Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Fresh Facts

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

Presidents Message

Newsletter #300
Oct/Nov 2014
Volume 30, Number 8

It has been said you need to be crazy to be in this business. Although it is not a hard and fast
requirement it sure seems to be the case at this time of year. The key to survival is to have ways
of coping with the crazy season without going crazy yourself.
Let me first explain what my crazy looks like at the moment and then Ill talk about how I cope.
We have two kids ages 7 & 9 (there are days I could end this right there ). Like many of you, we
have our normal business of operating our retail market, bakery, dairy parlor and normal farm operations and then in the fall we add to that with school groups, fall family fun activities (including 6
shows /day), haunted house and creepy corn maze. We have been doing this long enough now
that it has become the fall normal, so this year we decided to get back to the edge (if you are not
living on the edge you are taking up too much space). In order to do that, I added a couple of other little things into the mix.
I threw my hat in the ring for councillor in the current municipal election. It is turning out to be quite
a dog fight but also very interesting. Many of the competitors are campaigning 7 days a week full
time, one has been campaigning for the last 4 years when he lost the previous election by 13
votes. I have not been able to find quite that much time since a home renovation, we had planned
to start early in the spring, has now finally started after a rollercoaster of delays. Did I mention
this involves ripping the entire roof off to add a second story to our home, so through Thanksgiving weekend the nights were spent packing everything! We will be spending at least the next two
months living in our one bedroom office/apartment. I am sure all of you can relate to this or at
least parts of it.
So how do I cope?
1. Focus on the positives of the day - dont dwell on the negative.
2. Find the humour in the chaos.
3. Know that you helped bring families closer together, by the activities you provided or the
produce or baked goods you made.
4. Know that you positively changed a child the full impact of that you will never know.
5. Know that today the world was a better place because of who you are and what you do.
If this is not enough know that you belong to an organization of people who understand
what you are going through and will be there to support you through it.
Looking forward to seeing you soon,
Brian Hugli
OFFMA President

Inside this issue:

Membership News

Nuffield Farming
Scholarship

Putting Products in
their Proper Place

Opportunities with
Farm Dinners

Tax Credit for Farmers Who Donate

Food

Upcoming
Events

Page 2

Fresh Facts

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Congratulation to
Herrles Farm Market!
This season they celebrate 50 years of
fresh, vibrant foods. "Where Freshness
Makes the Difference!" has been their
family's business motto since Howard
and Elsie began growing sweet corn, and
selling it from their garage, in 1964. 50
years later, they still strive to grow and
offer the freshest fruits and vegetables,
baking and preserves possible.
Proud to have you as a member!

Classifieds
FOR SALE: Garland maker & Kelco
wreath machine for sale $350 for the
both or $200 each. Contact Joy
Westlaken at 519-762-3504. Pictures
have been posted on the OFFMA
Members Facebook page.
FOR SALE: mini straw bales
(12"x10"x24") $1.75 each, picked up
at our Shantz Family Farm, contact
Kevin Shantz 519-634-5252 or
info@shantzholmpumpkins.ca, these
bales usually retail for $4.00$5.00.
FOR SALE: Delhaven Orchards Ltd.,
Blenheim, ON
Frozen, pitted sour cherries
available for wholesale and retail
Call 519-676-4475 or
e-mail delhaven@ciaccess.com
Classifieds are free for members. Send
your information to the OFFMA office and
it will be included in the next newsletter.

Congratulations to Genevieve Woo

and Will Heeman on their magical
greenhouse wedding on Saturday,
September 27, 2014. All the best as
you start your new lives together.
Welcome to our New Members..
Sebastian Denboer
The Poultry Place
St. Jacobs, ON
519-664-3090
The Poultry Place is a retail and wholesale
poultry production facility located in the
heart of Mennonite Country. They have
been in business since 1985 and have created a wide variety of unique poultry products. Their fresh and frozen products are
free-ranged, and drug free. At The Poultry
Place store, you will find something new and
delicious for any occasion whether it be for a
BBQ, a quick and easy dinner, or for something special such as a banquet or wedding.
Vicki Smyth
Tawse Winery
Vineland, ON
905-562-9500
Tawse is a family-owned estate winery situated on the lower slopes of the Niagara Escarpment. At Tawse they combine traditional winemaking techniques with state-of-theart technology to create exceptional wines.
Their fruit is harvested from old-growth, lowyield vines and gently handled using natural
gravity flow and geothermic energy. They
apply rigorous organic and biodynamic
methods to every aspect of their wine production and Ecocert and Demeter seals now
appear on all Tawse vintages made from
their biodynamic vineyards.

