Fresh Facts Oct/Nov 14

7/26/2019 Fresh Facts Oct/Nov 14

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Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Newsletter #300Oct/Nov 2014

Volume 30, Number 8

Fresh Facts

Inside this issue:

Membership News 2

Nuffield FarmingScholarship

3

Putting Products intheir Proper Place

4

Opportunities withFarm Dinners

6

Tax Credit for Farm-ers Who DonateFood

7

UpcomingEvents

8

Presidents Message

It has been said you need to be crazy to be in this business. Although it is not a hard and fastrequirement it sure seems to be the case at this time of year. The key to survival is to have waysof 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, wehave our normal business of operating our retail market, bakery, dairy parlor and normal farm op-erations and then in the fall we add to that with school groups, fall family fun activities (including 6shows /day), haunted house and creepy corn maze. We have been doing this long enough nowthat it has become the fall normal, so this year we decided to get back to the edge (if you are notliving on the edge you are taking up too much space). In order to do that, I added a couple of oth-er 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 quitea dog fight but also very interesting. Many of the competitors are campaigning 7 days a week fulltime, one has been campaigning for the last 4 years when he lost the previous election by 13votes. I have not been able to find quite that much time since a home renovation, we had plannedto 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 Thanksgiv-ing weekend the nights were spent packing everything! We will be spending at least the next twomonths living in our one bedroom office/apartment. I am sure all of you can relate to this or atleast 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 understandwhat you are going through and will be there to support you through it.

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Brian HugliOFFMA President

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.


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MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Page 2 Fresh Facts

Classifieds

FOR SALE Garland maker & Kelcowreath machine for sale $350 for theboth or $200 each. Contact Joy

Westlaken at 519-762-3504. Pictureshave been posted on the OFFMAMembers Facebook page.

FOR SALE: mini straw bales(12"x10"x24") $1.75 each, picked upat our Shantz Family Farm, contactKevin Shantz 519-634-5252 [email protected], thesebales usually retail for $4.00$5.00.

FOR SALE: Delhaven Orchards Ltd.,Blenheim, ON

Frozen, pitted sour cherries

available for wholesale and retailCall 519-676-4475 ore-mail [email protected]

Classifieds are free for members. Send

your information to the OFFMA office and

it will be included in the next newsletter.

Welcome to our New Members..

Sebastian DenboerThe Poul try PlaceSt. Jacobs, ON519-664-3090The Poultry Place is a retail and wholesalepoultry production facility located in theheart of Mennonite Country. They havebeen in business since 1985 and have cre-ated a wide variety of unique poultry prod-ucts. Their fresh and frozen products arefree-ranged, and drug free. At The PoultryPlace store, you will find something new anddelicious for any occasion whether it be for aBBQ, a quick and easy dinner, or for some-thing special such as a banquet or wedding.

Vicki SmythTawse WineryVineland, ON905-562-9500

Tawse is a family-owned estate winery situ-

ated on the lower slopes of the Niagara Es-

carpment. At Tawse they combine tradition-

al winemaking techniques with state-of-the-art technology to create exceptional wines.

Their fruit is harvested from old-growth, low-

yield vines and gently handled using natural

gravity flow and geothermic energy. They

apply rigorous organic and biodynamic

methods to every aspect of their wine pro-

duction and Ecocert and Demeter seals now

appear on all Tawse vintages made from

their biodynamic vineyards.

Congratulation to

Herrles Farm Market!This season they celebrate 50 years offresh, vibrant foods. "Where Freshness

Makes the Difference!" has been theirfamily's business motto since Howardand Elsie began growing sweet corn, and

selling it from their garage, in 1964. 50years later, they still strive to grow and

offer the freshest fruits and vegetables,baking and preserves possible.

Proud to have you as a member!

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.


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Page 3Newsletter #300

Andrew Janaway was one of the receipents of UKsNuffield Farming Scholarship this year. He chose todo his research on Farm Business DiversificationNear 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.pdfWhile you are there you may want to peek at some of the other reports or lookinto how you can become a Nuffield Scholar.

