fresh facts - april 2012

7/31/2019 Fresh Facts - April 2012

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Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Newsletter #277April 2012

Volume 27, Number 4

Fresh Facts

Inside this issue:

Membership News 2

Book Review 3

5 Proactive ideas to

find or attract top

performers

4

Spirit Tree Cidery 6

To Do Reminders 7

Upcoming Events 8

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

Presidents Message

As I sit down to write this, were exactly one week away from opening Springridge Farmto the public for the 2012 season. I know you can relate. The whole farm has had acomplete clean and refresh, were just about finished with displays, and our staff andschedules are looking great. As we all scurry about making our final preparations foropening weekend (which just happens to fall on Easter weekend this year) there is realexcitement. Will people like the changes that weve made? Will all of our favourite newproducts do well? Do we have enough of our best-sellers on hand for them? And mostimportantly, will they come?!

I was thinking earlier today about how much I enjoy this time of year and the rush ofgetting open. There is nowhere Id rather be right now. But heres the thing: if you hadtried to tell me years ago that this was going to be my career, Im not sure Id have be-lieved you. I have to admit that Ive been very fortunate. Ive fallen into a career thatallows me to indulge a lot of my interests. Ive always loved food and its culture. I lovefood books too. Its no secret that I like to talk and that I really enjoy people. I alsohappen to like organizing, managing, and negotiating. I had no idea that this career indirect farm marketing was even possible. But Im sure glad it is and Im lucky to be ableto do a job that doesnt always feel like work.

One of the things that has been so interesting for me to see across Ontario is how

many On-Farm Marketers have brought their own interests and passions to work. Imsure you can think of many too. Ive been to a farm where their passion is beautifullyrestored old cars. Some farmers are passionate about performing, some about homedcor. There are farms Ive been to where the baking and cooking are so interestingthat you know they love it. Some love mazes, others love gardening. There are touch-es of real art in some peoples packaging, layout, and design. It is so easy to see whensomeone takes real pleasure and joy in their work. Their businesses are each sounique and personal. And Im convinced that is why they work so well.Now, back to work

Jesse LauzonOFFMA President


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MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Page 2 Fresh Facts

New Members

Welcome aboard. Hope to see you at

the annual potluck!

Charles & Teresa Harris

Harris Farms, Barrie

705-725-2023

Steve Scott

Lucknow

519-440-3644

Matt & Elaine Bowman

Bowmanlea Farms, Thornloe

705-563-8444

Associate Members

Becky SmollettFrom Farm To Table Canada Inc.

Cambridge

519-621-1163

Helen Luey

Freeman Herbs

Beamsville

905-563-8890

Mood Swing, a 5 member roots/swingband, covers both popular and obscure

tunes from the pre and post war era, aswell as performing original material. Theband, together for 12 years, is known forits trademark 3 part harmonies and cra-zy mix of instrumentation. Its not justthe ukulele or accordion (to mention 2 ofthe 7 instruments played) but the vocalarrangements that offer a refreshingnew twist to some of the great ol chest-nuts from the past. Mood Swing guaran-tees an entertaining, upbeat and sophisti-cated musical experience. They are agreat fit with any outdoor/country ven-ue.For more information contact DonnaGreen at 416-461-5083 or [email protected], or check out theirwebsite at www.moodswing.ca

Tony Deluca 1956-2012Tony Deluca, part owner of FreskiwFarms, passed away on March 5th after abrief battle with cancer.Freskiw Farms became OFFMA members

a few years ago when Tony startedbringing their blueberries to the MetroHall Farmers Market.His great wit, humour and never endinghospitality will be missed by all whoknew him. Our sympathies go out to hisfamily.

Once again this year, we will have a table

set up at the Nathan Phillips Square Farm-ers Market at Toronto City Hall to distrib-

ute your brochures. If you are interested in

this opportunity, please send 200 bro-

chures to the OFFMA office. There is no

charge for this benefit.

*New* from the Farm Safety Team atOMAFRAAdvantage Good AgriculturePractices (GAP) PostersFREE - Well illustrated posters in-

structing workers and visitors onGood Agricultural Practices, arerip proof and weather proof. Thereare 9 in total, pick and choose theones that are most relevant to youroperation.To order simply go to:www.ontario.ca/goodagpractices andclick on GAP Posters

Send in your Product OrdersYour product orders were due at the end

of March. Product catalogues were in-

cluded with the March newsletter. We do

not carry a full inventory during the year

so if you are interested in a product

please send in your order form.

