Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Newsletter #283 Dec. 2012 Volume 27, Number 10

Fresh Facts

Inside this issue:

Membership News 2

Ten Skills Every Leader Should Develop in 2013

3

OFFMA Bus Tour Highlights

4

My Favourite ‘Take-Away’

6

Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence—call for Applications

7

Upcoming Events 8

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

President’s Message… I love Christmas. Now I know what you’re thinking: of course he loves Christmas – who doesn’t? 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) can’t 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 retailer’s 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 isn’t about gifts and it’s not about retail. For me, Christmas is about shar-ing and it’s about generosity. It’s about bringing people together and it’s about commu-nity, 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 oper-ations 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 goat…more on that another time). We ate delicious food. We had a tour and introduc-tion to the Zingerman’s approach to business. A few of us even ended up inside Chica-go’s McCormick Center for President Obama’s 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 OFFMA’s greatest strengths – our shared community where generosity and sharing come natural-ly. Wherever you are this Christmas season, may I wish you all good things. Congratula-tions 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. Jesse Lauzon OFFMA President

PS. This January, OFFMA is heading out on the road again for another great tour! On January 16th, we’re hitting the road for a one-day tour of Toronto’s 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 newsletter…see you there!

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Page 2 Fresh Facts

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 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.

Snyder’s 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 ex-cited 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.

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 Ontar-io 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 opera-tors of Whittamore's Farm in Markham, have been incredible partners to the Ontario Association of Food Banks for many years," said Bill Laidlaw, Ex-ecutive Director of the OAFB. "Through our Com-munity 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 Anita Buehner, co-owner of Bonnieheath Lavender and the chair of the Ontario Lavender As-sociation. She was picked to be Ms. July in the 2013 Faces of Farming calen-dar and you guessed it, she was wearing purple. The calendars are availa-ble at TSC stores across the province.

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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. Re-gardless of your role and responsibili-ties, the more you develop these skills, the better equipped you are for anything the business world might throw your way. #1. Arithmetic – Politics aside, Presi-dent Bill Clinton delivered the line that caught our attention “It’s arithmetic.” Math has become cool again thanks to movies like “Moneyball”, television shows such as “Big Bang Theory” and Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight blog. So get out the calculator and talk some numbers. #2. Business and Accounting – I enjoy reading the comics and the sports page too but having a handle on what’s hap-pening in the business world is essen-tial. And that means not only knowing that the iconic Twinkie is leaving us but why Hostess Brands filed bankruptcy in the first place. #3. Curation – There is so much infor-mation available to us, being able to find the right data at the right moment is crucial. We can’t use last year’s reports anymore – the data is obsolete. Know-ing how to locate accurate and timely information is critical to our success. #4. Decision-Making – Consensus building is an art. And it’s not the an-swer for every type of decision. Know-ing when to make decisions inde-pendently and when to involve others is important. It’s equally important to real-ize when a decision must be made and when to wait a few days or weeks. #5. Networking – To survive in busi-ness, a person must have a network. Leaders should constantly build rela-tionships. You never know who might be able to open a door or share knowledge. Never, ever pass up the

opportunity to meet people. #6. Problem-Solving – Business is all about fixing problems. Whether it’s de-signing a new product to make con-sumers happy, creating a new process to make employees’ lives easier, or solving a challenge you’ve personally been facing. Learning a system for identifying, analyzing and solving prob-lems will improve both your personal and professional life. #7. Public Speaking – You don’t have to be a keynote speaker or facilitate a full-day workshop. But do get comfort-able with standing up in front of a crowd and talking. At minimum, be able to articulate who you are and what you do for a living. #8. Recreation – Adopt a work hard/play hard attitude. Be the best busi-ness leader you can be. Then find the time and the activity to keep you grounded. For example, I enjoy mak-ing jewelry and Fantasy Football. It doesn’t matter what the activity is…but find some way to keep a sense of bal-ance. #9. Self-Management – Know your-self. Know how to manage yourself. Be confident and comfortable identifying when you’re stressed or struggling. Recognize what energizes you. And what drains your energy. The more leaders understand about themselves, the better they will manage their own behaviors. #10. Writing – This last one might sound silly…but know grammar ba-sics. More importantly, refine your writ-ing style. Try different approaches of explaining your logic. Practice com-posing succinct thoughts. This article first appeared in the HR Bar-tender Blog. Sharlyn Lauby is an HR pro turned consultant. She created the HR Bartender blog so people would have a friendly place to discuss workplace issues. For more HR info, visit her website at www.hrbartender.com

Ten Skills Every Leader Should Develop in 2013 By Sharlyn Lauby, The HR Bartender

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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.

