http://www.ecfa.ca/ Essex County Associated Growers Press Releases en-us http://leamingtondesigns.com/ecfa/mobile/logo%20small.gif http://www.ecfa.ca 144 144 http://ecfa.ca/main/index.php?page=press.php&nid=35 OFA NEWS!!! THE CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL FARM SHOWFEBRUARY 7 - 9, 2012INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, TORONTO, ON SIGN UP BY JANUARY 31, 2012 AND RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSION FROM OFA WORTH $15!!!GO TO THE OFA WEBSITE (www.ofa.on.ca)USE PROMO CODE FARM507E http://ecfa.ca/main/index.php?page=press.php&nid=34 By Don McCabe, Vice President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Developing green energy and securing sustainable energy sources has been a priority for government, industry, researchers and consumers for decades. In Ontario, we are fortunate to have programs that ensure green energy is a priority today, and for future generations. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) was an early supporter of green energy and joined with the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association and other like-minded groups in 2008 to campaign for a Green Energy and Green Economy (GEGE) Act. The act was passed in 2009 and set a commitment to the Feed in Tariff (FIT) program. Ontario's FIT program is North America's first comprehensive guaranteed pricing structure for renewable electricity production offering stable prices under long-term contracts for energy generated from renewable sources including wind, solar, biomass and biogas. A past provincial Conservative government passed legislation to remove coal fired power from Ontario's energy mix. A key objective of the GEGE act is to assist in the phase-out of coal-fired generating stations in Ontario by the end of 2014. In a recent speech to the Economic Club of Canada, Premier McGuinty commented that, "we know the price of fossil fuels will keep going up, while we know the price of renewable technologies will keep coming down. We know where the world is going. And we choose to lead, not follow." These words from the Premier indicate a rock solid commitment to the development and implementation of green energy technologies. With the new act, the government also committed to a FIT program review (this includes microFIT) within two years to evaluate the program's rules and pricing. The provincial government has kept its promise and OFA is pleased to be involved in the FIT program review process. Farmers are in a unique position. All farmers are consumers of energy and rely on an efficient generation and delivery system across the province. But now there is also potential for many farmers to participate in the generation of energy through the FIT and microFIT programs. The OFA's critical assessment of these programs will identify both strengths and weaknesses in each. The intent will be to recommend changes that enable both of these programs to continue into the future and provide opportunities for Ontario farmers to contribute to Ontario's long-term goal of generating green energy from renewable sources. The OFA's submission to the FIT program review is in the final stages of drafting. It will be submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Energy by mid-December and posted to the OFA website. The position will include recognition of the balance of improved technology cost implementation and consumer pricing. OFA continues to advocate for the development of green energy for farmers, consumer pocketbooks, and the health of the province. All farmers are power consumers. And now they have opportunities to become power generators. We must ensure policies embedded in the FIT programs are in the best interests of all Ontarians. Green energy has an important place in our industry and we're working to make it a better fit. -30- http://ecfa.ca/main/index.php?page=press.php&nid=33 The Essex County Federation held its annual meeting on December 1 in the Essex Civic Centre. The members present were given an up-date on recent ECFA activities as well as a report on the OFA Convention that was held in Toronto. Two local community initiatives that involve agriculture were discussed with representatives asking for support from Essex County farmers. Elections were held with Robert Bailey, Bonnie Popov, Tony Mastronardi, Bernard Nelson, Larry Verbeke and Julien Papineau being elected for three year terms. Next, the executive were chosen with Mark Balkwill, a local dairy producer garnering the president's position. He is joined by Lyle Hall and Brad Anger as Vice-Presidents. Thank you to all who attended. This meeting also saw Bill Mailloux awarded a special distinction - ECFA Volunteer Award 2011 and was presented with a model tractor provided by the ECFA and Jacob's Farm Equipment. Bill was recognized for his continued involvement in local, provincial and federal agricultural organizations. He is a known leader in his own commodity but is also an advocate for all of agriculture. Bill Mailloux is a valued member of the ECFA and Essex County farm community. Congratulations!For more information on the Essex County Federation of Agriculture, please contact the office at 519-776-5159. http://ecfa.ca/main/index.php?page=press.php&nid=32 Good afternoon and welcome to Federation Footnotes for Wednesday, December 7, 2011.The Ontario Federation of Agriculture held its annual convention on November 21st and 22nd in Toronto. Delegates came from across Ontario to participate in the election of the OFA Board of Directors Executive for the next year. Congratulations to the newly elected OFA President - Mark Wales as well as Don McCabe and Debra Pretty-Strathoff who were elected as Vice-Presidents for the next year. Keith Currie was also re-elected as Executive Member for another term. The OFA continues to help members with issues ranging from government programs to municipal concerns. Locally, if you have a question or need information, call Gayle Bogart, Member Service representative for Essex/Kent at 519-776-7960.The Essex County Federation of Agriculture's Annual Meeting was held on Thursday, December 1 at 7 p.m. in Room E of the Essex Civic Centre. At this meeting there were 6 members elected as directors for a three term - Robert Bailey, Tony Mastronardi, Bernard Nelson, Julien Papineau, Bonnie Popov and Larry Verbeke. There were also elections held for all the executive positions. Mark Balkwill will serve as President while Lyle Hall and Brad Anger will be Vice-Presidents for the next year. Thank you for volunteering to represent your fellow Essex County farmers.As Christmas nears and you plan your holiday feasts, don't forget to include some of the wonderful products still available from local producers. Take a trip out to the farm and purchase potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, meats and wines. Use these wonderful local flavors in your favourite dishes and support your local economy. Encourage your friends and family to BUY LOCAL also. If you need help finding a local producer, get one of our BUY LOCAL maps or visit our website at www.ecfa.ca.From the Essex County Federation of Agriculture - we wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season and remember if you ate today thank