By Teresa Van Raay,
Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Any organization with a membership structure knows how important it is to ensure their members are getting value for being part of the organization. It’s an ongoing priority and for Ontario’s largest farm organization, it’s one that the Ontario Federation of Agriculture takes seriously. First and foremost, we’re an advocacy organization so a big part of what we do is helping policymakers understand who farmers are and what we do – and what impact their decisions around taxation, farmland preservation, rural infrastructure and more have on those of us who produce food, fuel, fibre and flowers. OFA also builds impactful partnerships with government, other farm organizations and industry partners on tools and solutions to keep farms strong. This takes many forms, but an important component is our member benefit program. We strategically partner with companies whose products and services meet the needs of farmers and rural communities, fill service gaps, and deliver value and savings to all OFA members. These include vehicles, clothing, insurance, health care and medical benefits, banking, media, business, telecommunications, travel, farm supplies and more. My family and I farm in Huron County where we raise pigs and grow garlic and field crops like corn, soybeans and wheat. Farming is a rewarding life and career but the uncertainty of weather, fluctuating commodity prices, political decisions and global events can make business management challenging at times. That’s why as OFA members, we appreciate the savings opportunities offered by benefit partners, whether that’s when buying a new farm vehicle, renewing farm and home insurance, or buying clothing and supplies for the farm, to name just a few examples we use on our farm. I also like being able to share these benefits with our farm employees – the labour shortage in agriculture is real so as a small business employer, it’s nice to have some additional perks to offer our team. New benefit partners are always joining the OFA program – Hearing Life is one of our latest additions – and OFA members aren’t always aware of the many different opportunities available to them. That’s why we host member appreciation events where OFA members can stop by for a free lunch and meet benefit partner representatives to learn about the services and savings available through our program. It’s also a great opportunity to meet OFA’s local member service representatives as well as local and provincial federation directors.
We first launched the member appreciation lunch program last year and it was very well received, so we’re excited to be rolling out new events this year.
I’ll be attending the event coming up on July 13 in Listowel being hosted at Larry Hudson Chevrolet Buick GMC where I’m looking forward to meeting and catching up with OFA members. Life gets busy on the farm, especially during the summer, so it’s nice to have even short opportunities to connect socially with
others.
Hearing Life, Co-operators, Telus Communications, GM Fleet, Peavey Mart and Scotiabank are all participating in the event and looking forward to meeting OFA members and sharing information about the benefits they offer.
Source : OFA