SALE:
1.Upright glass door freezer - UniversalNolan 35"x51"x80" - 19th Ave. Farmers’ Market
lighted. Ligia DeFilippis
2. Retail Cooler - Beverage Air - 3 door-lighted, 32" wide x75" Markham, ON 905-887-8954
long x 78" high.
3. Galvinized rolling carts,(2), adjustable, 5 racks/cart, 60"
long x 21" wide.
Speers Farms Amaranth
4.Stainless steel double sink with veggie spray sink, 120"long Wayne Speers
x 31" wide. Orangeville, ON 519-941-2708
Contact Joe Lindley at jailindley@ispnet.ca or
call 905-304-0195 Barry’s Gardens
WANTED:
1.Reasonably priced egg cartons. 2. Bulk or whole-
David Barry
sale maple syrup suppliers. Contact Sara at Roze- Zephyr, ON 905-473-1249
maFarms@gmail.com
WANTED: WaterHall Farm
Champagne bottles, approximately 300-350 in quan- Jill Flechl
tity and 187-200ml in size. Contact: Garry Geissber-
ger at garryg@porchlight.ca
Dundas, ON 905-659-0958
 Newsletter #256 Page 3

News from the field: Congratulations

Cameron Rundle and Sharon Knight sent
a note to the office recently indicated that
they have retired from farming. Hopefully
they don’t think that means they can sleep in
and have relaxing afternoon naps. Most retir-
ees are busier than ever.
All the best for the next phase of your lives.
Bob and Donna Cobbledick may have been
spending too much time praying for more
grandchildren. Well, their prayers have been
answered. Their daughter, Cheryl, is expect-
ing triplets to join the son she had a few years
ago. Not to be totally left out, their other
daughter, Laura, is also expecting her first
child at the end of the month. The Cobble-
dicks couldn’t be happier, we’ll check in with
them in a few months and see how things are
going.
Pick up a copy of the April/May issue of
Country Woman and check out the article
about OFFMA members Randy and Keri
Graham from Edgar Farms in Alberta. Nice
story.
Congratulations to Bob and Mary Jakeman
of
Jakeman’s Maple Products
This March marks their 135th year of continuous
maple syrup production. What a fabulous accomplishment!
to
Chris & Christy Hiemstra
from Clovermead Apiaries
They were named OFFMA’s
Farm Marketers of the Year
at the Awards Banquet in Febru-
ary. Stay tuned for a complete
story about their operation in the
April newsletter.
ATTENTION MEMBERS:
OFFMA will once again be participating
at the Cottage Life Show on March 26-
28, 2010 at the International Centre in
Toronto. If you have brochures you
would like us to distribute at the show,
please send them to the OFFMA office
ASAP. Last year we had a lot of interest
from show attendees looking to visit a
farm.

President’s Message—con’t from page 1

White Meadows Farm Dickey Bee Honey Willow Grove Farms
Moore Orchards
If I‘ve missed your farm please e-mail me so we can recognize your farm in the next month’s newsletter.
December - Held 2 regional farm fresh meetings—one in Kingston and one in Guelph
February - Workshop with John Stanley—Innovative Merchandising and Displays to Increase your Bottom
Line
- Farm Marketer of the Year awarded to Clovermead Apiaries at our Banquet…..Congratulations!
- OFVC Direct Farm Marketing Session
A special thank you to Gary Johnson, our membership champion and marketing assistant, who has attended numer-
ous events to promote OFFMA to potential members and potential consumers as well as many behind the scene jobs.
A special thank you to the board for their countless hours in meetings, special committees, and giving of their time
away from their own farms to help our industry prosper.
And finally to our dedicated executive director, Cathy, for holding us all together, writing newsletters, managing Nathan
Philips Square and Metro Hall, organizing countless events and keeping OFFMA’s vision alive.
Be sure to watch the newsletter and your e-mails for upcoming programs that you can take advantage of to improve
your business. Wishing you all a prosperous 2010 season!
Page 4 Fresh Facts
Business Development for Farm Businesses:
A customized program just for you
By Adrienne de Shutter, Business Development Skills & Training Advisor, OMAFRA
What makes a program successful? In the context of
the Business Development for Farm Businesses pro-
gram, it’s one that helps each producer meet his individ-
ual farm business goals.
The Growing Forward Business Development for Farm
Businesses program incorporates self-assessment and
action plan development with a range of cost-share
advisory services and skills development opportunities.
Growing Your Farm Profits workshops are the entry
point to the Business Development for Farm Business
program. Set in a relaxed atmosphere where personal
and financial details are not required to be shared, the
workshop teaches you how to do a self-assessment of
your business. Identifying your business strengths and
planning needs will allow you to take the next steps:
developing an Action Plan and receiving sign-off from
your GYFP workshop leader.
Each farm business is unique and once you set your
goals in your Action Plan and receive sign-off, you can
decide what cost-share opportunity is right for you. Will
it be Farm Financial Assessment? Under this option,
cost-share is provided to hire a Farm Financial Advisor
who will work with you to complete an assessment that
will identify choices that you can make to reach your
profitability goals.
If your Action Plan identified a specific skill requirement,
you may choose the Agriculture Skills Development
(ASD) cost-share option under which you can receive
up to 50 per cent towards tuition, travel and textbooks
for eligible farm related training. A few recent examples
of well received learning opportunities include; the Inno-
vative Merchandising and Displays to Increase Your
Bottom Line workshop offered by OFFMA, the Market
Garden Crop Rotation course offered by EFAO, Grower
Pesticide Safety Course offered by OPEP and FCC’s
Estate Planning course.
Advanced Business Planning services provide cost-
share funds to work with a consultant to build an Ad-
vanced Business Plan that focuses on business man-
agement goals. To help you reach those goals, there is
the Business Plan Implementation cost-share program.
As an eligible farm business, you can participate in one
or many cost-share funding opportunities – the choice is
yours!
Success in business is affected by many factors. As
part of the commitment by Canada’s federal, provincial
and territorial governments under Growing Forward, the
Business Development for Farm Businesses program,
developed by OMAFRA, delivered by the OSCIA, can
equip you with innovative tools that can help you be
competitive in your business. To get started, visit
www.ontariosoilcrop.org and sign up for a Growing Your
Farm Profits Workshop in your area today!

Views from the Front of the Room
By Niki Hilton, Springridge Farm
John Stanley was the ultimate “tipster” when
he presented a workshop on innovative mer-
chandising and displays at an event coordi-
nated by OFFMA last month. The daylong
seminar kicked off the Ontario Fruit and
Vegetable Convention at Brock University in
St. Catharines.
Stanley, one of the most sought after retail
speakers in the world, engaged the audience
of over 100 on-farm marketers with informa-
tion on the latest trends and tips of the trade.
Here’s some farmer’s food for thought from
the workshop:
As Stanley puts it, the farmer is the hero in
the story of your business. Signage is one
marketing technique that can promote the
hero. Stanley says if on-farm markets don’t
start telling their own stories through signage,
supermarkets will.
Stanley asks marketers to consider how their
image is being projected before a customer
arrives, if the front of their business is clean
and professional and whether the first display
is getting the right message across about
their business. He also says the first em-
ployee a customer meets acts as the ambas-
sador for the whole staff.
When displaying items, cross merchandising
can increase sales by 80%. Stanley suggests
that putting a story together through merchan-
dise will give sales a boost. Retailers should
strive to provide customers with ideas on how
and where certain products can be used.
The industry is changing. According to
John Stanley has also started offer-
ing webinars. A mini tutorial you can
watch with your team at your loca-
tion. No travel, no weather issues, no
need for food or accommodations.
Just tune in at the pre-designated
time and participate. First one is
scheduled for March 24th at 8:00am.
A flyer outlining the complete webi-
nar offer is enclosed with this news-
letter.
Newsletter #256 Page 5
Stanley, the sales cycle is a thing of the
past. Now, creating a buyers’ journey is im-
portant. Retailers need to find ways to help
buyers make decisions. In addition, advertis-
ing in the Yellow Pages or national newspa-
pers is no longer relevant. Stanley says the
radio and on-line media can market your
business with a better sense of what’s going
on right now.
Every farm that registered for this workshop
will also be getting a CD with an audio re-
cording of the entire presentation. It will be a
great training tool for those members of your
team that were unable to make it to the work-
shop. Also a wonderful review for every who
was able to attend the workshop.
The CD’s will be included with the April news-
letter.
If you did not attend the workshop you can
also purchase the CD’s from the OFFMA of-
fice.
At the conclusion of the workshop, Stanley
encouraged everyone to expand their busi-
nesses through neighbour-to-neighbour
marketing. Farm markets have the opportu-
nity to focus on localization. He advised
building community relationships, especially
with people who will help promote your busi-
ness by word of mouth.
Stanley inspired the audience to dare to be
different. His enthusiastic presentation pro-
vided new information and certainly helped
generate many ideas for the upcoming sea-
son.
Niki Hilton works for Springridge Farm but also
has training in journalism and loves to write. You
may remember her first article entitled “The View
from the Front of the Bus”, outlining the experi-
ences she had on her first OFFMA bus tour.
Thank you, Niki for sharing your view on your first
John Stanley workshop.
Start by doing what is necessary,
then do what is possible and
suddenly you are doing the impossible.
-St. Francis of Assisi
Page 6 Fresh Facts

What is your Production Plan?