Executive SummaryIncome from commodity production in the United Kingdom has fallen by 26% inreal terms since I joined our family business in 1995. Typically UK farmerswould try and mitigate the vagaries of commodity prices and grow their businessby expanding their acreage, thereby benefiting from economies of scale. How-ever 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 haveseen double-digit falls over the same period.

However, this does not tell the whole story. Farmland in areas such as ours, just40 miles from central London, trades at almost a 60% premium to the nationalaverage. Physical expansion is no longer the strategy for business growth itonce was. We should be seeking to maximise returns from our existing assetbase or, in business parlance, sweating the assets.

The primary goal of my report is to look at farm business diversifications with abias to studying those that occur near urban areas where agribusiness has capi-talised 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 veryinterested to see what new enterprises had been chosen, and whether theywould be viable in the UK. Furthermore, of course, I was interested in the profit-ability of any diversifications; what were the critical factors that helped any par-ticular diversification succeed?

The main driver for agribusiness diversification is to improve financial perfor-mance and stability, with a desire to change lifestyle or pursue a passion beinga secondary stimulus. I came across a good number of businesses that had di-versified 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 com-munication links, such as airports, and existing successful industry sectors.

Success I found to be variable, and could not always be judged by looking at thebottom line of the accounts. Individuals didnt always regard this as their ulti-mate focus: job satisfaction, time with family, and spreading risk were often stat-ed as their performance indicators.

Where financial performance was considered, the key attributes I came acrossin businesses that had diversified successfully were: low initial capital outlay,early entrants into a market, developing niche markets, co-operation with othersand above all, passion.

Nuffield Farming Scholarships


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Page 4 Fresh Facts

It would be entirely in keeping with thetimes for me to start this edition of On-Track with one of those snappy statistics

about customer attention. In this new so-cially mediated world we have accessto such copious amounts of data a cus-tomer looks at a webpage for 3.7 sec-onds, e-newsletters are most opened at12:03 am on Thursdays, a 12% image toword ratio gives you the longest eyeballtime* so on and so forth. All useful databut I firmly believe that most businesseshit the constraint of organizational timeand resources long, long before they hitthe constraint of customer attention.

Take your marketing resources, for ex-ample. Long before your marketing col-lateral, whether it be signage on a prod-uct in your store, your website, or yourbrochure, has ever reached the eyes of acustomer, your limited resources havealready led you to make critical decisionsabout what products to focus on, whatprimary message to use, the hierarchy ofthe information, etc.

At Zingermans, weve come up with away to classify our products so that wecan make intentional decisions abouthow and where to invest our marketingresources. Our classifications are derivedfrom the great work done by Peter Druck-er in this area. While gut feeling is invalu-able in classifying our products, having asystem of classification helps us organize

our thoughts around themyriad products that wehave, gives us a commonlanguage and allows us tofocus on the future and cre-ate informed marketinggoals that are more specificthan Sell more.

Here are the product classi-fications :

Products that differentiate you in themarketplaceProducts that fall in this category differenti-

ate you in the marketplace because no oneelse has them. This could be because youare the creator/producer or because theyretoo challenging to obtain or too obtuse tosell easily. Either way, these are good prod-ucts to focus some marketing resources onbecause they will distinguish your businessfrom the pack and the small niche of cus-tomers that they draw will be fans for life.

At ZingTrain we think of two seminars whenwe are considering these categories

Workin with Zing!, which is all abouthow to create effective HR systemsthat reflect your organizational cul-ture, mission and values.

Zingermans Marketing Secrets,which is all about how to create excit-ing, consistent, differentiated, boot-strapped and effective(!) marketing.

Folks arent exactly breaking down ourdoors to attend those two seminars somuch so that we only teach them two times

a year - but we promote them because wefirmly believe, and our very enthusiasticseminar attendees concur, that were deliv-ering content that isnt available anywhereelse in the world of training.

