As a kid, I watched a lot of Sesame Street. Children’s shows have an entertaining way of teaching life lessons. Muppets still make me laugh when I think about crumbs in the bed and the fly in the soup. In between the skits were life skills. One had a catchy tune that I can still hum to this day – “one of these things is not like the others…” The screen would show balloons or shapes and challenge viewers to find the one that didn’t fit. Oftentimes, the outlier was obvious. From an early age, we are taught to look for differences.

Sometimes, you leave a meeting and think, “That was a great meeting. I am really glad that happened.” It can be an insightful comment, an engaged group of participants, action to follow up on, or confirmation the organization is on the right track. I had one of those meetings recently.

What makes Ontario’s agri-food industry strong is the abundance of strong, confident and spirited farmers we have leading our organizations and businesses, striving towards building a bright future for the next generation. As an organization governed by grassroots, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) values the power of leadership. We understand the importance of utilizing the voice of our membership. OFA aims to develop leaders within our 51 county and regional federations, encouraging a new wave to pursue a role at the provincial level. 

Farming is often a family affair. As the saying goes “many hands make light work” and even the smallest of hands can lighten the workload. With Ontario’s extension of school closures and e-learning, farm kids across the province will be spending more time on the farm looking to get their hands dirty.

Urban sprawl continues to negatively impact the viability and productivity of Ontario’s agriculture industry. The rapid expansion of development on farmland may have consequences such as increased energy consumption and pollution, as well as the ability for our farmers to continue producing food, fibre and fuel for the province.

As we gear up for Ontario’s Local Food Week, it’s important to reiterate the need for shopping local and supporting our rural communities and farm businesses.

Fulfilling labour needs has been a longstanding challenge in Ontario’s agri-food sector. It requires priority focus on skills development and training, along with access to skilled workers to help fill chronic labour shortages. When the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and community partners launched Feeding Your Future last year, it was in response to a direct need that had been amplified due to COVID-19.

The pandemic has fostered many firsts, especially when it comes to virtual learning and engagement. For the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), that came in the form of our first ever Research Day.

Queen’s Park certainly looked different for this year’s Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) virtual lobby day. Many OFA directors fed animals the morning of our meetings, and a few even logged on from their farm shop.

Trespassing on farm property continues to be an ongoing concern for many of our farmers across the province. As the warm weather arrives, farmers often deal with an increased number of off-road vehicles and rural trail hikers roaming the countryside.