Established in 1936, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) was organized in response to the creation of the Canadian Chamber of Agriculture in 1935, later renamed the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. For more than 80 years, OFA has been a leader in results-based advocacy and lobbying, and is driven by our mission – Farms and Food Forever.
OFA Presidents – Past and Present
Explore the legacy of Ontario’s farm leadership. View the complete list of OFA Presidents who have guided the Ontario Federation of Agriculture from 1936 to today.
Directory of Board Members – Past and Present
Since 2008, the OFA has been governed by an 18-member elected Board of Directors consisting of Ontario farmers from across the province. Discover the Ontario farmers who have served the agriculture industry on the organization’s provincial Board of Directors since 2008.
Historical Snapshot
January 27, 1936 – Representatives of Ontario’s farm groups held a meeting at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto to establish a provincial brand of the Canadian Chamber of Agriculture. The new organization was named the Ontario Agricultural Conference. The first chairman was Herbert H. Hannam. Marketing policy issues was identified as a top priority.
1937 – The organization’s name was officially changed to the Ontario Chamber of Agriculture.
1939 – The Ontario Chamber of Agriculture amended its constitution to allow for the admission of County Chambers of Agriculture as members. Peterborough County became the first County Chamber of Agriculture.
1940 – The organization’s name was officially changed to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
1941 – The Ontario Federation of Agriculture hires permanent staff. Up until this point, it was strictly a volunteer organization.
- Beginning in January 1941, CBC ran an evening radio program sponsored by the Canadian Association for Adult Education and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture known as the Farm Radio Forum.
- Farm Radio Forum became a major movement in rural Ontario.
- The Farm Radio Forum provided a means of presenting key issues vital to agriculture by radio, and discussion of this material took place in forum groups of approximately 15 people all across the province. Some of them would drive as many as 100 miles to attend a discussion group.
- The early 1940’s saw the beginning of grassroots communication due in large part to the creation of the Farm Radio Forum.
- At its peak, there were 714 forum discussion groups across Ontario with 27,855 people participating.
1945 – OFA conducted its first major survey on the state of farming and farm organization activity. Extensive questionnaires were filled in and filed with the OFA by the agricultural representatives in each county and gave the Federations a very current and accurate picture of the needs, activities and interests of the farmers in every part of the province.
*OFA continues to use member surveys as a useful tool and resource for gathering input and feedback on many aspects of membership.
1949 – The Federation started Co-operators Insurance Association of Guelph (CIAG) as a service to farmers. It started as a wholly-owned subsidiary of OFA. The development of Co-operators was due in large part to OFA’s reaction to growing member concerns regarding a need for insurance protection for farmers. OFA identified (through member concerns) a significant need to establish an insurance company that could meet the unique insurance needs of farmers, starting with automobile coverage.
1968 – OFA reorganized its structure to allow for individual farmers to become members of OFA. The OFA board of directors was comprised of individual service members (ISM), annually elected from their region and member organizations (county federations). Member organizations were county federations, commodity boards, provincial co0operatives and provincial educational groups.
- The first ISM membership was sold on September 12, 1969 for an annual fee of $20.00. By November 1969 at the annual meeting, OFA had collected 758 members.
1970 – Direct member service is emphasized. The Ontario Farm Machinery Agency was established as a subsidiary of OFA to provide a wide variety of farm implements and parts at a substantial discount for OFA members.
1992 – Canadian Farm Family Demonstration on Parliament Hill – On Friday, February 21, 1992 every Ontario OFA farm family should add their voice to the chorus of farmers travelling to Parliament Hill to show the Prime Minister that the future of Canadian farm families must not be traded away. It’s time to get the word out to every farm family in Ontario. Join your farming friends and neighbours on the bus Friday, Feb. 21 at noon on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. OFA is farmers fighting for farmers!
- Almost 40,000 farmers and their families showed up at the Ottawa rally. It was heralded as the largest rally ever held on Parliament Hill.
1992 – Ontario farm organizations placed significant importance on this environmental agenda. A meeting, chaired by OFA President Roger George, was attended by 49 people representing 28 A working group was struck consisting of OFA, CFFO, AGCare and the Ontario Farm Animal Council with a mandate to develop a farm environmental agenda. As a result, the Ontario Environmental Farm Plan was established in 1992.
1993 – The first Environmental Farm Plans were completed in Ontario in 1993.
* Since 1991, more than 45,000 Ontario farm families have completed an Environmental Farm Plan (EFP), resulting in millions of dollars in environmental improvements on farms across the province.
1993 – Farm Registration and Funding for Farm Organizations Act to provide secure and stable funding mechanism for general farm organizations was passed. The legislation was implemented in 1994.
1998 – In January 1998, over 4 million people lost power, many for up to 3 weeks, due to significant freezing rain covering Eastern Ontario as well as parts of Quebec and New Brunswick. The ice storm hit Eastern Ontario farmers especially hard.