Products that can get you significantresultsProducts that fit in this category have signif-icant sales volume, some potential for thatsales volume to grow and a good profitmargin. In other words, they already make

a significant contribution to your bottom lineand have the capacity to keep doing so withsome room for steady, but not dramatic,growth.

Here at ZingTrain, our 2-day seminar TheArt of Giving Great Service falls in this cate-gory. Its been our most popular seminar foryears, to a large degree it sells itself andyet, not every one of the four sessions we

Putting Products in their Proper PlaceBy Gauri Thergaonkar, ZingTrain Community Builder


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Page 5Newsletter #300

teach every year is sold out, so there issome potential for growth.

Products that you believe inThese are products that you are pas-sionate about. Products that you believe

truly embody the essence of your organ-ization. They make for good investmentsbecause, notwithstanding the more sta-tistically driven marketing strategies, wesell products that we are passionateabout better than we sell anything else.The energy is infectious and it works!

At ZingTrain, the Fun, Flavorful Finance(all about Open Book Management) andCreating a Vision of Greatness seminarsfall in this category. Were huge propo-

nents of both those practices OpenBook Management and Visioning. Webelieve they are key to what Zinger-mans is and why we are financially (andculturally) successful. We teach themwith a particular passion and the semi-nar attendees sense it!

Tomorrows breadwinnersThis is perhaps the most elusive catego-ry because there is a good bit of gut andguess work involved in picking the prod-

ucts that belong here. Potential indica-tors of tomorrow's breadwinners are -steady growth in sales over time, partic-ularly positive responses from the cur-rent, albeit small, customer base, recog-nition and kudos from industry peers, anunderstanding of the positioning of theproduct in your industry and industrytrends. The challenge with this categoryis that at any given moment in time, themarketing resources you are investing inthem will feel disproportionate to the

revenue they generate, but in the end,these are the products that will shapethe future of your business.

Were lucky to be in a position where wecurrently have a fantastic overlap in theproducts that we believe in and are in-vesting in as tomorrows breadwinners namely the Fun, Flavorful Finance andCreating a Vision of Greatness semi-nars!

Promoter-building productsThese are products that invariablywow your customers. Whether theyare best sellers or differentiators.These are the products you go towhen youre working with a new cus-

tomer because you know theyre go-ing to draw that customer in.

The Zingermans Experience seminaris ZingTrains promoter-building prod-uct. Its taught by our co-founder AriWeinzweig and so the content comeswith 31 years of stories and experi-ence and it touches on just about eve-rything that makes us who we are. Inour marketing, we call it the gatewayseminar.

As you review these categories andapply them to your stable of products,do keep two aspects in mind :

A product can fit in multiple cat-egories and when it does, itbecomes even more worthy ofinvesting resources in. Themore the merrier.

The category that a product fits

into will change with time and itis important to regularly reviewyour marketing strategies andcross check with emerging salesdata to make sure that you arestill directing your resources tothe appropriate categories withintention.

Good luck categorizin, classifyin andstrategizin!

Zingermans was founded in 1982 by AriWeinzweig and Paul Saginaw as a small cor-ner delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Michigan. To-day they are a community of eight unique busi-nesses, with almost 600 employees and over45 million dollars in annual revenue. Duringtheir 30+ years in business, Zingermans hasbeen recognized nationally not just for theirexceptional products and customer service butalso for their unique business model.ZingTrain is the training arm of their businesswhere they offer workshops for their own em-ployees as well as other businesses. For acomplete list of offerings, go to ZingTrain.com.


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Fresh FactsPage 6

OpportunitieswithFarmDinnersBy 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 show-ing 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 fami-

ly-style with craft VQAwine and local craft beer

pairings. The second

event was a classic pig

roast spread, with a fam-

ily flair, capped off with a

BYOSI (bring your own

stringed instrument)

campfire.

Leaping Deer Adventure

Farm & Market in Ingersoll hosts an annualdinner theatre event each fall. Inventive

themes (Graveyard Wedding, for example)

and original scripts (written by the Budd

family) keep visitors coming back year af-

ter year.