Newsletter #300

Nuffield Farming Scholarships

Andrew Janaway was one of the receipents of UKs
Nuffield Farming Scholarship this year. He chose to
do his research on Farm Business Diversification
Near Cities. This is the executive summary from his
report if you would like to see the complete report,
go to http://nuffieldinternational.org/rep_pdf/1408539564Andrew-Janaway-report
-2013.pdf
While you are there you may want to peek at some of the other reports or look
into how you can become a Nuffield Scholar.
Executive Summary
Income from commodity production in the United Kingdom has fallen by 26% in
real terms since I joined our family business in 1995. Typically UK farmers
would try and mitigate the vagaries of commodity prices and grow their business
by expanding their acreage, thereby benefiting from economies of scale. However the national average of farmland prices in the UK has risen by 212% in the
last 10 years, and 16% in the last 12 months, while some commodities have
seen double-digit falls over the same period.
However, this does not tell the whole story. Farmland in areas such as ours, just
40 miles from central London, trades at almost a 60% premium to the national
average. Physical expansion is no longer the strategy for business growth it
once was. We should be seeking to maximise returns from our existing asset
base or, in business parlance, sweating the assets.
The primary goal of my report is to look at farm business diversifications with a
bias to studying those that occur near urban areas where agribusiness has capitalised on its location and local market. I wanted to look at which businesses
diversified and whether they did so out of choice or necessity. I was also very
interested to see what new enterprises had been chosen, and whether they
would be viable in the UK. Furthermore, of course, I was interested in the profitability of any diversifications; what were the critical factors that helped any particular diversification succeed?
The main driver for agribusiness diversification is to improve financial performance and stability, with a desire to change lifestyle or pursue a passion being
a secondary stimulus. I came across a good number of businesses that had diversified and were making the most of their location. This turned out to be not
just those near urban areas but also where farmers were adjacent to good communication links, such as airports, and existing successful industry sectors.
Success I found to be variable, and could not always be judged by looking at the
bottom line of the accounts. Individuals didnt always regard this as their ultimate focus: job satisfaction, time with family, and spreading risk were often stated as their performance indicators.
Where financial performance was considered, the key attributes I came across
in businesses that had diversified successfully were: low initial capital outlay,
early entrants into a market, developing niche markets, co-operation with others
and above all, passion.

Page 3

Page 4

Fresh Facts

Putting Products in their Proper Place

By Gauri Thergaonkar, ZingTrain Community Builder

It would be entirely in keeping with the

times for me to start this edition of OnTrack with one of those snappy statistics
about customer attention. In this new socially mediated world we have access
to such copious amounts of data a customer looks at a webpage for 3.7 seconds, e-newsletters are most opened at
12:03 am on Thursdays, a 12% image to
word ratio gives you the longest eyeball
time* so on and so forth. All useful data
but I firmly believe that most businesses
hit the constraint of organizational time
and resources long, long before they hit
the constraint of customer attention.
Take your marketing resources, for example. Long before your marketing collateral, whether it be signage on a product in your store, your website, or your
brochure, has ever reached the eyes of a
customer, your limited resources have
already led you to make critical decisions
about what products to focus on, what
primary message to use, the hierarchy of
the information, etc.

Products that differentiate you in the

marketplace
Products that fall in this category differentiate you in the marketplace because no one
else has them. This could be because you
are the creator/producer or because theyre
too challenging to obtain or too obtuse to
sell easily. Either way, these are good products to focus some marketing resources on
because they will distinguish your business
from the pack and the small niche of customers that they draw will be fans for life.
At ZingTrain we think of two seminars when
we are considering these categories

Workin with Zing!, which is all about

how to create effective HR systems
that reflect your organizational culture, mission and values.

Zingermans Marketing Secrets,

which is all about how to create exciting, consistent, differentiated, bootstrapped and effective(!) marketing.
Folks arent exactly breaking down our
doors to attend those two seminars so
much so that we only teach them two times
At Zingermans, weve come up with a
a year - but we promote them because we
way to classify our products so that we
firmly believe, and our very enthusiastic
can make intentional decisions about
seminar attendees concur, that were delivhow and where to invest our marketing
ering content that isnt available anywhere
resources. Our classifications are derived else in the world of training.
from the great work done by Peter Drucker in this area. While gut feeling is invalu- Products that can get you significant
able in classifying our products, having a results
system of classification helps us organize Products that fit in this category have signifour thoughts around the
icant sales volume, some potential for that
myriad products that we
sales volume to grow and a good profit
have, gives us a common
margin. In other words, they already make
language and allows us to
a significant contribution to your bottom line
focus on the future and cre- and have the capacity to keep doing so with
ate informed marketing
some room for steady, but not dramatic,
goals that are more specific growth.
than Sell more.
Here are the product classifications :

Here at ZingTrain, our 2-day seminar The

Art of Giving Great Service falls in this category. Its been our most popular seminar for
years, to a large degree it sells itself and
yet, not every one of the four sessions we

Newsletter #300

teach every year is sold out, so there is

some potential for growth.

