Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

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

Ahha Moments… 
Newsletter #262
Ever add something so simple to your farm that you can’t realize how you lived without it or Oct./Nov. 2010
why you didn’t think of it sooner? We added a few of those this year and several of the ideas Volume 25, Number 9
came from last November’s bus tour and my visits to a few farms this summer. One of them
was as simple as a few plastic stakes and some rope (thanks Leaping Deere Legends). We
now have a cue line for our pedal carts without paying a staff member. Another simple but
profound idea is labelling farm equip-
ment (thanks Hugli’s Blueberry Inside this issue:
Ranch). Now instead of just seeing a
row of farm equipment it is labelled Members News 2
and looks intentionally placed for cus-
tomers. OAFE Teacher Award 3
Last but not least my ‘I Spy’ cards of Excellence
(thanks Fulton’s Pancake House &
Sugar Bush). What a great addition
Precious Pockets of 3
Time
to our wagon rides this year. Kids are
loving searching for objects as they Using Google Alerts 4
to Track Agritourism
travel on the wagon and parents are
enjoying a little down time. They’re going to put 5
me in the movies
For more Ahha moments hop on this
November’s bus tour or visit a few OFFMA farms… you won’t regret it. Capturing the best 6
moments for your
Here’s to a Sunny October! business

Upcoming events 8

Amy Strom
OFFMA President
Five easy ways to cope with stress

This is a very busy time of year for on-farm marketers and sometimes the stress just
becomes too much. You need to find ways to ‘blow off some steam’. Here are a couple of
suggestions that may help you survive the season. If you try them, send the OFFMA
office pictures and we will be sure to post them to share with all OFFMA members.

5. Jam miniature marshmallows up your nose and sneeze them out.

4. Pop some popcorn without putting the lid on the pot.
3. Make a list of thing you have already done.
2. Wear someone else’s nametag and refuse to answer to your own name.
1. Write ‘Out to Lunch’ on your forehead with coloured markers.
Page 2 Fresh Facts

MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Welcome to our new members:
Classifieds
FOR SALE: Beretta Farms
Mini Straw Bales Ashlee Ricci
12”wide X 10” high x 24’ long Etobicoke, ON
$1.50 wholesale, picked up at the farm. These 416-674-5609
bales generally retail for $4.00 to $5.00
Contact Kevin Shantz 519-634-5252 La Primavera Farms
(Editor’s Note: I picked some up last weekend and Joanne Feddes
they are a great size. Easy to handle and perfect for Dundas, ON
decorating.)
905-536-9850
Classified ads are free to all OFFMA members.
Classified ads will be printed in the next newsletter Associate Members
and on the web site in the classified ad section. Cathy’s Crawly Composters
Make use of this membership benefit, if you are Cathy Nesbitt
looking to sell or purchase an item, send the rele- Bradford, ON
vant information to the OFFMA office. We’ll make 1-888-775-9495
sure it is posted.
Dawn Food Products
Edward Pimentel
Thank you OFFMA
Etobicoke, ON
Finally getting around to letting you know that
416-297-2697
we had one terrific auction sale!! There were
many members from Farm Fresh so I am
The Fresh Food Farm
thankful that you allowed us to put the flyer into
Candace Sales
the monthly newsletter. Thanks again to OFF-
Blackfalds, Alberta
MA 403-350-7319
It was great seeing some of the 'older mem-
bers' again and meeting some of the 'newer' We hope you take the time to make the con-
members. nections that create a priceless membership
I am only sorry that not everyone got the items for you.
they really wanted. However, that was out of
our control.
Many were bidding on signs and especially the Bus Tour Updates
bakery equipment. Many wanted to know who November tour to London, Ontario
finally bought my ovens. They were purchased At the time of printing there were 4 seats left
by a caterer, not a Farm Fresh Member, unfor- on this bus tour that will visit farms in the Mil-
tunately!! ton and London area. Call now, if you were
Could you just put a ‘Thank You’ to everyone hoping to get a seat on the bus.
that attended the sale and wish them luck on April tour to London, England
our behalf in the upcoming and most popular The bus is now full but we are creating a wait-
season of the year. ing list. There is always the chance that no
everyone will be able to make it on the tour.
Thanks again for your help.
Please send in your application form right
Ron and Pat Butwick
away if you want to be added to the waiting
(long time former OFFMA members)
list.

Product of the Month

Only those who will
risk going too far can ‘Vermicomposting’ Poster
possibly find out how Regular price $50 + HST
Special price $35 + HST
far one can go. until the end of November
Call the OFFMA office to order yours today.
-T.S. Eliot
 Newsletter #262 Page 3

Congratulations to Diane O’Shea, Teacher Award of Excellence Recipient

OFFMA members, Diane and Mike O’Shea run
a pick-your-own vegetable and fruit operation
at their family farm near Granton, Ontario.
Most recently they have added a bakery to the
mix at the farm. The family has hosted farm
tour programs for many years designed for a
relevance to the school curriculum and experi-
ential learning.
Although Diane was an educator and advocate
for agriculture for many years, it wasn’t until
1997 that she began her professional career
as a teacher. At that point she had two chil-
dren in high school and two in elementary
school, but something was calling her back to
the classroom. Today, as head of the Family
Studies Department at Midway High School in
London, Ontario she continues to spread the
word about Ontario agriculture. She often has
local farmers come into her classroom to tell
students about the day-to-day operations and
challenges of farming. Diane also teaches uni-
versity courses for new teachers and contrib-
utes to textbooks and curriculum develop-
ment.
Most recently, Diane’s contributions
were recognized by Ontario Agri-Food
Education Inc. (OAFE) when she was pre-
sented with their ‘Teacher Award of Ex-
cellence’ at Canada’s Outdoor Farm
Show in Woodstock, Ontario.
“Diane brings versatility to her profes-
sion,” says Colleen Smith, executive di-
rector of OAFE, “she strategically thinks
of how she can make agriculture relevant
in the classroom. We need teachers like
Diane – teachers who are able to auto-
matically make connections between
agriculture and student’s personal lives.”
Diane is a big supporter of OAFE’s re-
sources. If you want to use these re-
sources on your farm or pass some along
to a local
teacher, go to
www.oafe.org
and check out
Way to go
Diane!
their latest
resource cata-
logue.

Precious Pockets of Time

Obviously, everyone is allotted the same number of hours in a day. Why is it that some people never find time to
do what they intend to do and others can always find time to get things done? One of the great secrets of high
achievers and anticrastinators is that they are mindful that every day is jam-packed with an incredible number of
precious pockets of time, if you only learn to recognize and use them. Here are four universal truths about pock-
ets of time:

1. Free hours, afternoons, or entire days hardly ever come into our lives without a great deal of scheming
and planning; even then, don’t count on it.
2. No matter how important your project is or how much preplanning went into it, there will be interrupt
tions. Lots of them. Count on it.
3. Complaining about interruptions and letting them stress you out won’t help anything and won’t make
the interruptions go away. Sometimes we can eliminate the source of our interruptions (take the phone off
the hook, do our work at the library, close the office door). Sometimes we can’t.
4. If interruptions continually cause you to start and stop your project, you may as well plan on working in
starts and stops.

Even on your busiest days, you have a spare ten minutes here, twenty minutes there. How much time could you
put to good use if you worked on your lists or began ten minute project while waiting for a meeting to begin or for
a dental appointment, or while sitting in your car waiting for your child to come out of school? You could:

plan OR review your list OR make a phone call OR catch up on correspondence OR outline
a news release, report or letter

