By Steve Brackenridge, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

It’s been nine years since I first joined the board of directors at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). In 2016, I was elected to represent farmers in Peterborough, Durham, and Kawartha Lakes/Haliburton at the largest general farm organization in the province – but my journey to the OFA board began much earlier than that.

Today, I grow crops, sell maple syrup equipment and supplies as well as run a commercial grain elevator, but I grew up on a hog farm and attended University of Guelph.

My dad had also served as an OFA director and I spent the early years of my career as an animal nutritionist, working with dairy, beef, sheep and goat farmers. So when people in my area convinced me to put my name forward for the job, I knew that I was bringing a broad range of knowledge to the position.

Serving on the board is rewarding, but it’s also a major commitment of time and energy that sometimes requires some tough decisions. Still, it’s worth it and I don’t regret the time that I’ve committed to working on behalf of my fellow farmers for the last nine years and being their representative on big-picture issues that affect all of agriculture – like taxation, land use planning, rural infrastructure and more.

Two of the earliest files I worked on at OFA are ones that I’m still involved with today: getting natural gas and high speed internet access into rural Ontario.

Natural gas access can put thousands of dollars of disposable income back into a rural household every year. Broadband is as critical today as hydro was in the 1950s. We’re making progress, but it’s slow – and that’s why OFA’s voice matters: to push for policy and investment that makes life better for farmers and rural communities.

Over the years, I’ve seen crises unite us too. This summer’s drought, for example, showed the value of strong advocacy when OFA and partners secured an increase to the interest-free portion of loans under the Advanced Payment program to $250,000 per year. These supports matter, especially in uncertain times like these and they don’t happen without continued advocacy efforts.

In the early days of the pandemic, OFA launched our Revive Fund, which gives our local federations of agricultural matching funding for community-building projects in their areas. Thanks to the support of this fund, I’ve watched our federations become more active and build stronger relationships with their municipalities, MPPs, and local councils.

In my region, for example, the roads departments now get in touch with farm leaders before making changes that could affect how we move farm equipment on our roads. That kind of respect and consultation simply wasn’t there a decade ago.

One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is how far we’ve moved the dial in raising awareness of agriculture’s importance to Ontario’s economy. At OFA’s last Queen’s Park outreach day this past March, we met with more MPPs in one day than ever before and the interest in farm and food production and our role as a pillar of the provincial economy has never been so strong.

To the person who takes my place and any other farmers thinking about letting their name stand for a board position, my advice is simple: take the time to listen, prepare for your meetings and ask questions.

I remember meeting an MPP from Mississauga once and asking what people in his riding cared about. His answer was simple: healthcare and ambulance wait times. That’s not that different from my area, where medical personnel shortages and emergency room closures also mean longer ambulance rides – and suddenly, we had common ground. That’s how you build bridges.

As I step away after nine years, I do so with gratitude: serving on the OFA board has been an honour. And I encourage anyone who cares about the future of farming in this province – especially those who think they don’t have the time – to consider stepping up.

Advocacy is never easy, but it’s essential.

For more information, contact:

Tyler Brooks
Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-994-2578
[email protected]