Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

Fresh Facts
Newsletter #282
Oct. - Nov. 2012
Volume 27, Number 9

Presidents Message
Growing up, it didn't seem like our family had a lot of annual traditions. I do remember that the few traditions that our parents did manage to develop over the years were especially important to my father. One of those rituals always took place at Thanksgiving. Each year, as my mother laid the final steaming dish on the harvest table, my dad would insist that we go around and each speak about one thing that we were especially thankful for that year. No doubt my mother was less enthused about this tradition, as we each struggled to come up with an answer while the delicious feast that she'd spent the better part of ten hours preparing cooled steadily in front of us. Nevertheless, traditions are important, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving and the demanding fall season ahead for OFFMA farms across Ontario, I thought that I'd bring back Dad's ritual here in this newsletter. Herewith, a list of the things that I am thankful for at this busy and challenging time of year: 1. I am thankful this fall that October only has 4 weekends. Last year, the calendar tried to trick us with 5 weekends. I know, I know, that extra weekend in October 2011 was like insurance against the earlier rainy weekends. But wow, October seemed long last year. And this year, it isn't going to rain on any October weekends, so 4 will do the trick nicely, thank you. 2. I am thankful this fall that we have such a great team to help us with the hectic season. I am especially thankful for those folks on staff who easily know the difference between a pie pumpkin and a pumpkin pie. 3. I am thankful this fall that I wear jeans to work. Whenever I see people who wear suits or dresses to work I can't help but feel sad for them. Jeans are so comfortable. Jeans are also practical here in the farm bakery. Hot caramel on jeans? Cold wash. Hot caramel on a tie? Problem. 4. I am thankful this fall for take-out. Without it, my little family might starve on fall weekends. The irony of this is not lost on me, friends. I know that my job is, in part, to help celebrate and share the harvest with our visitors. But often after a crazy day of festival, take-out is what's for dinner. 5. I am thankful this fall that we are members of OFFMA. I know that you too are heading into a very busy time of the year and somehow, that makes me feel better. I know that when I next see you, we'll have stories to share about good weather, bad weather, busy days and slow days. Hopefully you will have a few funny stories too. I like those best. Ok, so that pretty much does it. There are a few other things that I am grateful for at this time of year, but this list is starting to get too long for me to explain each of them. These include, but are not limited to: coffee, my alarm clock, family, granola bars, friends, bacon, my cell phone, and water. I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving, and a happy fall too. I also wish you a busy and prosperous season full of all of the things for which you are thankful. Have fun!

Inside this issue:

Membership News My Favourite TakeAway Family Farm meets the Wired Future Overcoming your Fear of Social The Simple Power of One a Day Upcoming Events

2 3 4 6 7 8

Jesse Lauzon OFFMA President

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Fresh Facts

MEMBERSHIP NEWS
New Members Welcome to these new members. Thanks for coming on board. Looking forward to meeting you in person at an upcoming event. Bert Gibson R Farm Newcastle, ON 905-987-5090 Associate Member Jac & Trudie Theelen Alberta Green Growers Red Deer, Alberta 403-309-7356

Classifieds
FARM AND BUSINESS FOR SALE Well established pick your own and direct farm sales operation located on +/- 95 acres of productive tile drained land on a paved road on the outskirts of the city of Woodstock, Ontario. Includes a fruit winery, +/- 10 acres of orchard with many younger trees and most popular varieties, a new adventure play area, modern house and buildings. Can be purchased as a turnkey operation. For a more detailed information package, please email a request to info@birtchfarms.com. FARM FOR SALE RETIRING Well established BLUEBERRY FARM. 13.5 acres mature blueberries on 62.5 acres. Very visible location fronting on main road in growing tourism area. Go to www.realtor.ca MLS# 508849 for details. Call Marianne (519) 762-0001. PUMPKINS FOR SALE Large sized pumpkins for wholesale in Elgin County. Contact Shirley at 519-615-1164. Orders are taken on a first come first served basis. FOR SALE Small-sized straw bales (24x12x8 inches) available for $1.75 each. Contact Kevin Shantz, Shantzholm Pumpkins 519-6345252 for more info. Great for Halloween decorating. WANTED On-Farm Markets looking to sell fresh milk within 100 km of St. Jacobs. OFFMA member, Eby Manor is a Guernsey dairy farm located in Waterloo County. They have their milk processed and bottled in one litre glass bottles by Hewitt's Dairy. Currently Eby Manor has 2% milk, but they are working on other dairy products as well. If interested, contact Jim Eby at info@ebymanor.ca

Congratulations to Rollie Willis from Willis Family Fruit Farm and John Hughes from Springridge. They were both awarded the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal for their dedicated service to their peers, their Community and to Canada. Way to go!! We are proud of you. REMINDER
Effective October 1, 2012, employers are required to post the Occupational Health & Safety Act (OHSA) and any explanatory material prepared by the Ministry of Labour. Get your free workplace poster at www.labour.gov.on.ca/ english/hs/pubs/posterinfo.php Inspector are now enforcing this requirementmake sure you are compliant.

