County and regional federation of agriculture meetings are being scheduled for late summer and early fall. These local meetings ‘kick off’ the Ontario farm meeting season in the lead up to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s (OFA) annual general meeting in November.

With 52 county and regional federations and 38,000 members, OFA is the largest general farm organization in Canada. We’re also the leading provincial advocate for farm families and our rural communities.

Here are three reasons why it’s important for OFA members to attend their local federation annual meeting.

1. Learn more about your local federation. Every county or region in Ontario faces their own set of unique opportunities and challenges in farming and our rural communities. Attending your local annual meeting offers every member a chance to understand how your local federation and OFA is supporting and advocating for farm businesses in your area. And it’s a great chance to meet fellow members and local federation leaders.
2. Vote for local leadership and representation. Elections for OFA convention delegates and Policy Advisory Council (PAC) members will happen at each regional annual meeting. These are opportunities for members to get involved in OFA’s work at a provincial level, represent your area of the province and bring concerns or suggestions to provincial discussions.
3. Get involved. Attending your federation annual meeting is your chance to speak to issues of concern and send a resolution to the OFA’s annual general meeting to request OFA’s support and action.

OFA supports our members and addresses a variety of regional, provincial and national issues that impact the business of farming and rural communities. OFA’s top priorities for 2019 include access to affordable energy in the form of natural gas, reliable high-speed internet for rural and northern Ontario communities, a stable rural school network, better rural infrastructure for roads and bridges, nutrient loss in provincial waterways and the Great Lakes, and reducing red tape for everyone in our agri-food sector.

Get involved in your local federation of agriculture to support your community and fellow farmers. I encourage all OFA members to attend their local annual meeting. Visit ofa.on.ca for a full schedule of 2019 regional meetings.

By Rejean Pommainville, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture