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Fresh Facts
Newsletter #281
September 2012
Volume 27, Number 8
Presidents Message
September is finally here and we all know what that means: Back to School. Funny how those three words can mean such different things depending upon who you are and where you are in life. Funny too, how some students get giddy about back-toschool while others dread the annual return to class with such conviction. Parents too. I know some parents who are more than a little excited to "get back to normal." Sound familiar? It's been more than a few seasons since I went back-to-school in September but I still feel it around this time of year. It always starts around the last week in August, this feeling that the long days of summer are coming to an end - that change is coming - that it is somehow time to get serious again. One thing I'm serious about doing this September is securing my spot for OFFMA's Annual November Bus Tour. This year, OFFMA is heading to the Illinois/Indiana/Michigan area for a few days to check out what's new in direct farm marketing in Illinois. I've had the scoop on where we'll be going for a couple of weeks now (I know people) and I'm really excited for you to see this newsletter's insert detailing most of the stops on our tour. This year's trip looks fantastic - but the truth is, these trips always are. We always return home full to the brim with new ideas and new ways of looking at old ideas. Best of all is getting the opportunity to visit with OFFMA friends on the bus and at mealtimes (and at cocktail time...). If you've never been on one of these trips, I really hope that this is the year you will decide to change that. Decide quickly though - the Bus Tour always sells out early so call Cathy soon. A few weeks ago, we had the really great pleasure of visiting and touring Watson Farms at our Annual Summer Pot Luck. Paul and Tami Watson showed us all over their beautiful and busy farm. They had a lot of questions from our group about their neighbours (a subdivision on one side, and a Wal-Mart across the street!) and we really appreciated their candour and their positivity. Huge thanks to Paul and Tami for such a great afternoon. As an added bonus, this year's event also featured our first ever Farmer Olympics - special thanks to Geri and Ken Rounds for organizing. If you missed it, you just may have missed my very last sack race. Ever. To all the folks who made it out this year: thanks for coming...and most importantly, thanks for the great food! Have a super September -
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Bus Tour Supplement included with this newsletter. Check it out, dont miss out on this opportunity.
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Fresh Facts
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
New Members Welcome to these new members. Thanks for coming on board. Make sure you get out are participate. Christian Cooke Cookes Farm Omemee 705-799-2746 Clay Eborall Eborall Farms Beamsville 905-988-0348
Classifieds
WANTED: Supplier for wagon canopies. The canopy on our people wagon needs to be replaced. If you have suggestions, pls call Arwa at Mapletons 519-638-1115 FOR SALE -Small-sized straw bales (24x12x8 inches) available for $1.75 each. Contact Kevin Shantz, Shantzholm Pumpkins 519634-5252 for more info. WANTED: Looking for 300-400 lbs of elderberries for wine. Contact Bob and Dyann Birtch, Birtch Farms and Estate Winery, at 519-469-3040. WANTED: Foodland has had a request for tomatillos and elderberries. If you grow them, pls let the OFFMA office know and we will pass along your contact info. WANTED: On-Farm Markets looking to sell fresh milk within 100 km of St. Jacobs. OFFMA member, Eby Manor is a Guernsey dairy farm located in Waterloo County. They have their milk processed and bottled in one litre glass bottles by Hewitt's Dairy. Currently Eby Manor has 2% milk, but they are working on other dairy products as well. If interested, contact Jim Eby at info@ebymanor.ca
Thanks for sharing this picture with us. They are Ellie and Garnet, twins born to Nathan and Darlene on March 25. Ruth and John Downey now have a dozen grandchildren to keep them fit and busy. Congrats to all.
Twitter Anyone? If you are on Twitter, make sure the OFFMA ofce knows about it. We want to following all OFFMA members on Twitter so we can help get the word out about activities on your farm. Send us an e-mail or better yet send us a tweet.
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Innovative Ideas
A little low on the number of apples you have available this year for pickin? Why not offer Yoga classes instead. Spirit Tree Cidery is doing just that. Not sure which heirloom tomatoes (or any other varieties of vegetables) your customers prefer. Maybe they arent sure either...how about giving them a choice. Let them fill their own quarts with whatever they would like to try.
