OFA Annual General Meeting

Monday, November 20, 2017 – Day 1 Webcast

00:00           Financial Statements

20:30            Bylaw Amendments

54:17             Resolutions

1:51:47          President’s Remarks

2:08:00        Producing Prosperity – an election priority

2:43:46        The Co-operators

2:53:44        Agriskills Abroad

3:14:58        David Freshwater, Keynote Speaker  

4:13:44        Mike Schreiner, Ontario Green Party Leader

Tuesday, November 21, 2017 –  Day 2 Webcast

00:00            Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

32:56            Resolutions

43:43            Norm Hall, CFA

50:52            Member survey

1:05:00         Patrick Brown, Ontario Conservative Leader

1:40:29         Member survey continued

2:25:46         Andrea Horwath, Ontario New Democratic Party Leader

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Information

Time: Monday, November 20 – 8:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Tuesday, November 21 – 8:15 a.m. –  Noon

Location: Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Airport & Conference Centre (formerly the International Plaza Hotel), 655 Dixon Road, Toronto, Ontario

Convention Theme: Producing Prosperity

Registration: Registration opens on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 6:00 p.m. and continues Monday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 a.m.

Guest Registration: Please contact Kelly Alves at kelly.alves@ofa.on.ca or 519-821-8883 ext. 204

Cost:     Delegate fee: $375
Guest fee: $250 (includes breakfast and lunch)
Harvest Celebration Dinner ticket: $61.95

*All totals do not include HST

For more information: Please contact Kelly Alves at kelly.alves@ofa.on.ca or 519-821-8883 ext. 204

For media inquiries: Please contact Jeanine Moyer at jeanine.moyer@adfarmonline.com or 519-767-4641

Highlights

Keynote Speaker:

David Freshwater, Professor, Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky

Guest Speakers:

Patrick Brown, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario

Andrea Horwath, Leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party

Hon. Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario

Agenda

Click here to view the 2017 Annual General Meeting agenda.

Workshops

The Barton Report: Agriculture as a Key Growth Sector
Presenter: Scott Ross, Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Released in early 2017, the second report of Minister Morneau’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth, aka ‘the Barton Report’, identified Canada’s agri-food sector, amongst a short list of 8 key sectors, as a target with immense potential to grow and contribute to inclusive growth in Canada. More specifically, the chapter entitled ‘Unleashing the Growth Potential of Key Sectors’ focused on the agri-food sector, to illustrate how a targeted approach by government, in concert with industry, can unleash the sector’s full potential. Scott Ross, Director of Business Risk Management and Farm Policy for the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, will provide a brief overview of the recommended, targeted approach, providing insights into subsequent how both the federal government and industry have responded to these recommendations. In particular, the 2017 Federal Budget announced a series of initiatives that reflect many elements of the council’s recommendations.

Scott will outline the current status of these initiatives, how they measure up to the recommendations in the Barton report, and provide insights into ongoing industry efforts to build upon the momentum of the council’s report. A Q&A session will follow Scott’s presentation, presenting an opportunity to share your perspectives on the Barton Report and the subsequent agri-food growth agenda announced in Federal Budget 2017.

Speak Up Team Program
Presenter: Kelly Daynard, Executive Director, Farm & Food Care

The Speak Up Team concept was developed more than 15 years ago here in Ontario and has now expanded across the country. The popular program gives participants the ability to tell their stories, in an easy-to-understand and compelling manner. This could be of use in media interviews, in tours of farms, at council meetings, to service club members, school groups and more. In this abbreviated version of a day- long workshop, you’ll get some quick tips on how to tell your farm story to a non-farming audience.

Down on the Farm: Myths & Reality of Mental Health in Agriculture
Presenter: Danielle Stewart, Workplace Safety & Prevention Services

We all know how to assist after a barn fire, or farm accident, but how can the farm community better respond to the subtler issue of mental health struggles in agriculture? Overwork, mounting pressures, debt load, poor crops, animal disease and many other factors contribute to stress on the farm, but what is the tipping point into a crisis?

Learn more with an overview of the top 10 myths and realities in mental health, explore emerging research and proposed strategies from the farm sector, and consider new responses to this growing issue.

Natural Heritage and Agriculture: Can they Coexist?
Presenters: Terri Fancy, Policy Advisor, Ministry of Natural Resources, Katie Novacek, Senior Policy Advisor, Ministry of Natural Resources, John Taylor, Senior Planner, Ministry of Municipal Affairs

This session will feature speakers from the Ministries of Natural Resources and Forestry, Municipal Affairs and Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Speakers will focus on what a Natural Heritage System is, what features are included in it and how Natural Heritage Systems are incorporated into municipal plans. As well, they’ll address the big question, can Natural Heritage and agriculture coexist on the same landscape?

Producing Prosperity in Ontario: How you can promote OFA’s 2018 election campaign
Presenters: Ray Pons & Peter Seemann, Grassroots Public Affairs

This workshop will introduce and broadly explain effective communication principles behind the latest OFA strategy designed to get our campaign of Distributed Economic Development heard, valued and acted upon by political parties and candidates in the upcoming provincial election. The workshop will be interactive, thought provoking and no nonsense, real-world focused. It will cover practical ways for you as individuals and as an organization to distinguish our industry’s advocacy from the white noise of lobbying so that agri-food priorities can more effectively become government priorities.

Resolutions

View the 2017 Annual General Meeting resolutions

By-law 16-2

Amendments to By-law 16-2

Financial Statements

2017 Financial Statements

Webcasting

The Annual General Meeting is broadcast live on the OFA website. OFA members and interested parties who are unable to attend, but would like to stay informed, can watch and listen online at any time during the meeting with the live video feed.

Social Media

Stay connected with all the latest updates and join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #OFAgm17.