We’re only a short time away from the start of a new year, which for many of us, means not just a flip of the calendar but also an opportunity for new beginnings.

Canadian consumers continue to have a high level of trust in our food system and many of their key concerns mirror those of the farming community. That’s according to the results of the 2023 Public Trust Research Report into Canada’s food system that was released recently by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity.

Many organizations and businesses depend on volunteers to support different programs and initiatives. But it’s getting harder to find people willing to come forward to help, especially since the pandemic.

This past week, Ontario’s farmers gathered for the annual meeting of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). It’s a business meeting for the organization and the opportunity for members from across Ontario to debate resolutions and help shape the direction of OFA policy and activity for the year ahead.

For Ontario’s largest general farm organization, it almost goes without saying that the last year has been a busy one. I’ve served as president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture for three years, and as I look back on the last 12 months, I’m proud of the many places we’ve been able to speak, present, comment and testify to share the voice of agriculture and help make things better for farmers in Ontario.

Traditionally, agriculture has been a male-dominated industry, but women have always played very pivotal roles in farm businesses – just mostly behind the scenes or in a supportive capacity.

That is definitely changing, however. As a female farmer myself, it’s something that I can confirm first-hand, but it’s also backed up by data from the most recent Canadian Census of Agriculture.

The annual convention of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) will take place the third week of November. As we do every year, it’s where OFA members and voting delegates get together to deal with the business of the organization.

Every year in November, members of Ontario’s largest general farm organization, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), come together for their annual convention.

Although economic news regularly dominates headlines these days, the economy will be of particular focus on this week’s public and media calendar.

Farmers always worry about the weather impacting their crops, from drought and heat to flooding, hail, and high winds. However, there’s another aspect of nature that is also a source of damage and loss for agricultural crops – wildlife.