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Fresh Facts
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high levels of antioxidants; they collect pomace from Ontario's organic vineyards and process it to produce a functional food product called "Bioflavia." Health Canada has approved it for use as a naturopathic product and it's now one of the highest antioxidant powders available on the market. Bioflavia powder can be added to drinks, sauces and baking and has been featured on the Canadian television show, Dragon's Den. This pomace-based product packs a nutritional punch. VG Meats Two heads are far better than one in the case of this producer/food processor duo. Combining the skill and expertise of a producer and processor has meant getting the tenderest and tastiest meat products to customers and a better return for each partner. Cattle production and beef processing have been finetuned to meet specific retail- Ted McMeekin, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Cory Van Groningen from VG Meats er and consumer expectations, such as adopting whole herd vaccination protocols and collecting metrics to ensure efficient production methods. Further, the partners have shared the lessons they've learned with many others during farm and plant tours. Their efforts have garnered both the Meat Industry Achievement Award and an Ontario's Finest Meat Competition Platinum Award.
Farming and innovation have been part of the Puddicombe family for eight generations. They grow a variety of fruit on their Winona farm and operate their own winery. While studying agriculture at the University of Guelph, one of the family's younger members discovered a British cider made from fermented pears. He found it too sweet for his taste, but liked the idea that it was made with pears, which also grow on the family farm. Working with the company's winemaker, they undertook months of research, trials, and samplings to come up with the perfect balance and taste for their pear cider. Others are benefiting from the fruits of their labour too. Last year, the company bought 78,000 kg of pears from local producers who would otherwise not have a market for their fruit. Southbrook Vineyards Wine pomace is what you call spent grape skins and seeds left over after crushing. In the past, vineyards paid waste companies to dispose of the pomace, but Southbrook Vineyards has found a novel use for it. Recognizing that dried and crushed red grape skins contain very
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Fresh Facts
In 2011 OFFMA reported provincial direct on-farm sales totalled $313 Million. Farmers Markets Ontario reported $700 Million sales at farmers markets across the province during the same year. They combine for a total of over One Billion Dollars of annual direct to the consumer sales. Wow! Now appreciating that the following comparison is not apples to apples, if we take these direct to consumer sales, which include all kinds of produce and products, and place them in OMAFRAs Top Commodities in terms of Market Receipts, 2011 they would stand in sixth place.
2011 Ontario Farm Market Receipts in Millions 1,895 1,338 1,272 1,077 1,028 1,013 902 891 784 301 315 203 103 70
Vegetables (including greenhouse) Soybeans Cattle and calves On Farm Markets and Farmers Market Sales combined Hogs Poultry Floriculture and nursery Eggs Wheat Fruit Potatoes Dry Beans
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/stats/agriculture_summary.htm#commodities Direct to consumer sales continue to grow as a marketing channel choice for Ontario Farmers.
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long-time loyal customers. Waddell Apples is conveniently situated on Highway 15 just north of Kingston and offers pick-yourown, ready-picked apples, as well as added value products such as pies, tarts, dried slices, and apple ribbon in their rustic log cabin apple store. (They re -located a log cabin from the Lake Charlie and Marita Waddell started Waddell Simcoe area which Apples as a second career for both of them. is unique to the Kingston area as most older buildings are made from limestone.) They also welcome daycare and school groups for tours of the orchard to learn about growing apples as well as visiting the pumpkin patch. All of their value added products are made by themselves in their certified kitchen using their own apples. They are constantly on the look out for something unique they can offer. Traditional Colonial Apple Butter is produced by slowly cooking applesauce to the point where the sugar caramelizes, turning the apple butter to its distinctive deep brown colour. Apple Butter makes a tasty spread on its or own or as a condiment with cheese, ham, poultry or pork roast. They also make Beurre de Pomme, a light-coloured Apple butter produced in the traditional Quebec style, with real butter and maple syrup -- the delicate flavour and smooth velvet texture make a gourmet spread on toast, fresh rolls or scones! Try their Spiced Pumpkin Butter, and enjoy that special 'pumpkin pie flavour' on your breakfast toast for an extra special treat! Both Charlie and Marita are actively engaged in ongoing business planning and improvements. They look for ways to combine their farming experience with new ideas and improvements using customer feedback and industry resources such as Ontario Farm Fresh and of course lots of commitment and hard work. www.waddellapples.com
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Fresh Facts
Upcoming Events
Sept. 11-13 Oct. 3-4 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)
Canadas Outdoor Farm Show, Woodstock, ON Visit www.outdoorfarmshow.com for more information Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, ON Visit www.canadiangreenhouseconference.com for additional info Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON Watch for details at www.royalfair.org OFFMAs Annual Bus Tour, Chicago Region, details included with this newsletter. Act quickly if you are interested in joining us. Call Cathy at 905-841-9278. Great Lakes Expo, Grand Rapids, Michigan, www.glexpo.com
Dec. 4-6