Right now – starting today – watch for a precious pocket of time and decide how you’re going to use it. A glance
at your list can help you figure out what to do with this time. Amazingly, the more you recognize and use these
precious pockets of time, the more they seem to multiply.
Page 4 Fresh Facts
Using Google Alerts to Track Agritourism
By Suzanne Ainley, PhD Candidate, Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies,
University of Waterloo
A little over a year ago a friend introduced me
to Google Alerts. This nifty search feature
provided by Google automatically monitors
the web for new content (i.e., new releases,
websites, discussions) based on a topic of per-
sonal interest to you. Google says its Alerts
are handy to:
 Monitor a developing news story
 Keep current on a competitor or indus-
try
 Get the latest on a celebrity or event
 Keep tabs on your favourite sports
team.
Google Alerts is sort of like having a free
clipping service! When Google comes across
new content on the web fitting your Alert pa-
rameters you receive an email.
To set up your own personal Google Alert,
start by going to www.google.ca/alerts. This
will open a window in your Internet browser
where Google Alerts will ask you for the pa-
rameters of your personal search query. For
instance, you’ll be asked for “search terms”.
In here perhaps you’ll put the name of your
farm to track news stories or what visitors
might be saying about a trip to your farm on
their blogs. Next Google Alerts asks for what
“type” of information you want sent (choices
are ‘everything’, or limiting it to ‘news,
blogs, updates, videos or discussions’). You
can also define that Alerts be sent out ‘as-it-
happens’, meaning you’ll receive emails at
anytime throughout the day or night around
the clock as new information meeting your
search parameters is uploaded to the Internet.
As an alternative, you can choose for alerts to
be sent in a single, longer email only once per
day or once per week. These alternatives
might be helpful to keep your inbox from fill-
ing up or just in helping you manage this new
flow of information. The last item you tell
Google Alerts is where you want the alerts to
be sent by providing your email address.
Once you’ve filled in the search parameters
click the “Create Alerts” button. A new win-
dow will open telling you your Google Alert
request has been created and in your email in-
box you will also have a verification email.
It’s that simple.
Agritourism was the first search term I set up
on Google Alerts as a send it out ‘as-it-
happens’ alert and since then I’ve averaged
about a dozen emails daily. Most are sourced
from south of the border in the USA, howev-
er, on weekends I get regular updates on
what’s happening in Tuscany and India. I’ve
even found out about agritourism events and
programs being offered in Australia, Brazil
and China.
The Alerts have also introduced me to some
interesting perspectives on agritourism. In-
cluding following one farm family’s land-use
dispute in California where they argue their
golf course built amidst their working farm
fields should be considered as “agritourism”.
This case is now before the courts. In another
example I found out about a new planned
community in Abbotsford, British Columbia,
combining a winery with a producing vine-
yard, agritourism and single-family homes.
The developer is actively using agritourism as
a marketing strategy where homeowners will
have a small share in the winery and they will
live beside the vineyard. Beside the winery,
the commercial component includes a luxury
hotel spa open to paying guests as well as
being available to friends and families of the
homeowners to stay at when they come to
visit. Of course, as a homeowner in this com-
munity owner winery I’m sure all your family
and friends would be inclined to drink your
wine!
Although the UK has a much longer history
and is a hot bed for farm-based tourism activ-
ities, such as crop mazes, pick-your-owns, on-
farm education programs, and farm stores,
I’ve never received an Alert from across the
pond. This baffles me. However, I’m remind-
ed that most Britons refer to visitors to farms
as “rural tourism”, “farm tourism” or “farm
stays” and not agritourism as we are more apt
to use here in Canada.
What’s become very clear as I’ve read these
Google Alerts over the past year is that
agritourism is often confused with rural tour-
ism. Simply put, what makes agritourism dis-