Promoting Christmas Activities

Lynn Ogryzlo, author of The Ontario Table, is planning to feature on-farm markets in her December eZine issue. Please let the ofce know if you are planning any special Christmas events this year and I will pass your name and contact information along to Lynn. The eZine is a monthly piece that Lynn put together to highlight Ontario farmers and their products. It is distributed to over 30,000 e-mailboxes.

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Agri-Food Innovation Excellence Continues

It seems that not all the regional awards for Agri-Food Innovations had been awarded at the time of the printing of the September newsletter. We are very excited to have 3 additional OFFMA members recognized for their efforts and for being innovators on their farms. Cross Wind Farms Cindy & Kevin Hope Cindy and Kevin Hope are passionate about their dairy goat farm. Their business has evolved from shipping goat milk to a line of meat products, soap, yogurt and more than a dozen flavoured cheeses. In 2010, they constructed a 6,000 square foot processing facility to meet increasing consumer demand for their products. The next year, they added a new vat for yogurt production, opened a retail store and introduced agri-tours on the farm. Today, their Cross Wind Farm products sell across the province and the Hopes share their knowledge by offering a number of hands-on courses and agri-education experiences. Johnston Cranberry Marsh & Muskoka WineryWendy Hogarth & Murray Johnston With a lifetime of experience growing cranberries and building a thriving winery and tourism business in the heart of Muskoka region, Johnston's Cranberry Marsh & Muskoka Lakes Winery went international. When the government of Latvia approached them to help establish a cranberry industry, they enthusiastically said yes. They travelled to Latvia to assess which of their cranberry vines would be most suitable to start this new industry. In the end, 30,000 tonnes of vines were shipped to Latvia in 2011, and the JohnstonMuskoka team is now talking with Poland. Willowtree Farm Market Alex McKay With a few modifications, a corn planter can become a garlic planter and a tunnel fan used to dry hay can do double duty on garlic, too. This market gardener has moved into garlic in a big way by using machinery and materials that were already on-farm, rather than buying equipment custom built for garlic production. Besides saving time and money, the owner has a larger garlic crop with a lower deformity rate, better weed control and higher returns.

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Fresh Facts

A Family Farm Meets the Wired Future

Birtch Farms and Estate Winery of Woodstock, Ontario, was unsure how to improve its web presence until it received funding from the Small Business Internship Program to hire a student for a 12-week internship. The student, working with the companys web designer, helped to redesign the Winerys website and brought innovative ideas to its new online store. As every farmer knows, crop diversification can be key to getting good yields. Dyann and Bob Birtch took over the family farm in southern Ontario in 1978, and since then they have worked hard to diversify. They built up their fruit-growing business and branched out into producing award-winning fruit wines and fruit wine jellies. They also opened a retail store to cater to the growing number of visitors to Birtch Farm. And back in the mid-1990s, they were early adopters of Internet technology when they established a website to reach new markets. Those were the first years of the dotcom revolution, and websites were often static electronic storefronts with very limited capabilities. Today, the Internet offers opportunities that were unimaginable not so long ago: blogs, links to other sites, social networking, video and audio, and more. These developments have changed the meaning of the neighbourhood business. Today, the neighbourhood can be the world. Unlike other marketing platforms, the web provides flexible infrastructure and instantaneous communication between sellers and buyers. On the web, the multiplier effect is incredibly powerful: one visitors enthusiasm about a site can draw thousands of other people. The Birtches recognized the potential of e commerce and wanted to grasp it. To do this, they turned to Industry Canadas Small Business Internship Program. The first step was to determine their needs what they wanted to do, as well as the practical details of who, when and how. It quickly became clear that the Birtches needed to develop their website into a full-service, online store. We had wanted to do this for many years, but did not have the time or the creativity to accomplish this project, says Dyann. The dream was a website where people around the world could learn all about Birtch Farms and Estate Winery and where they could also purchase the Birtches products with just a click of the mouse. Now that the Birtches knew what they wanted, they submitted an application to the Small Business Internship Program. The Program duly approved their project for funding, and this enabled the Birtches to hire a student intern who offered the best fit with their needs. The intern worked together with Dyann and Bob to determine how they could improve their e commerce

