Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

Fresh Facts
Newsletter #283
Dec. 2012
Volume 27, Number 10

Presidents Message
I love Christmas. Now I know what youre thinking: of course he loves Christmas who doesnt? But let me tell you how much I love Christmas. Part of me is still that 5 year old boy stumbling bleary-eyed into the kitchen to see if Santa has eaten the cookies we thoughtfully left out and if the reindeer have taken their carrots. Another part of me is now a (reluctant) adult who worries about finding the perfect gift for everyone on my list and (not so secretly) cant wait to see if people like my gifts as much as I liked collecting them. And yet another part of me is an unapologetic and (especially at this time of year) ecstatic retailer. Christmas is a retailers dream, no? I love the bustle, the rush, and the pace of working in retail at Christmastime. Seriously. People talk a lot about the meaning of Christmas, especially at this time of year. I know that Christmas isnt about gifts and its not about retail. For me, Christmas is about sharing and its about generosity. Its about bringing people together and its about community, friends, and family. A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune of boarding the OFFMA bus bound for the Michigan Illinois - Indiana farm tour. As happens every year, this tour reminded me of what a great group of people make up Ontario Farm Fresh. We toured some farm operations that blew my mind places where innovation, creativity, and excellence live. We met a goat that has changed me forever (I have never seen anything quite like this goatmore on that another time). We ate delicious food. We had a tour and introduction to the Zingermans approach to business. A few of us even ended up inside Chicagos McCormick Center for President Obamas election night acceptance speech. And as always, the real highlight of this trip was visiting with OFFMA friends on the bus, over shared meals, and in the evenings. Once again, I was reminded of one of OFFMAs greatest strengths our shared community where generosity and sharing come naturally. Wherever you are this Christmas season, may I wish you all good things. Congratulations on finishing the 2012 season. Take a rest, eat deliciously, and enjoy. From all of us here at Ontario Farm Fresh, and on behalf of your Board of Directors, I wish you a very Merry Christmas.

Inside this issue:

Membership News Ten Skills Every Leader Should Develop in 2013 OFFMA Bus Tour Highlights My Favourite TakeAway Premiers Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellencecall for Applications Upcoming Events

2 3 4 6 7

Jesse Lauzon OFFMA President PS. This January, OFFMA is heading out on the road again for another great tour! On January 16th, were hitting the road for a one-day tour of Torontos best food retail destinations! This adventure is a must for anyone interested in specialty food retailing and baking. Be sure to check out the details inside this newslettersee you there!

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Fresh Facts

MEMBERSHIP NEWS
New Members Welcome to these new members. Thanks for coming on board. Looking forward to meeting you in person at an upcoming event. Cara Daw Abbey Garden Community Trust Haliburton, ON 705-854-0356 Jill & Gary Cockerell Franklin Farm Herbals & Market Bethany, ON 705-277-9800 Angela Nickle f.N. Happy Farm Uxbridge, ON 905-862-0591 Bob & Barb Gillies The Lavender Farm Ayr, ON 519-632-7368 Dagmar Seiboth Sunnivue Farm Ailsa Craig, ON 519-232-9096 Isabelle Graveline Kilmarnock Orchard Jasper, ON 613-283-4422 George Joao Grindstone Creek Nursery Millgrove, ON 905-689-5466 Associate Member Mike Leslie KH&A Solutions Guelph, ON 1-800-732-1939 Congratulations to Anita Buehner, co-owner of Bonnieheath Lavender and the chair of the Ontario Lavender Association. She was picked to be Ms. July in the 2013 Faces of Farming calendar and you guessed it, she was wearing purple. The calendars are available at TSC stores across the province.

