Last year was an important one for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA).
Over the past 12 months we have made significant strides in solidifying future opportunities for farmers through our collaborative work with farm organizations, government and our industry partners.
The beginning of a new year always provides opportunity and interest in looking ahead to make plans for success in the months ahead. Most of us begin January with a sense of optimism, considering the possibilities and how we will achieve our goals.
The OFA is no different.
As always, this will be an exciting and action-packed year for the OFA, acting on several key issues while preparing for a busy political calendar.
The OFA celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. While we take the time to remind ourselves of our proud history, we continually keep our eye on the target of improving the social and economic well-being of farmers in collaboration with our agricultural partners.
Several key issues stand out that we will continue to work on throughout the coming year.
This year, we will be launching our Proud to Lead campaign – a program to identify and develop leadership potential across Ontario to ensure our proud history is sustained. We’ll also focus on a critical priority of members from all areas of the province for the proper handling of predator issues. We will revamp the OFA Predator Task Team to take stock of the situation and breathe new life into our predator and wildlife damage needs.
In addition, we will be working on further refinement of beginning farmer policies and programs, Biomass research projects and green energy initiatives, the ongoing development and finalization of the National Food Strategy, formalization of OFA governance policies, completion of the Open for Business process to ease regulatory concerns, and launching the new OFA website and social media procedures to name just a few important actions.
All of this work will be performed in the context of an election year. We are working towards the provincial election in October but also carefully watching the federal landscape. Nothing enables the promotion of the agricultural agenda and key issues better than an election. We have filed an important pre-election briefing with the Ontario government in the form of our Pre-Budget briefing. In it we have identified important fiscal and non-fiscal policy measures the Ontario government can enact to improve the farm sector and our province’s economy as a result. We will refine these messages in the spring as provincial politicians begin touring Ontario in advance of the October vote.
Likewise, we will be prepared for action in Ottawa if and when a federal election is called. There is no question the National Food Strategy, as a set of governing objectives for good agricultural and food policy, will be a key election issue.
Our success in influencing will continue to lie with our collective ability to convey a strong and consistent message on our critical issues. To help make that happen, I urge all farmers to stay informed and involved in your organization. Contribute to the policy debates and take the messages to our policy makers on every occasion.
As our 75 years of history have proven, there is no voice stronger than a unified farm voice. We wish you all the best for the New Year and look forward to working with you.
