The Rural Voice, 1999-10, Page 56GREY
County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER
446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9
Email: grey@ofa.on.ca website: www.ofa.on.ca/grey 519-364-3050 or 1-800-275-9551
• The Rural Voice is provided to all Grey
County Farmers by the GCFA.
Consumer awareness can really help your business!
By Pearl Bumstead
A recent fax memorandum sent
out by OFA, President Ed Segsworth,
sparked the conception of this article.
We as producers of a particular
commodity are always looking to the
consumer for acceptance. recognition
and possibly price premiums for what
we are producing. We are asking a lot
from the consumer if he or she is not
aware of our input cost, our lifestyle,
our marketing technique and the
value we add to our communities.
The fax was about, "Ontario
Agriculture Week", posters (October
4 - 10). Ideally, the posters should be
on display in local businesses by
September 28 - 29. The County
Federations will all be getting some
to distribute to regional directors,
county presidents and county
directors, which in turn will be asking
the township directors for help. If you
are asked by one of your township
directors to help spread the word,
(hang up posters), try to help he or
she out. The job of informing the
consumer is always a big one and we
need all the help we can get.
When we are doing our day-to-day
routine, we should always be aware
of the people we meet, the people
GREY COUNTY FEDERATION
OF AGRICULTURE
DIRECTORS'
MEETING
**Note Date Change**
Thursday,
November 18, 1999
8:00 p.m.
OMAFRA Boardroom, Markdale
Members are welcome to attend
52 THE RURAL VOICE
who see us at work and our,
sometimes, urban neighbours. We as
farmers will always be under scrutiny
from various organizations, whether
it he the Ministry of the Environment,
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and
Rural Affairs, Ontario Energy Board
or any other organization, large or
small, because we are a minority
group. This is why it is so very
important to create consumer
confidence in our lifestyle, which is
ultimately our business! So many
people looking at our farming
operations do not understand the
requirements to keep a viable
business going. They may not
understand the dust, odour and noise,
associated with some farm function
and many therefore complain. This is
where we must use good
communication skills to educate our
neighbours as to why we must do
what we do.
The purpose of the poster is a
positive way to raise public
awareness regarding Ontario farmers
and agriculture in general. We can
create awareness every day if we take
pride in our profession and educate
our urban friends and the consumer
on a day-to-day basis. To quote OFA
President, Ed Segsworth, "Together,
we can make a difference!"0
HOLLAND TOWNSHIP
FEDERATION
Annual Meeting
Saturday,
October 16, 1999
6:00 p.m.
Massie Hall
Potluck Dinner
Slide presentation by
Ruth and Art Clarke
about their trip to Mexico
GREY COUNTY FEDERATION OF
AGRICULTURE
59th Annual Meeting and Banquet
and OFA Regional Meeting
Friday, October 15, 1999
Royal Canadian Legion, Durham
Social: 6:30 p.m. — Dinner: 7:00 p.m.
Guest Speaker: Eleanor Wood, Humorist
Tickets: $12/person
Tickets available from Township Presidents or our office