a farmer and if you are a farmer thank you. Merry Christmas!I am Anne Anger and this week's Federation Footnotes are provided by the Essex County Federation of Agriculture. http://ecfa.ca/main/index.php?page=press.php&nid=31 Date: November 25, 2011 Newly-elected OFA president focusing on working together Mark Wales, Alymer-area vegetable producer was recently elected president of the largest general farm organization in Canada, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). Long-time Board member and industry leader, Wales brings an extensive portfolio of experience to his new position and looks forward to bringing positive results to members in the coming year. Wales was elected at OFA's annual general meeting and convention recently held in Toronto. Joining Wales on the executive are Don McCabe and Debra Pretty-Straathof as vice presidents and returning executive member Keith Currie. Looking ahead, Wales told OFA delegates that he will work on their behalf to ensure election promises made by both federal and provincial parties are upheld. And he will engage politicians and policy advisors in developing solutions to agricultural issues and challenges. Wales plans to work with all agri-food partners, including commodity groups, OFA members, the general public and industry organizations, to achieve results. "Our strength as an organization is in our ability to find the best solutions for all our members using all of our resources," says Wales, who understands the importance of working with all levels of government and the public to support the agri-food industry, and secure a profitable and viable farming industry in Ontario. "Today's farmer needs to be sustainable in order to be successful in the futures," says Wales. "That means productive, profitable and secure farming operations. And I will continue to advocate this message throughout the coming year as I work with the OFA team and together we will deliver results to our members. Wales has been an OFA vice president for three years and served OFA in a variety of capacities over the past 15 years. Among many volunteer commitments, he is a member of the Elgin Federation of Agriculture, chair of the Peer Review Committee for the Environmental Farm Plan, member of the Garlic Growers Association and sits on the Elgin Stewardship Council. Wales grows a variety of vegetables on his farm for the fresh and processing markets along with corn, soybeans and white beans. As OFA moves forward in its 76th year, Wales says he is very optimistic about his chance to make a difference to farmers and Ontario agriculture by saying, "together, we can achieve." -30- http://ecfa.ca/main/index.php?page=press.php&nid=30 MEDIA RELEASE "Essex County Federation of Agriculture Annual Meeting" The Essex County Federation of Agriculture will be holding their Annual Meeting on Thursday, December 1 in the Council Chambers of the Essex Civic Centre at 7 p.m. This meeting will include a review of the past year's activities, a proposed constitutional change, the election of directors as well as the election of the executive that will represent Essex County farmers for the next year. The guest speaker this year is Jay Remsik from Workplace Safety and Prevention Services. Mr. Remsik has over 12 years' experience in assisting clients with implementing health and safety into the workplace. He will be speaking on the duties and responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and explaining how Workplace Safety and Prevention Services can help. Come out and see how your membership dollars work for you, speak to your OFA Member Services Representative, Gayle Bogart and visit with you neighbours! Following the meeting, there will be refreshments. For more information, please call the ECFA office at 519-776-5159 or visit our website at www.ecfa.ca. - 30 - http://ecfa.ca/main/index.php?page=press.php&nid=29 Food import regulations need an overhaul By Bette Jean Crews, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Some of the most important regulations in place in Canada and Ontario govern the food we eat. Food production, inspection and processing regulations are enforced to ensure the safety and nutrition of our food, something consumers trust and rely on. However, recent media report uncovered the need to update and step up enforcement of some of Canada's food and inspection regulations. Newly released statistics - contained in the Postmedia News report - show that a large majority of imported foods tested by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in the last three years contained inaccurate nutritional information, prohibited ingredients or misleading health claims. The CFIA targets a broad range of imported foods for compliance testing, and the report stated the results of testing showed a consistently high percentage of foods with labeling problems. This means many of the foods tested were "non-compliant for quality" or were mislabeled. In fact, 84 per cent of imported food samples tested by the CFIA in 2010 and 2011 were found noncompliant - including noncompliant nutritional claims, non-permitted health claims, the presence of a prohibited ingredient or did not meet the declared grade. This poor performance is simply not permitted with Canadian food producers and processors. Non compliance by Canadian producers and processors results in penalties, recalls, loss of product or even loss of businesses. And yet, we are told to compete against imports that do not comply with what our consumers expect and rely on. These results are alarming and simply unacceptable. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has been actively advocating for regulatory modernization in the agri-food industry, including consistent regulation of imported products. The high rate of non-compliant imported food is an example of a regulatory system that has totally lost its focus and radically needs to be repaired. Consumers are being misled, their health is at risk and our own agri-food industry is forced into a competitive disadvantage. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture represents 37,000 farm families across Ontario, but speaks for every consumer in our province when we ask for regulatory modernization on issues like food imports. Regulatory reform, or modernization, is one of the OFA's key issues and we continually address regulations that are outdated or create unnecessary restrictions and time delays for farmers and the agri-food industry. So, next time you are in the grocery store or farmer's market, support Ontario, play it safe and buy local. -30- http://ecfa.ca/main/index.php?page=press.php&nid=28 Agricultural Curling Event Finding it hard to keep active this during the winter months, why not come out and try Curling. Stay in contact with others in your industry during the off season. No curling experience required, instruction provided Saturday, November 5, 2011 at 12pm Saturday, November 12, 2011 at 12pm All those involved in the agricultural fields are welcome to attend at no cost. This event will be held at the Kingsville curling club located at 700 County Road 20. All you will need is a clean pair of running shoes and some warm clothes. For more information contact Jason at jasonhebert82@gmail.com