tinct from rural tourism is that agritourism
has to occur on a working farm. Agritourism
diversifies a working farm by adding tourism
experiences and activities available to paying
visitors.
As this year winds down and you have some
time to reflect, perhaps you’ll consider the
They’re Going to Put Me in the Movies
By Gary Johnson, OFFMA’s Membership and Marketing Coordinator
A film production location manager/scout drives
up your farm lane and indicates that he likes the
look of your farm for a possible film shoot. After
all as a farm market, you are already open to
the public anyway. He asks if he can take a few
photos (usually this about a 100 or more) as a
reference to show the director and producer. He
suggests that you will be well compensated for
the use of your farm. You’re thinking WOW!!
this is like getting free money - where do I sign?
My farm’s going to be in the movies!
Hold on. There are some questions to be asked,
and things to look out for.
Do some research!
Like any other business dealing, find out if the
company is legitimate. Use the internet to get
information about the company. Never pay a fee
to the company for them to use your farm for
the film – a legitimate company will pay you.
Ask for references, ask for the producer’s or
director’s list of credits; a contact with the parent
company; and proof of insurance.
Request references of property owners who
have had experiences with the company and
ask them if the film company honoured their
agreement? Ask if they damaged their property,
and if so did they make prompt repairs.
Before you decide to grant permission to film,
consider the impact filming will have on your
customers. You may have to close your opera-
tion for the days the filming is taking place.
That’s income you are losing, so you should be
compensated for it. Remember to take safety
into consideration if your farm market remains
open during the shoot.
Once you are satisfied that it is a legitimate film
company, walk the location manager through
your property. Find out how long the shoot will
last, including preparation and wrap time. You
need to know where they plan to film on your
property. Is it just exteriors or does it involve
interiors as well? Find out how your location is
to be used in the context of the overall film sto-
ry. Make sure you are comfortable with the sub-
Newsletter #262 Page 5
unique activities and experiences you provide
to paying visitors on your farm. Or alterna-
tively, set up Google Alerts to track and keep
updated on a topic of interest to you and your
farm operation.
ject matter of the project. If it’s a nega-
tive story full of depravity, violence,
and devil worship – you may not want
your farm market to be associated with
this.
Other important things to find out in-
clude: how many film production per-
sonnel will be involved? Where will the
cast and crew eat their meals? How
many vehicles will require parking?
Will you be living at home during the filming or will
you be accommodated off-
site. Will your living expenses be covered? Will
the production company be using your electrical
power or their own generators? – if they are using
your power, this should be factored into cost re-
covery.
Make sure any agreement includes that your farm
is named as the additional insured on the produc-
tion companies insurance policy. A cross liability
clause should be included.
Ask for a copy of the certificate before filming be-
gins. Ask for a damage deposit in the form of a
certified cheque to be held but not cashed and
returned when the filming is over and you are sat-
isfied that there isn’t any damage to your property.
Once you have everything in place, what do you
charge for the use of your farm? Location fees are
negotiable. You should feel comfortable with the
amount agreed upon. You should be compen-
sated for any lost business. In determining a fee,
consider the production budget, length of stay,
inconvenience, and type of film. There’s a real
difference between low-budget and big budget
productions.
Location managers will usually offer a fair price,
and are open to negotiation, but if you haggle ex-
cessively, you might lose the project.
Farintosh Farms and Yee Haw Adventure Farm,
are two members of our association, that I know
of, that have had experiences with filming on their
farms.
Let us know if you’ve had a good or bad experi-
ence with a film shoot on your farm.
Page 6 Fresh Facts
Capturing the Best Moments for your Business (Video How To’s)
By Jane Eckert, Eckert Agrimarketing
YouTube.com has exploded the Internet video
world for viewing of commercial and home-
made videos. Videos are becoming a popular
online marketing tool and, having created some
of my own, I can say that it’s not that difficult,
and they’re important for all businesses to con-
sider.
Did you know that the average online American
spent nearly 189 minutes viewing internet video
in May 2009? That's a 49% increase from the
previous year and the numbers just keep going
up! With more than 6 billion videos viewed per
month, Google's YouTube continues to hold
the #1 position in terms of video
streams. Since online video viewing continues
to increase, maybe it's time to discuss produc-
ing one for your business.
Producing a video for your website and to be
shown on YouTube can be an easy and inex-
pensive way to market and promote your
agritourism activities—from school tours, to the
corn maze, fruit tree pruning, weddings or com-
pany picnics etc. It can be as simple as filming,
editing and uploading. Web sites, such as
YouTube, have made viewing and publishing
footage more accessible, and new video devic-
es, such as Flip Video, have made capturing
the footage more affordable.
You may be asking yourselves, “What are
YouTube and Flip Video?” YouTube is a Web
site that allows peo
ple to easily upload
and share video clips
across the Internet
through websites,
mobile devices,
blogs, and email. Anyone
with Internet access can
watch videos, and once you
register for an account you,
too, can upload, share and
link your footage with the rest
of the world. Unlike expen-
sive recording devices, Flip
Video is a simple, hand-held
camcorder that costs approxi-
mately $160. Plugging right
into your computer and com
plete with a built-in editing
program, Flip Video can have
your video produced in
minutes, complete with
music!
Purchasing a camcorder is the simplest way to
get the job done, however, if you have a digital
camera and an editing program, a series of
photos with headline text can be just as effec-
tive. Pairing a slideshow of photos with music
can add to the professionalism, while record-
ing a voice over—an off-screen voice serving
as a narrative—can help give informational
details while the photos are circulating.
Once you post your video onto YouTube, you
can not only link it to your own Web site and
other social networks, such as Facebook and
Twitter, but YouTube viewers are able to
share your footage as well. Anyone who en-
joys your footage will surely pass it on to their
friends and the cycle continues.
Editing footage is not always easy and not
everyone is a natural at capturing the best
picture. After I recorded, edited, and posted a
video for Rural Bounty onto our website and
YouTube, I came up with my “Top 5 Video
Tips” for both farmers and your photographers
(mine was my summer intern) who are produc-
ing a video for the very first time:
For the Farmers/Actors:
1. Have a script ready – having something
to say will put your mind at ease when
you can’t find the words; memorize your
lines or print off the script onto white
paper with large black text so it’s easy
to read while you film.
2. Speak slowly – talking too fast doesn’t
allow for precise editing and words can
often be cut-off between transitions.
3. Pause between thoughts – many edit-
ing programs cannot trim video down to
the millisecond; take a break and pause
after every thought to ensure that your
words and transitions will be smooth in
the final product.
4. Wear the right colors – stay away from
filming in colors such as yellow, red,
black, or white, and avoid large patterns
and stripes. Aqua, coral and any shade
of blue work well on both men and
women and often look the best on cam-
era.
5. Smile and be energetic – if you’re in
front of the camera, remember to have
enthusiasm about what you’re talking
about; otherwise, nobody else will be
inclined to listen.
 Newsletter #262 Page 7

