NIAGARA FALLS, ON – Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) was pleased to once again sponsor almost thirty female farmer-members from across the province to attend the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference (AWC) East in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
AWC is hosted semi-annually, rotating between Alberta and Ontario locations. The conference brings like-minded women that are involved in the agriculture and food industries together to learn tools and techniques that promote empowerment and growth.
Every year, CFO sponsors female chicken farmers to attend this conference as part of the CFO Women in Leadership initiative, which encourages female chicken farmers to further their involvement and take on leadership roles in the industry. The initiative supports members in planning and participating in a number of related activities in their communities and across the province that are meant to empower, educate, or network.
On October 27, 2019, CFO hosted a pre-conference session for all sponsored farmer-members that focused on topics including gender diversity, communication, and outreach strategies. Special guest speaker Crystal MacKay, Founder & CEO of Loft 32, led a workshop at the pre-conference session on the latest consumer perceptions and expectations of our industry and strategies and support for managing industry pressures, on and off the farm.
“Women make up a significant and important portion of CFO’s quota holders, farm managers, and other farm operators; in fact, nearly half of CFO’s farmer-members are female,” said Ed Benjamins, Chair of CFO. “These female farmers are strong leaders and contributors on their farms, and through the Women in Leadership initiative, the Board is hoping to encourage more of these farmers to share their knowledge through leadership roles in the wider-scale chicken industry as well.”
“Having a leadership team that consists of a group of diverse stakeholders enables us to attain different perspectives and experiences that better represent the communities in which CFO serves,” said Rob Dougans, President & CEO of CFO. “The CFO Board recognizes the importance of a diverse and inclusive governance team, and as such strongly encourages women who are interested in participating in the program to reach out and get involved.”
Source : CFO