OFA staff was instrumental in organizing the movement of generators from other parts of the province to farmers in Eastern Ontario.
2007 – After a series of meetings with members and County Federations across Ontario, including internal debates and meetings, a special meeting was held to ratify the recommendations passed at the 2006 OFA Annual General Meeting and Convention to restructure the board of directors. The board size was reduced from 100 to 18. The Policy Advisory Council (PAC), comprised of commodity groups and members from each region was set up to discuss and debate major farm issues, and provide policy advice to the board.
2010 – The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) worked closely with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and the entire food chain, to create the National Food Strategy® (NFS) — a vision for the future of food in Canada. The strategy includes nine objectives that will have a significant impact in securing a sustainable future for food in Canada.
Although the National Food Strategy® continues to be a work in progress, its vision and content has been the foundation for the development of OFA’s work towards Ontario’s Local Food Act. The vision of the National Food Strategy® is providing direction for its policies.
OFA’s display at the 2010 International Plowing Match & Rural Expo of a miniature farm and city, dubbed Foodville, made a visual connection between farmers, food and consumers. It created an opportunity to start the discussion with consumers about the need of a National Food Strategy.
2012 – OFA played an integral role in the development and execution of the HayEast 2012 initiative.
HayEast 2012 was a program with an Ontario contingent that was co-chaired by Mennonite Disaster Service and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and involved many other agricultural organizations across the country. The volunteer-run organization saw farmers, truckers, donors, individual companies and governments donate time, money and hay to HayEast 2012 following a drought that devastated field crops and pasture on many farms across Ontario and areas of Quebec during summer 2012. The HayEast 2012 mission was to help farmers sustain livestock through the winter following extreme drought conditions throughout Ontario during the summer of 2012. Western Canadian farmers donated hay to Ontario farmers in need. HayEast 2012 was a program mirroring the Hay West program from 2002 that saw Ontario farmers send hay to farmers in Western Canada.
2016 – OFA celebrated its 80th anniversary as a general farm organization representing the interests of Ontario’s farm families. OFA introduced its new mission statement – Farms and Food Forever.
The organization partnered with the Eastern and Western Warden Caucuses to launch a campaign aimed at putting natural gas investments into action and getting the infrastructure to rural, remote and northern communities across the province.
The OFA launched its food literacy initiative Six by Sixteen to support the next generation in making healthy food choices, cooking meals and sourcing local food.
2017 – To align with provincial priorities and key issues impacting Ontario’s agri-food sector, OFA developed and launched the Producing Prosperity campaign. Our message to the four political parties was that rural Ontario and Ontario’s agri- food sector can spearhead future prosperity for this province. To do so requires a government led plan of distributed economic development. OFA instigated a culture of collaboration with government to design policies to improve our communities so local business and farm businesses can thrive.
2018 – The Farm Business Registration fee which was set to increase to $225 on January 1, 2018, and was part of a phased increase plan. This fee allows farmers to access benefits such as paying reduced municipal property tax on their agricultural land and eligibility for government programs and farm organizations.
Producing Prosperity continued into an election platform leading up to a June provincial election. Campaign efforts focused on informing candidates of the potential of the agri-food sector to grow our rural economy and the potential of the rural economy to drive the Ontario economy forward with jobs, affordable spaces and a sustainable ecosystem.
2019 – Responsible growth and land use planning in an effort to protect farmland takes shape as one of the organization’s top advocacy priorities. OFA advocated alongside industry partners for the removal of Schedule 10 as part of Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act. Schedule 10 threatened the agri-food industry and greater loss of farmland, and through strong efforts including letters, meetings and roundtable discussions Schedule 10 was successfully withdrawn.
OFA worked closely with provincial livestock and poultry organizations and the government to develop a new animal protection model. Agricultural and government representatives collaborated together to create the Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) Act, which keeps farmers and our entire industry accountable and responsible for the care and protection of animals in Ontario. Although the work to get this developed was completed in 2019, the PAWS Act officially came into effect January 1, 2020.
2020 – In March 2020, the world was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the OFA closely monitored updates and recommendations from government and public health officials to better serve our members and the agricultural industry. Society, including OFA staff and board, quickly pivoted to working from home and a virtual lifestyle. The OFA conducted surveys, created resources and guides, shared industry information, hosted virtual town hall meetings and webinars, distributed toolkits and provided ongoing correspondence to our members regarding provincial funding opportunities to support the significant financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Working together and collaborating with other organizations during the pandemic was vital in keeping the agri-food sector strong and addressing the ongoing issues that our industry faced during this critical time.