For the Photographers: Whether you use a series of photographs,

1. Keep a steady hand while recording –
remember that people do not like to
view shaky video footage; keeping a
steady hand will make the video ap-
pear more professional.
2. Move around – its fun to see a variety
of scenes within one video; moving
around your farm and changing your
backdrops will keep the audience
more interested and inclined to visit.
3. Stay close – when filming, don’t get
too far away from the actor, otherwise
their voice won’t become the focus
during dialogue - the background
noise will become a distraction. If you
have an off-camera microphone, use
it.
4. Interview – ask people at your desti-
nation why they like coming to your
farm, ranch or winery; having real
people answer real questions is al-
ways nice to see when you’re thinking
about visiting a new place.
5. Have extras ready – if customers are
not available to be filmed, it’s a good
idea to have a back-up and ask
friends or family to help out; this will
guarantee that someone will be able
to give action footage or even testimo-
nials.
real-life footage, or a mixture of both, Flip
Video and www.YouTube.com are a great Get your
way to get your company out into the video
world! You may not have as many views as camera out.
Susan Boyle, but linking your business NOW is the
through more social networking sites, such
as YouTube, will help increase your busi- time to be
ness recognition. If this all sounds too over-
whelming then think about posting your own
taking
television commercial on your website and pictures and
on YouTube. Whether or not you have time
to produce a video - NOW is the time to be video foot-
taking photos or video footage at your
farm!
age of your
Check out my Flip Videos on farm.
www.YouTube.com by searching Rural
Bounty. Plus, I’d also suggest you go to
www.cravenfarm.com and look at their
wedding rental video made from photo-
graphs and to www.uncleschucks.com
homepage to view their television commer-
cial.
Jane Eckert, a national speaker, author and
agritourism expert, is principal of Eckert Agri-
marketing (www.eckertagrimarketing.com), a
firm that helps farmers sell products directly to
consumers and develop their operations into
tourist destinations, and CEO of Rural Boun-
ty.com, a consumer based directory of agritour-
ism farms in North America. Jane can be
reached by phone 314-862-6288 or at
jane@eckertagrimarketing.com

Now accepting applications for the

Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence
These awards were developed to recognize and further foster innovation in the agri-food
industry, the government established the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Ex-
cellence in 2006 to award outstanding farmer-innovators. This five year program recog-
nizes up to 55 regional award winners annually, with a cash prize of $5,000 each. From
these winners, a Minister’s Award and a Premier’s Award are selected.