FISH Video available for rentThe FISH video is a great way to get staff

talking and thinking about the attitude you

would like staff to have at your business.

Upbeat and catchy .its a great way to get

everyone in the mood.

Available for a one week period. Call the

OFFMA office if you are interested.


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Page 3Newsletter #277

I ordered this book from Amazon.comon Seth Godins recommendation afew weeks ago. At first blush I was alittle disappointed because I thought itwould have a bit more substance anda few less pictures, but once I got achance to sit down and look throughthe pages a bit more carefully I wasenchanted by the illustrations and theinformation.The author, Julia Rothman, grew up inNew York City and married Matt whogrew up on a farm in Iowa. As theystarted their courtship, Julia was fasci-nated by the stories Matt had aboutgrowing up on the farm. Everything

was so foreign to her a total city girl.The book is really a city girls view ofthe country. As farmers, you would befamiliar with most, if not all, of theterms and descriptions in the book.The Farm Anatomy has everythingfrom how to stack firewood to the illus-

tration and explanation of a gravitywagon. There are also illustrationsof different tomato varieties and anequine terms page that explainsthe difference between a colt anda foal. There are also useful rec-ipes sprinkled throughout. Thebook is something all farmmarketers should have intheir reference library. It re-minds you that just be-cause you grew up withcombines and harrows, your cus-tomers probably have no idea whatthey are. It provides definitions in sim-ple terms and the drawings are truly

charming. If you are still in doubt, letme add that Julia Rothmans work hasappeared in numerous books, maga-zines and newspapers. She also has aline of letter press stationery and wall-paper and most recently has been de-signing websites.

Book Review: Farm Anatomy by Julia Rothman ISBN 978-1-60342-981-8Reviewed by Cathy Bartolic


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Page 4 Fresh Facts

Editors Note: At the end of March wehad the opportunity to work with Don-ald Cooper on a workshop for the Di-

rect Marketing Industry. Donald is adynamic speaker and the farmers whowere able to attend at the gorgeousManor in Kettleby were not disappoint-ed. He provided them with lots of toolsto help grow their businesses. Thefollowing is an timely article from hiswebsite, www.donaldcooper.com

Over the past few months Ive beencollecting and passing on to you anumber of unusual tips from clientsregarding how to find or attract top

performers. Heres a recap of some ofthose ideasplus a few new ones.

1. One client, with a downtown pro-duction facility, has found some stellar,long-term employees by handing outbusiness cards to homeless people.Not only have many of these folksturned out to be extraordinary, he hasthe great joy of knowing that hes mak-ing a difference with those who need abreak.

2. A group of bicycle retailers in To-ronto, desperate for trained mechanics,has partnered with an organizationthats committed to helping at-riskyouth in order to create a bicycle me-chanics training course that will devel-op 50 skilled employees per year.

3. A Technology Integrator client ofmine in New York taught night schoolclasses at his local college while start-

ing up his business. This accom-plished two things. First, it brought insome extra income while his businesswas getting off the ground and, se-cond, he was able to identify the sharp-est up-and-coming talent and offerthem jobs. Very clever.

4. A Mr. Sub franchisee in Humboldt,Saskatchewan has established a col-

5 Proactive ideas to find or attract top performersBy Donald Cooper,

lege scholarship program for their em-ployees, many of whom are highschool students. Anyone who worksfor them for 18 months qualifies for aminimum of $250 towards any postsecondary training or education.

To quote Pattie Durand, the very kindand sharp franchisee, We tell ourstaff that we dont want them to bemaking subs for the rest of their livesand encourage them to pursue theirdreams. Since it costs at least $1,200to train a new employee, $250 is morethan worth it. We also make sure thescholarships are awarded at schoolceremonies, in order for other poten-tial employees to see what type ofcompany we are.

This program has reduced Pattiesstaff turnover by almost 50% and ithas greatly improved the quality ofpeople applying for jobs. Shes at-tracting hard working, committed stu-dents, instead of those who have nofuture goals or ambitions. Brilliant!

5. Red Carnation Hotel Group, whichowns extraordinary high-end hotels inthe UK, Switzerland, South Africa andFlorida, proactively forms partnershipswith the top Hotel and HospitalitySchools in Europe and South Africa.Their hotel management people regu-larly lecture at these schools and forthat reason they get the best studentsfor their internship programs.

