MANITOULIN—Manitoulin Island farmers who are members of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) are being encouraged to fill out a survey to help direct the future of Ontario’s largest farm lobbying group.
“Every couple of years, we reach out to members and find out what the concerns are,” Brent Royce, OFA director, told The Expositor in an interview last week. “We try to grasp what the grassroots want from the OFA.”
The OFA represents over 37,000 farm businesses in the province.
While it’s next to impossible to reach each and every one of those 37,000 farms, Mr. Royce said the OFA does a good job of getting a large sampling of farms both big and small.
Mr. Royce said farmers can expect to answer a wide range of questions such as whether they believe they are getting good value for their OFA membership and what the key issues are affecting their area.
The OFA director said he was well aware of some of the issues facing Manitoulin Island farmers, namely damages to crops and livestock from wildlife and the problems surrounding compensation, noting the Sandhill cranes that are prevalent to the area.
Farmers will also be asked questions regarding climate change, business planning and rural Internet.
Mr. Royce spoke of one of OFA’s biggest focusses, ‘Producing Prosperity in Ontario’—“refocussing rural Ontario as a place to grow Ontario’s economy,” he noted, adding that a redistribution of wealth would also mean a decrease in the strain on urban infrastructure.
“The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has signed on,” Mr. Royce noted.
Farmers only have until Sunday, March 25 to take the survey which can be done by visiting www.ofa.on.ca and clicking on the link on the main page. For those who wish to fill out a paper survey, call 1-800-668-3276 to have one mailed to you.
“Members are members, no matter where they are,” Mr. Royce concluded. “We encourage all farmers to have their say.”
