Building relationships to get results

By Drew Spoelstra, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

It’s been a year since I was chosen to lead the Ontario Federation of Agriculture as its president, and as we prepare for our annual general meeting next week, it’s a good time to reflect on what’s been a busy 12 months in this new role.

Advocating for Ontario farmers is a business based on relationships and during this first year, my biggest focus and that of our board has been around building and fostering those relationships as we work toward achieving results for farmers.

We’ve had some great opportunities this year to build better relationships and encourage a greater understanding of Ontario agriculture with the Premier, provincial cabinet ministers, parliamentary assistants, and elected officials of all major political parties.

We’ve also built a productive working relationship with the new minister at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness and his team, and we’re active locally and nationally on issues that matter to our members.

Growing our partnerships, for example, with the Rural Ontario Municipal Association and the Association of Ontario Municipalities is bringing broader perspectives to discussions around farmland, energy, railway issues and more.