Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Fresh Facts
Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

A word from the President Newsletter #321

May-June 2017
Volume 33, Number 4
Many of you are in the process of opening up your farm stands for a new sea-
son. The exhilaration of spring along with all the fresh new products that come
with it are always very exciting to me. And this is the time of year to let your
customers know exactly when they will be able to get that first fresh bunch of
asparagus, box of fiddleheads or bunch of wild leeks. Inside this issue:
The season never passes without at least a half dozen older gentlemen telling
me their memories of how they skipped out on half a day of school simply by Membership News 2
partaking in some wild leeks over the lunch hour. Innovation at its best, I say. Happy Birthday 3
Many of you have spent time during the winter season planning new marketing Canada Ideas

ideas and if you are like me you can hardly wait to put them into action. Some 5 Ways to Build a 4
Brand of Distinction
of you have expanded markets in the past year. Others have invested in new
display cases or have been busy planning special events. Ideas from New 5
Zealand
I am impressed with the vibrancy and strength of our direct farm sales industry
here in Ontario. Consumers here are very blessed with a wide variety of choic- OFFMA Survey 6
Results : Opportuni-
es. ties & Challenges
I think it is important for us to remember what makes our farm markets unique
from the average shopping experience out there and to build on that. It is my Upcoming Events 12
belief based on what we heard from Mr. Luckett this winter that the whole indus-
try has upped their game in the last number of years.
But I believe there are different things that make each of us unique and I think it
is very important that we know what those are and really focus on them. If you
are not sure what that thing is for you, may I suggest that you spend some time
talking to your regular customers and find out what it is that keeps them coming
back. Chances are that building on those things will attract even more custom-
ers like them.
You may not be able to beat your local supermarket on price or variety and per-
haps you do not want to. But maybe you can do better than them in other areas
such as service or one on one product knowledge.
Finally, I want to again remind you that we are celebrating Canadas 150th birth-
day this year. I am sure each of you will find ways to help make this experience
exciting for your customers.
Best wishes as you spring into action.

Steve Martin
OFFMA President
Page 2 Fresh Facts
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Classifieds
FOR SALE
One stationary food stand chip stand
Approx. 11' x 18', semi portable struc-
ture, no wheels but can be lifted on to
a trailer.
10' hood with fire suppression and
proper ventilation, steel interior with
stainless steel around cook area.
Building is 4 years old, very spacious
and nice to work in. Asking $22,000.
Contact Jordan at
info@willowtreefarm.ca
FOR SALE
Gourmet, all natural, locally produced
ice pops and freezies available for
wholesale. www.popstandtoronto.com
Please contact Kari at
karithepopstand@gmail.com for more
information.
FOR SALE
New Holland 300 Manure Spreader
In working condition. Tractor half of
PTO missing. Located near Stouffville.
Contact Cathy Bartolic at 905-841-
9278 for more info.
Ads are free to OFFMA membership, send to the
office and we will make sure they are included in the
next newsletter.
Welcome to New Members
Heres is OFFMAs cutest new member.
Congratulations to the McKay Family
Alex and Keltys son, Roderick William
McKay, arrived on April 22, 2017
weighing at 9lbs 8oz. Ian is thrilled to
be promoted to big brother status.
New Associate Members
Kalyna Antoniuk
Peppy Paws & Co.
Toronto, ON 647-876-2943
www.peppypawsandco.ca
Peppy Paws will be a vendor at the Na-
than Phillip Square Farmers Market.
They are committed to using local
products and seasonal ingredients
whenever possible to create rich and
flavorful treats for your dog.
Yaser Al Qayem & Firas Alsharin
Parkhill Meats
Parkhill, ON 519-293-3000
www.parkhillmeats.ca
After acquiring an abattoir that had
been closed and installing new equip-
ment, Parkhill Meats is open for busi-
ness. The plant slaughters and pro-
cesses beef, veal and lamb for con-
sumption in the local market, selling
the meat from a storefront shop. This
also includes halal meat.
Life is a real juggling act, sometimes
there are too many balls in the air.
Be good at picking the balls you want
& dropping the ones you dont.
 Newsletter #321 Page 3

Happy Birthday CANADA Ideas

18672017
How will you be celebrating this event? to do some red & white face painting.
Here are some ideas that you can imple-
ment on your farm to celebrate Cana- Free Admission
das 150th birthday. -consider offering free admission to your
play area if people wear red & white on a
Red & White Flowers certain day during the year or perhaps
-plant an area for photo opps or plant one day a month.
the whole front of your farm with red &
white lowers. Nows the time to plant Red & White Food
annuals so just keep that in mind as you -create and offer red & white popsicles,
decide what to grow. ice cream or cookies. Look at what you
already offer and see how you can modi-
Have a 150 Special fy them to be red & white.
-decide on a special price that is linked
to 150. For example, pick a product that Battered Maple Leaves
you can sell for $1.50 or $15.00 or $150. -recently, an OFFMA member was batter-
Promote it as a Canada150 special op- ing and deep frying maple leaves and
portunity. selling them as a part of tour they were
involved with. They were a big hit with
Canadian Face Painting customers.
-bring in a face painter to your market
What have you tried.let us know.
Page 4 Fresh Facts