Frank and Mike Whittamore of Whittamore's Farm receives the annual Paul Mistele award from Bill Laidlaw (right), Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Food Banks. Named for the late farm leader who founded Ontario Pork's Donate-A-Hog program in 1998, the Paul Mistele Memorial Award recognizes agricultural partners who have shown a significant and enduring commitment to ending hunger in Ontario. "Mike and Frank Whittamore, owners and operators of Whittamore's Farm in Markham, have been incredible partners to the Ontario Association of Food Banks for many years," said Bill Laidlaw, Executive Director of the OAFB. "Through our Community Harvest Ontario program, Whittamore's Farm has donated thousands of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to Ontarians in need." WAY TO GO WHITTAMORES!!

Congratulations to the Bering Family Nana and Grandpa (Ann and Murray) Bering welcome Meredith Julianna Bering, weighing in at 6 lbs. 8.5 oz., arrived at 1:46 a.m. Nov. 3. Proud parents are Nicholas Bering and Kelsey Ryan.
Snyders Family Farm has had an emotional roller coaster of a ride the past few weeks. On November 5th, they welcomed a new baby brother for Max, Beau Snyder weighed in at 9.5 lbs. The whole family was very excited about the new addition. Unfortunately they were not able to enjoy their new family in peace and quiet. On the afternoon of November 10th, their barn filled with Christmas decorations and equipment burned down. Thankfully, No one was hurt in the fire. Megan and John are already planning the new building for the farm.

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Ten Skills Every Leader Should Develop in 2013

By Sharlyn Lauby, The HR Bartender What does 2013 have in store for us? But instead of talking about possible future events, I thought it might be fun to share the skills we as leaders will need in order to deal with them. Regardless of your role and responsibilities, the more you develop these skills, the better equipped you are for anything the business world might throw your way. opportunity to meet people.

#6. Problem-Solving Business is all

about fixing problems. Whether its designing a new product to make consumers happy, creating a new process to make employees lives easier, or solving a challenge youve personally been facing. Learning a system for identifying, analyzing and solving problems will improve both your personal and professional life. #1. Arithmetic Politics aside, Presi#7. Public Speaking You dont have dent Bill Clinton delivered the line that to be a keynote speaker or facilitate a caught our attention Its arithmetic. full-day workshop. But do get comfortMath has become cool again thanks to able with standing up in front of a movies like Moneyball, television crowd and talking. At minimum, be shows such as Big Bang Theory and able to articulate who you are and Nate Silvers FiveThirtyEight blog. So what you do for a living. get out the calculator and talk some #8. Recreation Adopt a work hard/ numbers. play hard attitude. Be the best busi#2. Business and Accounting I enjoy ness leader you can be. Then find the reading the comics and the sports page time and the activity to keep you too but having a handle on whats hap- grounded. For example, I enjoy makpening in the business world is essening jewelry and Fantasy Football. It tial. And that means not only knowing doesnt matter what the activity isbut that the iconic Twinkie is leaving us but find some way to keep a sense of balwhy Hostess Brands filed bankruptcy in ance. the first place. #9. Self-Management Know your#3. Curation There is so much infor- self. Know how to manage yourself. Be mation available to us, being able to confident and comfortable identifying find the right data at the right moment is when youre stressed or struggling. crucial. We cant use last years reports Recognize what energizes you. And anymore the data is obsolete. Know- what drains your energy. The more ing how to locate accurate and timely leaders understand about themselves, information is critical to our success. the better they will manage their own #4. Decision-Making Consensus behaviors. building is an art. And its not the an#10. Writing This last one might swer for every type of decision. Knowsound sillybut know grammar baing when to make decisions indesics. More importantly, refine your writpendently and when to involve others is ing style. Try different approaches of important. Its equally important to real- explaining your logic. Practice comize when a decision must be made and posing succinct thoughts. when to wait a few days or weeks. This article first appeared in the HR Bar#5. Networking To survive in busitender Blog. Sharlyn Lauby is an HR pro ness, a person must have a network. turned consultant. She created the HR Leaders should constantly build relaBartender blog so people would have a tionships. You never know who might friendly place to discuss workplace issues. be able to open a door or share For more HR info, visit her website at knowledge. Never, ever pass up the www.hrbartender.com

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Fresh Facts

2012 OFFMA Bus Tour Highlights

We saw LOTS of interesting things that would help make any on-farm market just that much better. Things like..
Vehicles that were re-furbished to fit into the branding program of the farm. Here Fair Oaks Farm show off their new Cow Buses that transport people from the Education Center to a nearby farm to tour the dairy cattle. The Pumpkin Patrol is from Kuipers Farm in Illinois and is used on and off the farm to promote their Pumpkin Farm.