There is

also a

close com-

munity

connectionwith the

event sup-

porting

hospitals

in Oxford

County.

Thatcher Farms in Rockwood was host to

a Field Dinner organized by Taste Real

(Guelph-Wellington Local Food group).

Collaboration was key to this event with15 chefs, 13 producers/farmers and 8

wineries/breweries/beverage suppliers

teaming up to create a gourmet, free-

flowing 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 signif-

icant amount of preparation and may re-

quire event licensingfrom your municipali-

ty or other organiza-

tions. Yet, there are

also potential ad-

vantages to consider

when determining if

farm dinners might

be a good fit for your

operation:

Preselling tickets helps to secure custom-ers and revenue, regardless of the weath-

er.

Events on weekdays or in shoulder sea-

sons can make use of otherwise underuti-

lized facilities.

Sourcing local meal ingredients can help

to build relationships with your local food

community, including chefs, caterers and

other farmers.

Events may help you to reach a new audi-

ence. If your typical customer base is

families, this could be an opportunity to

reach the foodies.

Endless opportunities for photos, tweet-

ing, and earned media exposure!

Graveyard wedding at Leaping DeerAdventure Farm & Market

Farm Dinner at Saunders Farm


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Newsletter #300 Page 7

Tax Credit for Farmers Who Donate Food

Ontario has a new Food Donation Tax Credit for Farmers who donate agricultur-

al 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 creditvalued 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 chil-dren and youth in schools across Ontario.

The tax credit and Local Food Act, 2013 are part of Ontarios broader local foodstrategy 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 yearYou (or your spouse or common-law partner) carry on the business of farmingin Ontario

You have donated agricultural products to an eligible community food program

in Ontario on or after January 1, 2014Corporations 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 througha 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, hon-

ey, maple syrup, mushrooms, nuts, or anything else that is grown, raised or har-vested 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

Ontario Farm Fresh

Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director2002 Vandorf Rd. Aurora, ON L4G 7B9Phone: 905-841-9278Fax: 905-726-3369E-mail: [email protected]

2014-15 OFFMA Board of Directors

Brian Hugli, PresidentHuglis Blueberry Ranch

Leslie Forsythe, Vice PresidentForsythe Family Farms

Jesse Lauzon, Past PresidentSpringridge Farm

Hollis English, Murphys Farm Market &Bakery

Cara Epp, Associate MemberEdana Integrated Marketing

Nicole Judge, Spirit Tree Estate CiderySteve Martin, Martins Family Fruit FarmColleen Pingle, Pingles Farm MarketSteve Smith, Smiths ApplesDana Thatcher, Thatcher FarmsJessica Kelly, OMAF and MRA Advisor to

the Board

OFFMAs Food Innovation Award Sponsored by FoodlandTime to start thinking about what productyou will be submitting for this award.

Goal - To identify and recognize innovativeconsumer products created with On-

tario 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 ofyour products.

Application forms and sample product must be received

by the OFFMA office no later than 5:00 pm on Friday,January 31, 2015

Upcoming Events

Nov. 2-5 OFFMAs Study Tour to Simcoe Countyand Muskoka Region....save thedates. Call the OFFMA Office for info, 905-841-9278

Nov. 12new date

Creating Soups on the Farm, Farm to Fork UniversityWorkshop, 2-5pm, Frootogo Orchards, Waterdown, $10 with a lightdinner. Please RSVP to the OFFMA office.

Dec. 4-6 Ecological Farmers of Ontario Conference,YMCA Geneva ParkConference Centre, Orillia. For more info go to conference.efao.caor call 1-877-822-8606

Dec. 9-11 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, DeVos PlaceConvention Center, Grand Rapids, MI More info at Glexpo.com orcall 734-677-0503

Thelastwordthismonthis..PROCAFFEINATING(n.)thetendencytonotstartanythinguntilyouvehadacupofcoffee.

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Fresh Facts Oct/Nov 14