5 Ways to Build a Brand of Distinction

From Pete Lucketts Blog
Pete Lucketts presentations before
and during the Ontario Fruit & Vegeta-
ble Convention this year were very
well received. He is a charismatic pre-
senter who not only shared infor-
mation but entertained as well. Here is
a little more about his marketing phi-
losophy.
Clients and customers often ask
me whats the most important as-
pect of a great brand? Its hard to
pinpoint just one thing: but if I got
pushed to the wall and had to com-
mit, Id say its not just about being
different; its about being distinc-
tive!
Just like the shiny red telephone
box that stands proudly in my vine-
yard. It promotes my UK roots and
provides a play-on-words: we make
wines worth phoning home about,
and it is just plain fun! Customers
ity to stand out so that buyers can
easily identify it. Our customers at
Luckett Vineyards immediately
know our brand. Our polished,
decked out trucks and vans bear the
phone box logo all around the sides,
which is predictable- but its also on
top so its visible when the vehicle is
driving downtown. People in the
towers can look down and think-
time for a glass of Phone Box Red!
(You know youve all thought it at 3
pm one day or another, even if you
havent seen our van!)
So how can a brand become dis-
tinctive? Important elements in-
clude:
Colours
Logos
Taglines

can visit this iconic telephone box
and make a call anywhere in North Symbols
America for free. You wont find
that anywhere else on the planet.
Advertising styles (including
Thats a mark of a great brand! The celebrity endorsements)
telephone box appears on our logo
and signage and is the name of our At Luckett Vineyards we like to get a
two, signature little edgy. Playful staff t-shirts
wines: Phone state: For a good time, call: Phone
Box Red and Box Red Phone Box White or
Phone Box Phone Box Fizz. In defining these
White. unique elements, you will begin to
Distinctiveness craft a story around who you are,
is a brands abil- and what you stand for. Now thats
distinctive!
OFVC Speaker
Presentations Available Online

If the speaker agreed to provide their PowerPoint

presentation, it can be found on the convention site at
http://www.ofvc.ca/session_notes.html

Great resource to check out if you werent able to at-

tend all the workshops and hear all the speakers you
 Newsletter #321 Page 5

Ideas from New Zealand - Marketing with Humour

By Carl Fletcher, Farm Fresh Fan and Friend

In January 2017, my wife Kathryn and I travelled to New Zealand to visit our
daughter who is a student there. A couple of ideas caught our attention.

Two humorous ideas on the marketing front

1. For those who offer chocolate products check out this sign at
Silky Oak Chocolates. You may want to add this to your sign-
age.
Silky Oak Chocolates was one of our stops on a bicycle wine tour
in Napier (designated drivers were not a requirement).

2. Are your signs current with todays slang? Adulting has en-
tered the language among younger folk meaning acting in an
adult manner. This coffee shops sign says it all. Rather than
coffee perhaps berries and ice cream, meat or apple pie or what-
ever tasty treat your market is known for!
 Page 6 Fresh Facts
OFFMA Survey Results Part 5 of 5
Opportunities and Challeges
By Suzanne Ainley
Nine out of 10 respondents agreed or
strongly agreed that having a Direct
Farm Market (DFM) on the farm pro-
vided a good quality of life, and also
integrated them into their local com-
munity. Almost of respondents
agreed or strongly agreed that having
DFM on their farm gave them a posi-
tive outlook on the future of farming.
Given such an optimistic outlook,
many of the respondents were consid-
ering plans to increase or expand
their DFM with the following top ten
plans over the next 5 years under
consideration. These were found
through analysis of the 2016 online
surveys & shown in the following ta-
ble.
Type of plan considered
Expanding on-farm market/retail space *
Getting into value-added or processing what we grow *
The farm-market business becoming profitable
Adding on new agri-tainment activities *
Children heading off to college or university +
Adding farmers markets or expanding how many we currently
attend *
Transferring farm to younger family members +
Expanding acreage by purchasing additional land *
Operating direct-farm market year-round *
Investigating commercial, institutional-facility or public-sector mar-
kets for wholesaling my products
Six of the top ten plans (as noted with
* in the table) would directly increase
or expand the farm business. Where-
as two others relate specifically to the
dynamics within the farm family, being
children heading off to college or uni-
versity and transferring farm to
younger family member(s) (these
noted with + in the table). Not shown
in the table but perhaps worth men-
tioning are the 11th and 12th plan
types reported, being: retiring (14%)
and adult children returning to the farm
to work alongside parents (12%).
These additional plans also relate to
changing dynamics within the farm fami-
ly.
None of the respondents were consider-
ing decreasing the number of agri-
tainment activities offered, looking to
sell farm and purchase another farm
elsewhere; or divorcing spouse or sep-
arating from partner. Although the last
item is very personal and a touchy, awk-
ward subject to ask, family break-ups
are extremely disruptive to farm-based
businesses. On that note, the next part
of this article provides highlights on
what challenges emerged.
Reporting Farms (%age)
49
48
32
26
25
23
19
15
15
15
The 2016 online survey asked respond-
ents 34 items in a series of separate
questions about challenges that direct-
farm marketers face that can impact
their business. For each challenge re-
spondents were asked to check the box
(i.e., not at all a challenge, minor chal-
lenge, moderate challenge, serious
challenge, or not applicable) best de-
scribing their own experience. In total
 Newsletter #321 Page 7

