Project Name: Brant Federation – BCFA Celebration Banquet

Project summary and highlights:

• Approximately 185 people joined us to celebrate Brant County agriculture.
• We received donations from the community and agribusiness for a silent auction, raising $2505.00, of which 50% was donated to our 5 local food banks, and 50% to Canadian Foodgrains Banks (the government matches 4:1)
• It provided the opportunity to build relationships with local government representatives. The MP, MPP, Brant County Mayor and 5 Councillors attended.
• Guest speaker, Dan Needles, entertained the crowd with stories of small town life.
• We recognized 2 scholarship winners
• A PowerPoint looped during the night to convey key messages and acknowledge the support of the Revive Fund and the agricultural community.
• How were funds used, any partner contributions besides the Federation?
• The Revive funds helped to cover the cost of catering, the guest speaker, hall rental and insurance.

Describe lasting and relevant impact to the OFA membership:

The purpose of the banquet is a combination of Member Engagement and Community Engagement. We were able to:

• Show appreciation to our members
  • Thanking them for their continued membership and ongoing commitment to keep a strong agricultural community.
• Celebrate Brant County agriculture and highlight the importance of our agricultural community
  • Through the silent auction, we connected with and promoted the products and services of our local farm suppliers and farmers who sell direct to consumers. We also highlighted our crop sign project (previously funded by the Revive Fund) and celebrated the economic value that agriculture brings to the county and encourage the preservation of farmland.
• Strengthen current relationships with elected officials.
  • The banquet gave us a reason to connect and invite those who impact our members via policies and legislation. Their attendance helped bridge the gap in understanding current and future needs of farmers.
  • Since the banquet, we are now in the planning stages of a farm tour for our elected officials. They requested the opportunity to visit some farms to get firsthand experience.

As the farm population continues to decline, we need to find ways to bring membership together and strengthen our relationships with agricultural supporters. We want to position BCFA/OFA as the farm organization that brings people together to support, protect, and celebrate agriculture and rural living.