Products that you believe in

These are products that you are passionate about. Products that you believe
truly embody the essence of your organization. They make for good investments
because, notwithstanding the more statistically driven marketing strategies, we
sell products that we are passionate
about better than we sell anything else.
The energy is infectious and it works!
At ZingTrain, the Fun, Flavorful Finance
(all about Open Book Management) and
Creating a Vision of Greatness seminars
fall in this category. Were huge proponents of both those practices Open
Book Management and Visioning. We
believe they are key to what Zingermans is and why we are financially (and
culturally) successful. We teach them
with a particular passion and the seminar attendees sense it!

Promoter-building products
These are products that invariably
wow your customers. Whether they
are best sellers or differentiators.
These are the products you go to
when youre working with a new customer because you know theyre going to draw that customer in.
The Zingermans Experience seminar
is ZingTrains promoter-building product. Its taught by our co-founder Ari
Weinzweig and so the content comes
with 31 years of stories and experience and it touches on just about everything that makes us who we are. In
our marketing, we call it the gateway
seminar.
As you review these categories and
apply them to your stable of products,
do keep two aspects in mind :

A product can fit in multiple categories and when it does, it

becomes even more worthy of
investing resources in. The
more the merrier.

The category that a product fits

into will change with time and it
is important to regularly review
your marketing strategies and
cross check with emerging sales
data to make sure that you are
still directing your resources to
the appropriate categories with
intention.

Tomorrows breadwinners
This is perhaps the most elusive category because there is a good bit of gut and
guess work involved in picking the products that belong here. Potential indicators of tomorrow's breadwinners are steady growth in sales over time, particularly positive responses from the current, albeit small, customer base, recognition and kudos from industry peers, an
understanding of the positioning of the
product in your industry and industry
trends. The challenge with this category
is that at any given moment in time, the
marketing resources you are investing in
them will feel disproportionate to the
revenue they generate, but in the end,
these are the products that will shape
the future of your business.
Were lucky to be in a position where we
currently have a fantastic overlap in the
products that we believe in and are investing in as tomorrows breadwinners
namely the Fun, Flavorful Finance and
Creating a Vision of Greatness seminars!

Good luck categorizin, classifyin and

strategizin!
Zingermans was founded in 1982 by Ari
Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw as a small corner delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Today they are a community of eight unique businesses, with almost 600 employees and over
45 million dollars in annual revenue. During
their 30+ years in business, Zingermans has
been recognized nationally not just for their
exceptional products and customer service but
also for their unique business model.
ZingTrain is the training arm of their business
where they offer workshops for their own employees as well as other businesses. For a
complete list of offerings, go to ZingTrain.com.

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Page 6

Fresh Facts

OpportunitieswithFarmDinners
By Jessica Kelly, OMAFRA Direct Marketing Lead
Farm or harvest dinners can be a great
way to bring together your community and
customers (both new and old) while showing off the very best of your farm. There
are endless variations with these events.
Here are a few examples from OFFMA
members to help spark your creativity
To celebrate local farmers and the opening
of their new kitchen, Saunders Farm in
Munster launched a series of weeknight
farm dinners. The first included a gourmet,
multi-course meal of local fare served family-style with craft VQA
wine and local craft beer
pairings. The second
event was a classic pig
roast spread, with a family flair, capped off with a
BYOSI (bring your own
stringed instrument)
campfire.

a Field Dinner organized by Taste Real

(Guelph-Wellington Local Food group).
Collaboration was key to this event with
15 chefs, 13 producers/farmers and 8
wineries/breweries/beverage suppliers
teaming up to create a gourmet, freeflowing dining format. Harvest activities
and workshops were also on the agenda.
Search #FieldDinner14 on Twitter to see
response to the event.
A successful farm dinner involves a significant amount of preparation and may require event licensing
from your municipality or other organizations. Yet, there are
also potential advantages to consider
when determining if
farm dinners might
be a good fit for your
operation:

Leaping Deer Adventure Farm Dinner at Saunders Farm

Farm & Market in Ingersoll hosts an annual Preselling tickets helps to secure customers and revenue, regardless of the weathdinner theatre event each fall. Inventive
themes (Graveyard Wedding, for example) er.
and original scripts (written by the Budd
Events on weekdays or in shoulder seafamily) keep visitors coming back year afsons can make use of otherwise underutiter year.
lized facilities.
There is
also a
Sourcing local meal ingredients can help
close com- to build relationships with your local food
munity
community, including chefs, caterers and
connection other farmers.
with the
event sup- Events may help you to reach a new audiporting
ence. If your typical customer base is
hospitals
families, this could be an opportunity to
Graveyard wedding at Leaping Deer
in Oxford
reach the foodies.
Adventure Farm & Market
County.
Endless opportunities for photos, tweetThatcher Farms in Rockwood was host to
ing, and earned media exposure!

Newsletter #300

Tax Credit for Farmers Who Donate Food

Ontario has a new Food Donation Tax Credit for Farmers who donate agricultural products to eligible community food programs, including food banks.
The tax credit, the only one of its kind in Canada, will give farmers a tax credit
valued at 25 per cent of the fair market value of the agricultural products they
donate. Community food programs, like the Student Nutrition Program, may also
benefit by receiving donations of more fresh local food for distribution to children and youth in schools across Ontario.
The tax credit and Local Food Act, 2013 are part of Ontarios broader local food
strategy to promote the good things that are grown and harvested across the
province.
WHO CAN GIVE?
In order to get the credit:
You are an Ontario resident at the end of the year
You (or your spouse or common-law partner) carry on the business of farming
in Ontario
You have donated agricultural products to an eligible community food program
in Ontario on or after January 1, 2014
Corporations that carry on the business of farming in Ontario may also claim
the credit on their 2014 corporation income tax return.
WHO CAN RECEIVE?
An eligible community food program that is:
Engaged in the distribution of food to the public without charge in Ontario
(including as a food bank), and does so either to help relieve poverty or through
a student nutrition program
Registered as a charity under the Income Tax Act (Canada).
WHAT TYPES OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS ARE ELIGIBLE?
Fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs or dairy products, fish, grains, pulses, herbs, honey, maple syrup, mushrooms, nuts, or anything else that is grown, raised or harvested on a farm and that may, in Ontario, legally be sold, distributed or offered
for sale at a place other than the premises of its producer as food are all eligible.
Processed products, including pickles, preserves and sausages are not eligible.
For more details about the tax credit visit: http://www.Ontario.ca/FoodDonation

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Page 8

Fresh Facts

Upcoming Events
Nov. 2-5

OFFMAs Study Tour to Simcoe County and Muskoka Region....save the

dates. Call the OFFMA Office for info, 905-841-9278

Nov. 12

new date! Creating Soups on the Farm, Farm to Fork University

Workshop, 2-5pm, Frootogo Orchards, Waterdown, $10 with a light
dinner. Please RSVP to the OFFMA office.

Dec. 4-6

Ecological Farmers of Ontario Conference, YMCA Geneva Park

Conference Centre, Orillia. For more info go to conference.efao.ca
or call 1-877-822-8606

Dec. 9-11

Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, DeVos Place
Convention Center, Grand Rapids, MI More info at Glexpo.com or
call 734-677-0503

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
2014-15 OFFMA Board of Directors
Brian Hugli, President
Huglis Blueberry Ranch
Leslie Forsythe, Vice President
Forsythe Family Farms
Jesse Lauzon, Past President
Springridge Farm
Hollis English, Murphys Farm Market &
Bakery
Cara Epp, Associate Member
Edana Integrated Marketing
Nicole Judge, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery
Steve Martin, Martins Family Fruit Farm
Colleen Pingle, Pingles Farm Market
Steve Smith, Smiths Apples
Dana Thatcher, Thatcher Farms
Jessica Kelly, OMAF and MRA Advisor to
the Board

OFFMAs Food Innovation Award Sponsored by Foodland

Time to start thinking about what product
you will be submitting for this award.
Goal - To identify and recognize innovative
consumer products created with Ontario ingredients for the direct farm market
ing industry by OFFMA members
Criteria

Applicants must be OFFMA members in

good standing

Product must be created with Ontario

grown ingredients

Product must have been introduced within the last 24 months

Award is not open to OFFMA Board Members

Dont miss out on this opportunity to showcase one of

your products.
Application forms and sample product must be received
by the OFFMA office no later than 5:00 pm on Friday,
January 31, 2015

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thetendencytonotstartanythinguntilyouvehada

cupofcoffee.