65 responses were received for each Product marketing; and Succession

challenge item asked.
Of the legal issues asked, over sixty
percent of all farm respondents were
experiencing moderate to serious
challenges with all five of these items:
Farm/business taxes, Ensuring visitor
safety; Food safety regulations related
to selling; Roadside signage permis-
sion; and Local zoning and permits.
The issues found to be the most prom-
inent for the farms in 2016 as they
managed their farm business were:
Hiring employees; The rising cost of
energy and fuel; Training and manag-
ing employees; Separating home life
from work life; Attracting customers;
Planning.
Across all three studies carried out by
OFFMA over the last decade, on-going
types of challenge for DFM businesses
can be identified. Food safety regula-
tions related to selling is the one com-
mon, on-going challenge. The safety
of visitors is another challenge that
showed up in 2005 and again in 2016.
A third, legal-type issue found common
to farms in 2009 and 2016 - farm/
business taxes. Finally, the cost of
energy and fuel was the last challenge
where results were found to carry over
from 2009 to 2016.

Whittamore Farms Last Season

As many of you may have heard, this will be

Whittamores Farm last season as an on-farm
market open to the public. They are offering
their customers one final season to enjoy the
family farm experience. After serving their loy-
al patrons for over 60 years, they are celebrating
their last season. The gates and all farm activi-
ties will be closing to the public when the season ends this Novem-
ber 2017.
Whittamores Farm is a highly respected brand in Markham, the
GTA and across Ontario. The family has been farming the land since
1804 and over the past 35 years, Mike, Frank and his wife Suzanne
Whittamore have expanded and grown the business. Today, they of-
fer Pick-Your-Own fruits and vegetables, a Farm Shop featuring
freshly picked produce, baked goods and preserves as well as a Fun
Farm Yard and Pumpkinland with farm themed activities.
They are making this change to rebalance their lives and pursue oth-
er interests and opportunities. They will continue to farm the land,
however it will be in a different capacity.
Frank has indicated that they will be putting together and inventory
of the resources they would like to sell. Stay tuned and we will be
sharing that information with you once it is available.
 Page 8 Fresh Facts

Upcoming Events
July 17 OFFMAs Annual Potluck at Thatchers Farm, Rockwood

Early Nov. Possible Foodie Tour of New York City

April 2018 Tour to Ireland

Ontario Farm Fresh
Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director
2002 Vandorf Rd. Aurora, ON L4G 7B9 Tire Take Back
Phone: 905-841-9278
E-mail: info@ontariofarmfresh.com
www.ontariofarmfresh.com
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is supporting this recycling, fund-
2017-18 OFFMA Board of Directors
raising project again this year. Its a project with the Ontario Automotive Recy-
Steve Martin, President clers Association (OARA) and Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) that provides an
Martins Family Fruit Farm easy way to recycle used tires for free, in support of the Sunshine Foundation
Kristin Ego MacPhail, Vice President
Ego Nurseries Ltd. of Canada.
Leslie Forsythe, Past President Heres how you can get involved in the 2017 program:
Forsythe Family Farms
Cara Ferguson, Associate Member
Edana Integrated Marketing Save up all your used tires
Nicole Judge, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery
Erin McLean, McLean Berry Farm Mark your calendar with the program dates: May 24June 4
Colleen McKay, Your Farm Market Get together with your neighbours to save up a larger volume that could
Jordan McKay, Willowtree Farm
Dana Thatcher, Thatcher Farms be eligible for free, on-farm pickup
Karen Whitty, Whitty Farms go to https://ofa.on.ca for further details
Jessica Kelly, OMAFRA Advisor

FCC Young Entrepreneur Loan

Are you under 40 and need financing for your ag retail, manufacturing or
food processing business? The Young Entrepreneur Loan could provide
the capital you need to launch a new business or take your current oper-
ation to the next level.
Loans of up to $1,000,000 are available.
Go to https://www.fcc-fac.ca/en/we-finance/agribusiness-and-agri-
food/young-entrepreneur-loan.html for more information.

With Sincere Thanks

Life has moved me in a new direction and on to new adventures. I would like
to thank the members of Ontario Farm Fresh for their insight, support and
sharing of their knowledge and experiences, over the past 7 years. What an
amazing group!
Your dedication to your businesses and your willingness to help others suc-
ceed is wonderful. A lot of my success in farm marketing is due to your gen-
erosity in sharing ideas, supplier information, best practices and guidance.
Your openness in giving me a heads up on, been there, done that, dont go
there was greatly appreciated. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with
you and I look forward to dropping in to visit as I travel around Ontario. Many
thanks to Cathy for all her hard work and dedication in keeping everyone con-
nected, it wouldnt be the same without her leadership.
Wishing you all the best.

Patti Stevenson
Past Customer Service Manager
Barrie Hill Farms