By Bill Groenheide, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Three years ago, many farming and rural communities were struggling under the ongoing impacts of the pandemic. This prompted the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), the province’s largest organization representing farmers, to launch its Revive Fund.
Through this initiative, OFA’s 51 county and regional federations were able to apply for matching funding to help plan, develop and launch new projects and initiatives in support of agriculture and their local communities.
The success of the Revive Fund has been tremendous, with approximately $975,000 invested into the program by the OFA, its county and regional federations and other partners over the past four years – and it’s still going strong.
Over the years, Revive Fund projects have been great catalysts of public engagement, as well as ways to strengthen connections between OFA members and their communities in helping to raise awareness and support for the agriculture sector.
This year alone, the OFA approved applications for 34 projects including CPR and First Aid training, mental health workshops, 911 sign campaigns for vacant farmland, slow moving vehicle signage and road safety campaigns, member appreciation breakfasts and lunches, and a wide range of training workshops for local farmers.
My wife and I farm near Thunder Bay together with our sons and their spouses, raising beef and chicken and growing a diverse selection of crops. I also represent farmers from across northern Ontario on the OFA’s provincial board, and I’m proud that one of this year’s more unusual Revive Fund projects was hosted by our local federation of agriculture in Thunder Bay.
It was an evening learning event for local farmers called Farming: Thriving Behind the Scene that attracted more than 50 participants. The program covered a lot of topics that are important to farmers and farm businesses but that we don’t often have a chance to easily learn more about.
Often, for example, farmers are encouraged to “tell their story”, but we often feel that we don’t know how to go about that. Not all of us are natural story tellers or at ease striking up a conversation whether in person or online, and yet we all know how important the human connection is between those who farm and those who eat.
That’s why we invited speakers from the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission to give a presentation on social media marketing and how to use these channels to communicate with consumers – a topic particularly important in a region as vast as northern Ontario.
Funding and finances always present challenges for farm groups and businesses, and storytelling is also a key part of being successful at applying for grant funding. A presenter from the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre discussed finding and choosing grant programs and proposal writing techniques that will help funding applications be more successful.
Also on the financial side, a representative from Scotiabank highlighted farm financial planning options and services.
As rewarding as farming can be, it’s also not without its stresses, and statistics show that farm families, their employees and their families often struggle more than most with mental health. Increasingly, there are resources out there to help farmer mental wellness, and a local paramedic from Superior North Emergency Medical Services led the group through a review of both mental health challenges and supports from an agricultural perspective.
Throughout this summer and fall, more Revive Fund projects will be rolling out in communities across Ontario. More information about the Revive Fund initiative and the many successful projects that have already been completed are available at ofa.on.ca.
Source : OFA