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activities. Then, with the support of a web designer, the intern brought those ideas to fruition. The newly designed website has many attractive features. High-resolution photos give an enticing peek at the luscious products of the farm and winery. Tantalizing descriptions whet the appetite. The blog keeps friends up to date on products and allows them to make comments. The link to Google Maps helps would-be visitors get driving directions. And the online store enables customers to order some of the products and keep coming back for more, no matter what their physical distance from the farm. All in all, the site is a powerful tool for growing the family business, which now is in its fourth generation. The student intern helps with the adoption of e business strategies to increase the productivity and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Industry Canadas Small Business Internship Program provides SMEs with financial support to hire a full-time post-secondary student for 420 hours. To be eligible for this program, your firm must: be a Canadian small or mediumsized enterprise (SME) with less than 500 employees; be incorporated or a sole proprietorship and for-profit; have been in continuous operation for a minimum of one year; have an existing web site and wish to enhance your e-business capability; contribute a minimum of 25% of the student wages and related expenses. What are the benefits of this program? A significant number of SMEs are currently simply connected to the Internet

or are passively on-line, and might not be taking advantage of the possibilities offered by e-business. The Small Business Internship Program seeks to improve the competitiveness of SMEs by supporting businesses to actively market on-line and improve their competitiveness with e-business practices and technologies. Your firm will receive financial support towards the employment of post-secondary students who will work on e-business projects. The Government of Canada will reimburse up to 75% of the eligible wages and related expenses such as statutory employee benefits, to a maximum of $10,000. Your firm is responsible for covering other expenses such as fringe benefits and overhead costs. Support will be available for twelve weeks. How to apply? SMEs that are planning an e-business project, and would like to have a student intern help them make it a reality can submit an application form electronically, by mail or fax for project approval to one of the organizations who administers the program. http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/sbippspe.nsf/eng/h_00010.html

The scarecrow nursery at Birtch Farm is always a happening place.

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Fresh Facts

Overcoming Your Fear of Social

by Susan Murphy, Jester Creative

The massive transformation taking place in the world of marketing and communications has thrown a lot of people for a loop. Many people are lost as to what the next steps really are in the online world. Information abounds on how to use the tools of the web to connect with people and develop better businesses, yet every time I teach a course or give a speech on social media or technology, I am astounded at still, how little people really know about this space. Im thrilled every time I am able to open someones eyes to this world and its power. The tools are only the first step, though. When it comes to actually building things, you need to consider carefully how to do it. Goals need to be set but real, tangible business goals, not get 500 Likes on Facebook goals. Strategies need to be put in place, and plans need to be created around how to implement those strategies. Where things start to get hairy is once we start implementing. And by implementing, I mean really getting out there and publishing content and interacting. Thats when, for many people, the real fear starts to creep in. That fear stops most people dead in their tracks. Its too different from what they know and are used to. They long for the days when everyone sat down face to face (or over the phone) to have a real conversation. Why are you following me? Some days I wish wed just do away with some of the lexicon of the social web. Friends implies a relationship that sometimes, doesnt really exist. To the uninitiated, Following is just plain creepy. People find it odd when I tell them that I have actual friendships with people Ive never met in person. They look puzzled when I tell them I record a

weekly podcast with someone who lives on the other side of the world (and weve never met either, incidentally). They dont understand how I can have close friendships with people that I see, maybe, once or twice a year (if that). Jon and I were good friends for almost a year, and until the day we met in person for the first time, our entire friendship had been based in text. Thats kind of mind-blowing when you think about it. The whole idea of following and friending is a hard concept for people to understand at first, but its the foundation of everything in the online space. To me, theres not much point in just connecting only with people you know (though that is where many of us start, and thats fine). If youre going to get any benefit at all out of your experience on Twitter, or Facebook, or whatever, you have to throw away your inhibitions and get nice and cozy with your natural sense of curiosity. If someone follows you, dont get weirded out. Click on their profile, and check them out. Click their web site link. Say hello, follow them back. It just might be the start of a beautiful friendship. Dont talk to strangers. Wait a minute. Werent we always taught not to talk to strangers? The skeptics tell us not to trust people online when we first meet them after all, anyone can invent whoever they are from the safety of their keyboard. All our lives, weve been conditioned to be suspicious of anyone we dont know, so its no wonder were freaked out. When youre first delving into the world of the social web, its pretty easy to feel like the odd duck. Youve just walked into a room full of strangers, many of whom know each other already. Its all just a bunch of knowing looks and inside jokes. Youre the outsider, and it can be pretty intimidating to think about inviting yourself in. But thats exactly what you need to do. My friend Mitch Joel says that we are in an era now where we dont need permission to