People like Sarah Jollay and her mom from Jollay Orchards. Sarah is a mom with 6 kids under 9 but she still made time to talk to our tour group and enthusiastically share some of the challenges their farm has had as well as some of the agricultural challenges for her area. She was informative, charismatic and a dynamo lady with great ideas and energy to spare.

Signs, signs and more signs. Some were put out to inform, some to inspire and some just to put a smile on someones face. Dont underestimate what you can do with signs. They are your silent salesperson, they can help tell a story that is important but that you dont want to repeat 10 times a day. They are also useful to draw peoples attention to your companys philosophy, your commitment to the environment, or your donation to a worthwhile charity. Signs are critical for every business, have you reviewed your signs lately?

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Amazing displays that grad your attention, pull you in and make you want to buy one of the everything they have to offer. The displays were especially professional looking on this trip. Edwards Orchard had a barn they re-built when a tornado leveled the previous barn 4 years ago. They made sure they had enough space to display their items and they did a great job. This example looks like it is from a design magazine.

A HUGE thank you to our hosts. They were very gracious and very willing to open all their doors and share with OFFMA members. We hope that one day we can return your hospitality.

We have several bus tours planned for 2013.

January 16thFoodie Tour to Torontos high end food shops February 22ndTour of on-farm markets in the Niagara Region, right after OFFMAs Summit at the Fruit & Vegetable Convention in Niagara Falls August 19 & 20 Simcoe County Marketing Highlights November 10-14 Bus Tour to California Watch the newsletter for additional information. Do not miss out on these great networking and learning opportunities.

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Fresh Facts

My Favourite TakeAway
by Steve Smith, Smith Apples and Farm Market

As OFFMA members we have yearly opportunities to attend workshops and listen to world-class speakers. Of all the Take Away messages I have circled, underlined or highlighted over the years, there is one that I keep right up front and share enthusiastically with our staff. It is the principle: Do It For One. We all recognize the situation. A customer, child, a fellow worker, perhaps family member is having a bad day, a time when life throws a small challenge their way. Many observers would go along in their busy lives ignoring the plight of another thinking, If I do it for you, I will have to do it for everyone. Instead I coach and empower my staff to look for opportunity to Do It For One on every shift. An example I recall took place on our farm on a busy Thanksgiving Saturday morning. A young woman was on her way to the car with a just purchased apple pie in hand when she stumbled and

the pie hit the parking lot. A staff member witnessed this, quickly grabbed another pie, walked into the parking lot and passed the complimentary replacement pie through the window to the upset woman. Quick thinking and confidence in our business philosophy of Do It For One made it possible for this staff member to make someones day a whole lot better and connect that experience with coming to our farm. It is amazing how a simple bit of extra consideration can develop customer loyalty and build a reputation for exceptional customer service.

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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS - PREMIERS AWARD FOR AGRI-FOOD INNOVATION EXCELLENCE by Carl Fletcher, OMAFRA Strategic Business Planning Lead Applications are now being accepted for the Premiers Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence program. The past two newsletters have recognized OFFMA members who are previous award winners. Now you can apply too! The deadline for submissions is Friday, January 18, 2013. The Premiers Award for Agri-Food Innovation program has attracted more than 1,000 applications highlighting on-farm innovations since its inception in 2007. The Premiers Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence program encourages the development of our rural communities, farms, agri-food processors and agri-food organizations by adding value to existing products, creating jobs and driving economic growth. The program recognizes up to 45 Regional Award recipients across the province who receive a plaque, wordmark and a gate sign, as well as $5,000; a Premiers Award ($75,000); a Ministers Award ($50,000); and, three Leaders in Innovation Awards ($25,000). WHO CAN APPLY? A farmer, primary producer, processor, or agri-food related organization are all eligible for recognition under this initiative. Applicants must be in compliance with all applicable federal, provincial and municipal legislation that apply to the operation of the innovation. ELIGIBLE INNOVATIONS Examples of innovation areas include, but are not limited to: improved business practices, response to consumer demands (eg., new product development, value added, marketing, strategic alliances, local food), environmental stewardship, health and safety, energy and bio-economy, food safety and traceability, and education and marketing of the agriculture and food industry to society. DEADLINE This years applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 18, 2013. Eligible applications will be reviewed by two independent panels comprised of a cross-section of Ontarios agri-food industry. Additional information, guidelines and application forms are available on the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/premier_award/index.html or by calling the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300.

Holiday gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.

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Fresh Facts

Upcoming Events for 2013

Jan. 3 & 4 Jan 3 & 4 January 16 Central Ontario Agricultural Conference 2013, Georgian College, Barrie Campus, www.centralontarioagconference.ca 20th Anniversary Southwest Agricultural Conference, University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus, Ridgetown, www.southwestagconference.ca/ OFFMAs Foodie Bus Tour to Toronto, call the OFFMA office to register, 905-841-9278

Ontario Farm Fresh

Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director 2002 Vandorf Rd. Aurora, ON L4G 7B9 Phone: 905-841-9278 Fax: 905-726-3369 E-mail: info@ontariofarmfresh.com www.ontariofarmfresh.com 2012-13 OFFMA Board of Directors Jesse Lauzon, President Springridge Farm Brian Hugli, Vice President HugIis Blueberry Ranch Amy Strom, Past President Stroms Farm Cara Epp, Associate Member Cara Epp Marketing Leslie Forsythe, Forsythe Family Farms Jay Howell, Brantview Apples & Cider Hollis English, Murphys Farmstead Colleen Pingle, Pingles Farm Market Geri Rounds, Rounds Ranch Steve Smith, Smiths Apples Carl Fletcher, OMAFRA (Acting Advisor to the Board)

Jan. 31Feb. 3 32nd Annual Guelph Organic Conference & Expo, University of Guelph For further info visit www.guelphorganicconf.ca or have a look at the enclosed postcard with this newsletter. February 1-6 28th Annual NAFDMA Convention Blaze Trails Pacific Northwest 2013 Convention includes a 3-day bus tour and 3-day conference and trade show in Portland, Oregon. For details see www.nafdma.com/PNW2013. The Best of the Best Retail Tour of the UK with John Stanley and Associates, visit www.johnstanley.com.au for further details Zingermans The Art of Giving Great Service Workshop, Niagara Falls, Contact the OFFMA office for additional info, 905-841-9278 OFFMAs 40th Anniversary Gala Awards Banquet, Niagara Falls, Contact Cathy at 905-841-9278 for tickets. OFFMA s Summit in conjunction with the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention, Scotia Conference Centre, Niagara Falls www.ofvc.org Information flyer included with this newsletter. Dont forget to book your hotel rooms soon to avoid disappointment. OFVC First Annual Bus TourA Glimpse of Niagara, SAVE THE DATE, more info in the next newsletter.

February 6-12 February 19 February 19 Feb. 20 & 21

February 22

OFFMAs First Foodie Tour

Visit food retailers in Toronto. Check out the latest trends, pick up ideas that you can implement at your own business. Leave the driving and the parking to us.weve got Wayne, bus driver extraordinaire, to get us into and out of every situation. Save the Date

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Additional details to follow shortly.

The last word.the last word this month goes to OFFMAs Board of Directors. It has been a tough year for agriculture and they want to extend their wishes that each and every one of you take time to enjoy your family and friends over the holidays. Take time to take care of yourselves; to relax and recharge. Once youve got some R&R, start planning for 2013. Best wishes for a healthy, profitable new year filled with lots of happiness.