Farmers who live and work alongside trails know that with public access comes shared responsibility.

Summer is a great opportunity for some informal advocacy about the importance of food and farming. After all, it’s when local MPPs and MPs are home in their ridings and on a break from their Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill commitments, but that doesn’t mean their work has stopped.

For farm leaders, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s annual summer meeting is a chance to gather with other sector leaders from across the country, take stock of the current landscape, and work on charting a united path forward. This year, the gathering held even more significance than usual.

We’re fully into summer across Ontario which means farmers are hard at work in fields, orchards, vineyards and greenhouses. Despite the busy season though, they’re also deeply engaged in the policy, economic and environmental issues shaping agriculture’s future.

Agriculture is often mentioned as a source of greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, it is considered to be one of the only sectors with significant opportunities to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it through a process called carbon sequestration.

As we enter the height of summer and the beginning of harvest season for many of Ontario’s major crops, it’s important to take a look at what we can do to keep ourselves and other safe – on-farm, at work and on our roads.

Healthcare is a top-of-mind issue for many Ontarians, especially at times when we’re in need of medical care. Lack of services, long wait times or the family doctor shortage often make headlines in all parts of the province, but these challenges can be especially acute in rural Ontario.

OFA currently has about 38,000 members who are farms of all sizes and production types. This makes us unique among Ontario farm and agriculture organizations, as does the fact that we have members in every single corner of the province.

The OFA has a rolling governance structure for zone director positions and every year in June, five of those positions come up for election. This means we are always looking to attract interested candidates to step forward and consider joining our board for a three-year term.

Buying local and supporting local farmers and food producers is a priority for many Ontarians. As farmers, we appreciate the enthusiasm in this province for buying local and for the support you give our farms and businesses.