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be introduced to each other. We are all connected, whether we like it or not. We can either stand off in the corner of the room and wait for someone to come and talk to us, or we can step forward and start shaking hands. Who succeeds? Strategies are great, and essential, but they are like the beginning of a roller coaster ride you know, the part when youre climbing and climbing before that first big drop. The anticipation is frightening, but its nothing like what you feel when you get to the other side. Implementation is where things get sticky and scary and wonderful. Its the other side of that first big roller coaster hill. Its thrilling and wild and sometimes completely out of control. Youre strapped in, and you feel safe after all, you have a plan but once the ride actually gets going, the thrill is incredible. Its exhilarating to finally take the leap and hit the publish button for the first

time. When you post something that scares you to death, or when you finally say hello to that stranger, or you step away from the corner of the room and shake someones hand, things change. From that moment on, youre part of it, and theres no going back. Those of us that cross through our fear and jump into the stream are the ones who will succeed.
Susan Murphy has been working in media and communications for 23 years. She is a partner at Jester Creative Inc., where she helps people discover and tell their stories through a variety of media. Her interest in social media is extensive (shes a total nerd her words). Susan teaches Video Production, and Web Media in the Interactive Multimedia Developer program at Algonquin College. She is also the co-host of I Can Haz Podcast, a social media marketing podcast and on the Board of Directors for the annual Cracking-Up the Capital for Mental Health comedy festival, featuring some of Canadas top comics. A busy lady for sure.

The Simple Power of One a Day

by Seth Godin There are at least 200 working days a year. If you commit to doing a simple marketing item just once each day, at the end of the year you've built a mountain. Here are some things you might try (don't do them all, just one of theseonce a day would change things for you):

Send a handwritten and personal thank you note to a customer, Write a blog post about how someone is using your product or service, Introduce one colleague to another in a significant way that benefits both of them, Read the first three chapters of a business or other how-to book, Record a video that teaches your customers how to do something, Teach at least one of your employees a new skill, Go for a ten minute walk and come back with at least five written ideas on how to improve what you offer the world, Change something on your website and record how it changes interactions, Help a non-profit in a significant way (make a fundraising call, do outreach), or Find out something you didn't know about one of your employees or customers or co-workers.

Enough molehills is all you need to have a mountain.

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Fresh Facts

Upcoming Events
Oct. 16 Oct. 18 Oct. 19 Nov. 2-11 Nov. 48 Nov. 14 & 15 Dec. 4-6 Feb. 6-12 OFFMA Regional Twilight TourStroms Farm, Guelph, ON - to RSVP, Contact Gary Johnson, 905-726-3356 OFFMA Regional Twilight TourBarrie Hill Farm, Barrie, ON - to RSVP, Contact Gary Johnson, OFFMA 905-726-3356 Retail Ag. Bus Tour, Central Ontario, visit centralontarioagconference.ca or call 705-444-0557 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON Watch for details at www.royalfair.org OFFMAs Annual Bus Tour, Chicago Region, details included with September newsletter. Bus is now SOLD OUT. The Business of Lavender, Quality Inn, Woodstock, ON Go to www.OntarioLavenderAssociation.com for additional information. Great Lakes Expo, Grand Rapids, Michigan, www.glexpo.com The Best of the Best Retail Tour of the UK with John Stanley and Associates, visit www.johnstanley.com.au for further details

Ontario Farm Fresh

Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director 2002 Vandorf Rd. Aurora, ON L4G 7B9 Phone: 905-841-9278 Fax: 905-726-3369 E-mail: info@ontariofarmfresh.com www.ontariofarmfresh.com 2012-13 OFFMA Board of Directors Jesse Lauzon, President Springridge Farm Brian Hugli, Vice President HugIis Blueberry Ranch Amy Strom, Past President Stroms Farm Cara Epp, Associate Member Cara Epp Marketing Leslie Forsythe, Forsythe Family Farms Jay Howell, Brantview Apples & Cider Hollis English, Murphys Farmstead Colleen Pingle, Pingles Farm Market Geri Rounds, Rounds Ranch Steve Smith, Smiths Apples Carl Fletcher, OMAFRA (Acting Advisor to the Board)

New this year!

TWILIGHT TOURS
A great way to -get a tour of an OFFMA members farm and facilities, -grab a bite to eat and -connect with some like minded people Tuesday, October 16 Stroms Farm, Guelph ON 4:307:30 Thursday, October 18 Barrie Hill Farm, Barrie ON 4:307:30 RSVP to Gary Johnson - 905-726-3356 There is no charge for this event. Everyone is welcome.

The last word.

The last word this month goes to Nicholyn Farms from the Barrie area. Not only were they part of the 50 regional Agri-Food Innovation Award recipients from across the province, but last week, they were awarded one of three Leaders in Innovation Awards at the Agri-Food Summit. This is a HUGE accomplishment that comes with some well deserved recognition. Congratulations to the whole Van Casteren family.