By Dorene Collins, Marketing and Customer Service Program Lead with OMAFRA

Spring is on its way and many OFFMA mem-
bers are turning their attention to getting out in
the fields and planting this year’s crops. Last
month I introduced the importance of a busi-
ness plan and reviewed the marketing plan
component. This month I will focus on the pro-
duction side of a business plan.
Many producers tell me this is the part of the
business they enjoy the most – the “fun” part of
farming – producing or growing a product. The
Growing Your Farm Profits – Planning for Busi-
ness Success workshop series reviews the
importance of a viable production system
which consists of four key components:
1. Record, Measure and Compare:
 Decide what the key information is that
would help you make the best decisions re-
garding yields, cost of production and margins
 Set up a record keeping system that pro-
vides this key information in an accurate and
timely way
 Compare (benchmark) your records with
previous years to track improvements within
your operation. Where possible, compare
(benchmark) your operation with other similar
farm operations to look for areas to improve
your production system.
2. Focus on Production Activities that
Capture the Value Your Customers will pay
for:
 Make a list of what your customer values in
the products or services the farm produces
 Make a list of the steps in your production
system
 Identify how each step contributes to what
the customer values
 Look for ways to create greater value or
the same value at less cost. Eliminate the
steps (and their costs) that do not create true
end value.
3. Adoption of Technology:
 Watch for innovative trends
 Test the technology on your farm in ways
that reduce the cost risk
 Always try something different each year
(usually on a small scale)
 Weigh all the costs and benefits
Adopt the technology in a way that gives the
most advantage to the farm
4. Balancing Production Excellence with
other Business Needs:
 Create time for personal, family and com-
munity activities. Create time to manage the
other aspects of the business such as market-
ing, financial, human resources, business
direction, and structure.
In summary it is important to have a produc-
tion system that is as organized as possible.
The information contained in this article is
from The Growing Your Farm Profits – Plan-
ning for Business Success Workshop manual
which is part of The Growing Forward – Best
Practices Suite – Business Development for
Farm Businesses. For details regarding a
workshop near you visit:
http://www.ontariosoilcrop.org/en/programs/
gyfp09.htm
Helpful Resources:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/
gyfp/production.html
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/
production.html

Marketing Tip #4
Diversify your enterprises and your market
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If weather, pests or a collapsed market wipe out
one crop, you’ve got others to rely on. Another advantage of diversity is that once you’ve
established connections with buyers, increasing the variety you offer them is a good way
to increase the overall volume they accept from you. But there’s a tradeoff: you may
have to learn new production technologies, buy new equipment and develop new mar-
kets. Diversifying markets can be simpler and more lucrative than diversifying produc-
tion. Adding a restaurant to your buyer list, going organic, or developing ‘value-added’
products such as soybean snacks are examples of diversifying your markets without
changing what you produce.
Excerpted with permission from “Sell What You Sow! The Grower’s Guide to Successful Produce Marketing”,
by Eric Gibson, available at nwpub.net

Local Foods: Connecting to the Ontario School Curriculum
By Jan Robertson, Marketing & Communications Manager at OAFE
Healthy eating initiatives in schools and revi-
sions to the Ontario Ministry of Education cur-
riculum have provided many opportunities to
integrate agriculture, food production, local
foods and nutrition into classroom lessons
and activities.
Since 1991, Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc.
(OAFE) has been providing Ontario educators
with the tools to teach students from Kinder-
garten through Grade 12 about Ontario agri-
culture using objective, factual, curriculum-
linked resources. Working in partnership, and
with support from, agri-food organizations and
businesses, OAFE has developed these re-
sources to enable teachers to deliver accurate
information about food production practices,
Ontario grown food products, reading and un-
derstanding food labels and exploring food
from field to table.
Print resources such as “Home Grown Agricul-
ture”, “Nutritious and Delicious – Fruits &
Vegetables”, “Buy From a Farmer, Buy From
Your Neighbour”, “All About Food: Agri-Food
Facts”, “Food to Your Good Health” and
“Labelling Literacy” introduce students to the
variety of locally available foods, and in-
Newsletter #256 Page 7
creases their understanding and
awareness of the many benefits of
choosing nutritious, local foods as it
impacts health, economy and environ-
ment. Family or school visits to local
farms, farmers’ markets, fall fairs and
supermarkets further enhance the
learning experiences for students.
OAFE resources also include a variety of
interactive and visual learning materials
using current technology to help students
learn and understand agriculture and food
in a fun and interactive way. Podcasts,
video clips, and interactive games can be
downloaded from the OAFE website
www.oafe.org and used in the classroom by
both teachers and students. Trivia quizzes,
games, crafts and other activities can be
found at OAFE’s website for children,
www.farmsfoodfun.com.
Explore our websites to learn more about
Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc., the vari-
ety of educational resources available, and
the benefits of membership to support
learning about local agriculture and food
production.
 Page 8 Fresh Facts