The government introduced the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2020. The Act protects Ontario farm animals, farms, farmers and their families, agri-food employees, and the safety of the entire food supply by addressing the ongoing threat of unwanted trespassing and from unauthorized interactions with farm animals. Ontario’s livestock and poultry commodity organizations, the food processing sector, and OFA worked together to strongly support and advocate for the legislation to be passed.
OFA, alongside industry partners, stakeholders and government, launched the Feeding Your Future initiative aimed at promoting agri-food jobs and training opportunities across Ontario. OFA partnered with AgCareers.com, CareersinFood.com, and Union des cultivateurs franco-ontariens (UCFO) to offer free webinars for employers and job seekers.
During the virtual 2020 Annual General Meeting, OFA released a Year in Review video.
🎥 Watch the 2020 Year in Review video.
2021 – Key issues and priorities the OFA advocated for throughout this year included responsible land use planning, environmental sustainability, labour/workforce development, food value chain security, rural infrastructure, affordable energy, and support for farmer mental health and wellness. The Ontario government provided a significant commitment to expansion of natural gas pipelines, investments in rural infrastructure and a commitment to affordable, reliable broadband access for all of Ontario by end of 2025.
To further support our rural areas and local farm communities, OFA developed the Revive Fund. This program offers 51 county and regional federations the opportunity to apply for additional funding to plan, develop and launch new projects and initiatives in their local communities. The Revive Fund aims to help our farming and rural communities enhance the profile of the agriculture industry in Ontario.
🎥 Watch the 2021 Year in Review video.
2022 – The year 2022 marked a return to in-person events following the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant objective of the organization was to continue building relationships with industry partners, leaders and key stakeholders across the agriculture and food industry.
A significant milestone was the launch of OFA’s Home Grown campaign, which is a public awareness initiative focused on raising awareness about the importance of protecting and preserving Ontario farmland. The initiative showcases the key role of Ontario farms as a source of food, fuel, fibre and flowers as well as providing regular updates on products grown and raised right here at home.
OFA developed and executed the Source Local pilot project partnership with Farm & Food Care Ontario. The year-long pilot project aimed to connect Ontarians to farmers, families and all aspects of Ontario’s food value chain through shared values and principles. Additionally, its goal was to help raise the profile of local food and Ontario’s agri-food sector.
OFA conducted a province-wide road safety campaign that was highlighted by roadside billboards and radio ads.
As part of the organization’s continued advocacy for farmer mental health and wellness, the federal and provincial governments partnered together to launch the Farmer Wellness Initiative. The Farmer Wellness Initiative provides Ontario farmers, families, employees, and spouses and dependants of farm employees with free, unlimited mental health counselling, specific to the unique challenges faced by the agricultural community.
🎥 Watch the 2022 Year in Review video.
2023 – OFA led the charge on some of the most pressing issues facing Ontario farmers from food security and farmland preservation to taxation, red tape reduction, and environmental sustainability.
Working closely with government and industry partners, OFA helped deliver tangible results and positive outcomes for Ontario agriculture:
- Soil health, veterinary capacity, and rural infrastructure received new provincial funding.
- Fertilizer tariffs paid by farmers were returned to agriculture, and a federal bill expanding carbon tax exemptions for farmers neared fruition.
- OFA and commodity partners worked diligently in a collaborative manner and successfully advocated to ensure the provincial government did not move forward with 3-lot severances, protecting valuable farmland in the Greenbelt and restoring agricultural zoning.
- Additional investments supported farmer mental health and wellness, and made-in-Ontario fertilizer solutions with expanded access to new options and technologies.
Beyond advocacy, OFA was active in raising awareness about key issues impacting its membership including cyber security, trespassing, and farm theft risks. OFA continued to forge strong partnerships with organizations like Farm & Food Care Ontario, the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, the Ontario Provincial Police, University of Guelph, and Crime Stoppers.
Through the Revive Fund, more than $200,000 was invested in community-focused projects—from promoting local food and supporting food banks to road safety campaigns and emergency responder training.
🎥 Watch the 2023 Year in Review video.
2024 – In 2024, OFA focused on relationships and results — strengthening connections with government, industry, stakeholders and community partners to advance the priorities that matter most to Ontario farmers, their businesses and their communities.
Highlights included:
- Productive engagement with the Premier, cabinet ministers, and all political parties to build understanding of Ontario’s agricultural needs.
- A growing partnership with the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) to address shared challenges such as farmland use, energy, and rural infrastructure.
- Joint efforts with cross-sector stakeholders on natural gas expansion, electricity generation, and farmland preservation.
These partnerships delivered real progress — from positive updates related to provincial land use policies to continued investments in rural broadband and natural gas, and a pause on wetland mapping that could have significantly impacted productive farmland.
OFA continued to lead conversations on taxation, drainage, stormwater management, hydro corridors, wildlife damage, and veterinary access, always ensuring that policies developed were made through the lens of food production and farmer support.