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In This Issue
  • Local Food Week - June 7 to 13, 2021
  • Download Local Food Week social media graphics
  • Ottawa Breakfast from the Farm update
  • Virtual Food & Farm Field Trips
  • Garden-in-a-box LIVE event
  • Livestock Emergency Training - new dates available
  • Welcome to new members of FFCO
  • Meet a Supporter member - Lindsay Agricultural Society
Celebrate Local Food Week

Local Food Week (planned for June 7-13, 2021) is a celebration of the fresh, healthy food grown, produced, and processed right here in Ontario.

Following the success of last year's event, Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO) will partner witAgScape and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s (OFA) Six by Sixteen initiative to celebrate Local Food Week with five Virtual Field Trips.

At 1:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday, FFCO and AgScape will be going live with farmers and food producers from across Ontario, including a cheesemaker, sheep farmer, potato grower and beekeeper. Visit www.FarmFoodCareON.org/fieldtrips/ to browse through the full schedule.
#loveONTfood

Looking to celebrate Local Food Week on social media? Download our ready-to-post social media graphics and tell us why you love local!

Don't forget to use #loveONTfood
Breakfast from the Farm

With the safety of our guests, volunteers and fellow Ontarians in mind, and due to ongoing changes to provincial COVID-19 guidelines, Farm & Food Care Ontario has made the decision to postpone the planned June Breakfast from the Farm at the Carp Fairground to July 18, 2021.

Although in-person events are still not possible, FFCO, in partnership with members, is pleased to offer a new Breakfast from the Farm experience in 2021. In this drive-thru style event, visitors will enjoy socially distanced displays of farm equipment and livestock and receive breakfast in a bag - filled with all of the ingredients a family would need for a home-cooked all-Ontario breakfast. Bags will also include resources like The Real Dirt on Farming and items from event partners. For more information, please visit www.FarmFoodCareON.org/breakfast-from-the-farm/

FFCO looks forward to once again hosting these events in collaboration with Ontario farm families in the future.
Virtual Food & Farm Field Trips

FFCO and AgScape hosted a virtual Food & Farm Field Trip on May 25 (previously “Farm to Facebook”) with Rosa Flora Greenhouse hosted by Ralph and Arielle DeBoer. Over 670 teachers registered to tune in with their classes and ask their questions live. A recording of the field trip can be watched below.

FFCO and AgScape will continue to offer field trips throughout 2021. Upcoming events in June include:

June 1 @ 1:30 p.m. Frankhaven dairy goat farm - Watch it here!

June 7 - 11 @ 1:30 p.m. Five field trips to Ontario farms and food producers in celebration of Local Food Week!

June 22 @ 1:30 p.m. Wine grape vineyard with Niagara College - Watch it here!

For recordings of previous tours and more information about upcoming tours including where to watch them, visit www.FarmFoodCareON.org/fieldtrips/
Garden-in-a-Box - LIVE at the Western Fair District Wormery

FCCO's Garden-in-a-Box project held its first-ever LIVE virtual event on May 20. FFCO welcomed Dan Lizmore, a Landscape Designer and Horticulture Technician, and chief ‘worm wrangler’ at the Western Fair District to share his knowledge on the benefits of vermicomposting.

The event included an introduction to vermicomposting, a tour of the on-site wormery, a DIY worm farm tutorial and a live Q&A session.

The next live event, held in partnership with Croplife Canada, is scheduled for June 24 at 7:00 p.m. with host Frank Ferragine AKA “Frankie Flowers”. Frankie is one of Canada's most trusted gardening experts and will be joining FFCO's garden club to talk about pests, pollinators and beneficial insects.
Livestock Emergency Response Workshops
This course is delivered by FFCO and large animal rescue expert Victor MacPherson and is specially designed for first responders and emergency personnel. Class size is limited to 20 attendees.

Cost: $50 +HST per participant and includes a two-hour training session (7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)

The following workshops are open for registration:
  • Thursday, June 3, 2021
  • Thursday, July 22, 2021

Note: Additional dates to follow. Other dates will be made available by request.

For more information, please contact: Program Consultant Bruce Kelly, bruce@farmfoodcare.org
Welcome and thank you to newly joined members of
Farm & Food Care Ontario!

  • Grand River Agricultural Society - New Gold member

  • The Ontario Produce Marketing Association - New Silver member
Meet a Supporter member-
Lindsay Agricultural Society

The Lindsay Agricultural Society (LAS) was founded in 1854 and later began hosting the Lindsay Central Exhibition as a way to promote growth and advancement in the local agricultural community through competition. As the urban population in Kawartha Lakes began to expand and move away from direct involvement with agriculture, the mandate of the LAS shifted to include promoting agriculture awareness and providing agriculture education whenever possible, with emphasis on engaging with the local urban population during the Lindsay Exhibition (LEX).

Becoming a member of Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO) was a natural fit for the LAS. We became a member back when it was the Ontario Farm Animal Council and we continue to see the benefit of being a part of the organization. The team at FFCO provides quality resources that make it easy for us to fulfill our mandate of providing agriculture education during the LEX and at other events throughout the year. The print materials, digital content, and especially the virtual reality FarmFood360° tours all contribute to a very exciting and engaging experience for LEX goers of all ages!

We look forward to continuing to grow our relationship with Farm & Food Care in the years to come. The team is an absolute pleasure to work with and they are always enthusiastic supporters of our efforts to spread awareness about the importance of agriculture within our community and beyond.

Harry Stoddart, Lindsay Agricultural Society