Individuals or groups representing agri-food businesses and organizations are invited to

submit applications. To be eligible, at least one of the applicants must be a farmer. The
innovation must have been developed and in use on an Ontario farm or in the planning
stages of development with a plan toward implementation within the agricultural and
agri-food sector. The innovation must also have potential for use in a broader basis and
demonstrate a positive effect on the agricultural industry.

Deadline for submission is 5:00 pm on Monday, November 15, 2010

Details of the process, as well as applications and guidelines, are availbale at:
www.ontario.ca/agrifoodinnovations
1-877-424-1300
 Page 8 Fresh Facts

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
2010-11 OFFMA Board of Directors
Amy Strom, President
Strom’s Farm
Jesse Lauzon, Vice President
Springridge Farm
Mark Saunders, Past President
Saunders Farm
Paul Brooks, Brooks Farms
Jay Howell, Brantview Apples & Cider
Anne Just, Kurtz Orchards
Marg Land, Annex Publishing
(Associate Member)
Colleen Pingle, Pingle’s Farm Market
Geri Rounds, Rounds Ranch
Steve Smith, Smith’s Apples
Dorene Collins, OMAFRA
(Advisor to the Board)
Upcoming Events
Oct. 20-23 International Maple Syrup Institute and the North American Maple Syrup
Council Annual Meeting, Arden Park Hotel, Stratford. For additional details,
visit www.northamericanmaple.org/index.php/annual-meeting
Nov. 1 Ontario Culinary Tourism Summit, Toronto, ON
Check www.ontarioculinary.com/summit for further info
Nov. 5-14 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON Watch for
details at www.royalfair.org
Nov. 7-9 OFFMA’s Bus Tour in Central Ontario, contact Cathy at 905-841-9278
Nov. 12&13 ABC’s of Farm Education, Shelburne Farms, Vermont,
Contact: Erica Curry at 802-985-0325 or ecurry@shelburnefarms.org
Dec. 3 Haygrove Tunnel Conference, Lancaster, PA. Visit haygrove.com or call
1-866-HAYGROVE for additional information.
Dec. 7-9 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, DeVos Place Conven-
tion Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan, for further info visit, www.glexpo.com
January 5-6 Southwest Agricultural Conference, Ridgetown College, Ridgetown, ON
Visit southwestagconference.ca for additional details
January 22 FarmSmart Agricultural Conference, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
Go to uoguelph.ca/farmsmart for additional info
January 29-30 2011 Guelph Organic Conference, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
www.guelphorganicconf.ca
February 23-24 Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention, Brock University, St. Catharines
April 4-8, 2011 Bus Tour to UK, contact Cathy Bartolic at 905-841-9278 –SOLD OUT,
but a waiting list being created
April 27— May 2 HAuNTcon 2011, Louisville, Kentucky. Visit www.haunt.com for further info

The Royal Harvest Market - a new initiative

November 5-14, 2010
Ontario Farm Fresh has been working with the Royal Agri-
cultural Winter Fair to create an opportunity for members
to sell their products at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
You can showcase and sell your innovative product at the
Royal for a fraction of the cost and time commitment.
Two 2’ x 4’ tables will be available for OFFMA members on
a per day basis for $40 or $250 for the entire 10 day fair.
Please contact the Alison Robertson at OFVGA at 519-763-
6160 ext. 121 or arobertson@ofvga.org if you are interested in this fabulous opportuni-
ty. Space is limited and will be in demand, so call now.

On-Farm Marketing Tip #31 - Listen to your customers

The number one rule of marketing is simply to listen to your customers. (“How can we serve you better?”) Prac-
tice the art of drawing out customer reactions….what they like and dislike, and what they’d also like to have in
addition to what you offer. Train your employees to do likewise. Besides simply talking to customers, other
ways to solicit customer feedback are through focus groups, suggestion boxes and inviting customers to send
in comments and suggestions on your web site or twitter feed.
Most of you have a few more weeks to implement this idea. It will give you some fodder to think about over the
winter season.