Upcoming Events
March 23 Marketing Caravan, Guelph, Contact: Cathy Bartolic at 905-841-9278
March 25 Marketing Caravan, Kingston, Contact: Cathy Bartolic at 905-841-9278
March 29 Local Food Connection: Farmer/Food Buyer Networking Event, London
Hunt and Country Club, London ON, For more info visit the London
Economic Development Corporation at www.ledc.com/newsevents/events/

Ontario Farm Fresh April tbd Food Handlers’ Certification Course—details to follow next month

Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director April 13 & 14 Beyond the City Lights, Smith & Wilson Winery, Blenheim, ON
2002 Vandorf Rd. Contact: Chatham Kent Tourism, 1-800-561-6125
Aurora, ON L4G 7B9
Phone: 905-841-9278 April 28 Beyond the City Lights, Brooklea Golf and Country Club, Midland, ON
Fax: 905-726-3369 Contact: South Georgian Bay Chamber of Commerce, 705-526-7884
E-mail: info@ontariofarmfresh.com
www.ontariofarmfresh.com
Nov. 7-9 Bus Tour in Central Ontario, contact Cathy Bartolic at 905-841-9278

2010-11 OFFMA Board of Directors

April 4-7, 2011 Bus Tour to UK, contact Cathy Bartolic at 905-841-9278

Amy Strom, President

Strom’s Farm
Jesse Lauzon, Vice President
Springridge Farm
Mark Saunders, Past President
Saunders Farm
Paul Brooks, Brooks Farms
Jay Howell, Brantview Apples & Cider
Anne Just, Kurtz Orchards
Marg Land, Annex Publishing
(Associate Member)
Colleen Pingle, Pingle’s Farm Market
Geri Rounds, Rounds Ranch
Steve Smith, Smith’s Apples
Dorene Collins, OMAFRA
(Advisor to the Board)
Jane Eckert Consultations
OFFMA is planning on bringing Jane Eckert
back to do one-on-one consultations again
this summer. We are looking at the 3rd or
4th week of August. If you are interested in
this opportunity, let the office know.
Jane is particularly interested in working
with small or start up businesses who are
looking for some guidance and suggestions
on how they can increase their revenue. In-
vestment cost for this opportunity is $300
per farm.
Peer Networking Groups
Many of you are already taking advan-
tage of the many great networking op-
portunities available at OFFMA. How-
ever, given the large number of new
members, the Board thought it would be
helpful to have a more structured net-
working opportunity. These groups will
be based on interests such as a on-farm
bakery or school tours or birthday par-
ties. More details will be available in the
April newsletter.

Come Sink your Teeth In!

Spring/Summer Semester, 2010
(May 14th- August 20th)
Sustainable Local Food Certificate at St. Lawrence College

Are you interested in learning about the global food system? Thinking about how and what means ‘local,
sustainable’ food? Conducting community research in your region?
Learning from instructors based throughout Canada? Brainstorming strategies for change with other stu-
dents across the country?
St. Lawrence College has launched a number of courses in our exciting distance education certificate.
This Spring Semester, try one of our newest online courses:
CSSL 29 Understanding Sustainable Agriculture: Principles and Practices
CSSL 30 Urban Agriculture, Community Gardens and Food Secure Cities
CSSL 31 Between Farm and Table: Local Food Businesses and Co-operatives

Or one of our old favourites:

CSSL 26 Field to Fork: Introduction to Local and Global Food Systems

CSSL 33 Food System Policy and Trends
Visit the website: http://www.sl.on.ca/parttime/OnlineCredit-SustFood.htm
Or contact SLF Certificate coordinator Melissa Benner at: melissa.benner@gmail.com
*** CSSL 29, 31, 26 and 33 are eligible for cost-share funding through the Growing Forward Business Development for
Farm Businesses program in Ontario.