Signs, signs and more signs. Some were put out to inform, some to in-spire and some just to put a smile on someone’s face. Don’t underesti-mate what you can do with signs. They are your silent salesperson, they can help tell a story that is im-portant but that you don’t want to repeat 10 times a day. They are also useful to draw people’s attention to your company’s philosophy, your commitment to the environment, or your donation to a worthwhile chari-ty. Signs are critical for every busi-ness, have you reviewed your signs lately?

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 agricul-tural challenges for her area. She was informa-tive, charismatic and a dynamo lady with great ideas and energy to spare.

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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 dis-plays were especially professional looking on this trip. Edwards Orchard had a barn they re-built when a tornado leveled the pre-vious 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.

We have several bus tours planned for 2013. January 16th—Foodie Tour to Toronto’s high end food shops February 22nd—Tour of on-farm markets in the Niagara Region, right after OFFMA’s 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 infor-mation. Do not miss out on these great net-working and learning opportunities.

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.

Page 6 Fresh Facts

My Favourite “Take—Away” 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 custom-er, 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 an-other 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 ap-ple 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 someone’s day a whole lot better and connect that experience with coming to our farm. It is amazing how a simple bit of extra con-sideration can develop customer loyalty and build a reputation for exceptional customer service.

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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS - PREMIER’S AWARD FOR AGRI-FOOD INNOVATION EXCELLENCE by Carl Fletcher, OMAFRA Strategic Business Planning Lead Applications are now being accepted for the Premier’s 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 Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation program has attracted more than 1,000 applications highlighting on-farm innovations since its incep-tion in 2007. The Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence program encourages the devel-opment 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 re-ceive a plaque, wordmark and a gate sign, as well as $5,000; a Premier’s Award ($75,000); a Minister’s Award ($50,000); and, three Leaders in Innovation Awards ($25,000). WHO CAN APPLY? A farmer, primary producer, processor, or agri-food related organiza-tion 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 year’s 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 Ontario’s agri-food industry. Additional information, guidelines and appli-cation 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.

Upcoming Events for 2013 Jan. 3 & 4 Central Ontario Agricultural Conference 2013, Georgian College, Barrie Campus, www.centralontarioagconference.ca Jan 3 & 4 20th Anniversary Southwest Agricultural Conference, University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus, Ridgetown, www.southwestagconference.ca/ January 16 OFFMA’s Foodie Bus Tour to Toronto, call the OFFMA office to register, 905-841-9278 Jan. 31–Feb. 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. February 6-12 The Best of the Best Retail Tour of the UK with John Stanley and Associates, visit www.johnstanley.com.au for further details February 19 Zingerman’s The Art of Giving Great Service Workshop, Niagara Falls, Contact the OFFMA office for additional info, 905-841-9278 February 19 OFFMA’s 40th Anniversary Gala Awards Banquet, Niagara Falls, Contact Cathy at 905-841-9278 for tickets. Feb. 20 & 21 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. Don’t forget to book your hotel rooms soon to avoid disappointment. February 22 OFVC First Annual Bus Tour—A Glimpse of Niagara, SAVE THE DATE, more info in the next newsletter.

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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 HugIi’s Blueberry Ranch Amy Strom, Past President Strom’s Farm Cara Epp, Associate Member Cara Epp Marketing Leslie Forsythe, Forsythe Family Farms Jay Howell, Brantview Apples & Cider Hollis English, Murphy’s Farmstead Colleen Pingle, Pingle’s Farm Market Geri Rounds, Rounds Ranch Steve Smith, Smith’s Apples Carl Fletcher, OMAFRA (Acting Advisor to the Board)

OFFMA’s 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….we’ve 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 OFFMA’s 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 you’ve got some R&R, start planning for 2013. Best wishes for a healthy, profitable new year filled

with lots of happiness.