What Ive suggested to them is thattheyre missing a huge opportunity totake this partnership one step further.In order to associate themselves withhotel excellence and catch the atten-tion and respect of the top studentseach year, they should offer the RedCarnation Hotel Group Award of Ex-cellence, presented to the top gradu-ating student at each school.


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This award would consist of a per-sonal plaque, a trophy that stays inthe school for all to seeand acheque to help pay off their stu-dent loan, or to celebrate theirgraduation. An executive from

Red Carnation would be invited toeach graduation ceremony to pre-sent the loot to the winner andgive a short talk on the importanceof excellence.

So, how could some of these inno-vative recruitment and retentionideas work for you? What gutsy,proactive, outside-the-box thingswill you do to find or attract a con-tinuous flow of top performers in

your business? Where are thepassionate up-and-comers inyour industry being educated andtrained right now and what will youdo to get first dibs on those tal-ented folks?

Donald Cooper is city born and bred. In many ways he

would be a typical customer. He did some research before

the workshop by talking to several members and review-

ing many direct farm marketing websites. Although some

websites were doing a good job of telling the farm story

and many had good pictures, here are a few of his recom-

mendations to our industry.

Your world class website should include..

1. What you sell and when it is ready

2. Maps these need to be obvious and easy to find

3. Your history, farm philosophy and practiceswhats

your story?

4. Great photos. A picture really is worth a thousand

words. Invest in hiring a photographer.

5. Meet the team section with photos of each member.

6. Recipes people love recipes.

7. Awards- highlight any awards you have won.


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Page 6 Fresh Facts

Spirit Tree Ciderywhere the Caledon Farming Couple getsSpiritedThis article is reprinted from the Growing Forward Business Development for Farm Business-es Winter 2012 newsletter. Submitted by Carl Fletcher, OMAFRA Strategic Business PlanningLead. For more program information go to

www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/about/growingforward/busdev.htm

When Tom Wilson and NicoleJudge decided to change thefocus of their farm, they couldnever have imagined how far itwould take them. Their businessplan provided a glimpse into thevery bright future that lay aheadfor Spirit Tree Cidery.Tom and Nicole planned to pur-chase and run the pick-your-own farm owned by Tomsgrandfather. Tom was going to

follow in his familys footsteps and farmwhile Nicole continued working as a vet-erinarian. But, it didnt quite work out thatway.A pick-your-own farm operation needsgood weather to bring in the customersand this dependence on the elementswas not working well for Tom and Nicole.Over time it also became obvious thatsimply offering baked goods for sale at apick-your-own farm was not enough, sothey started planning their dream opera-tion.

After getting the blessing of family mem-bers, they sold the farm, purchased anew farm and began the process of bring-ing their vision to life. Working with abusiness strategist and creating a strong,comprehensive and long-term businessplan was a critical step. Tom and Nicoleplanned and worked through all of thedetails of their vision for years.Initially they wanted to open a restaurant,but liquor licence rules limited their choic-

es with develop-ing a tied house,a specializedtype of eateryaffiliated with awinery or brew-ery, so they al-tered the visionfor the business.Their planningprocess neededmore than thesimple financial

plan. Tom and Nicole developed an agri-business and agri-tourism plan, completeda feasibility study, outlined their marketingplan and worked through the environmen-tal, food safety, liquor licence implicationsof their business model.Today, Spirit Tree is an apple farm andcider press. It also offers a unique destina-tion, gourmet breads and baked goods,local artisan handcrafts and artwork and atied house to enjoy the best Canadianhard ciders.

Their business plan looked at finances,outlined products, competitors, market-place, target customers, marketing, long-term planning, and so much more.The process was critical to our success,said Tom. Without the blood, sweat andtears that went into the planning, we wouldhave not opened Spirit Tree with the clearvision and sense of purpose that has beenour driving force ever since. Every detailhad to be outlined in the plan to ensure thedirection our business took was right, andthat we were working toward our intended

goals.All of their business choices were madewith that sense of purpose, from choosinga location and investing in training, tolearning to bake bread and choosing astraw bale building which reflects their en-vironmental commitment. All of thesechoices reflect who they are and the visionfor their business.It could not be more perfect, says Ni-cole. We have started our own businesswhere we strive to be the best. We havetravelled the world, including to Englandand the Cordon Bleu in France, to train tobe able to offer our customers world-classproducts. Now we need to start planningfor the future. We have loyal customerswho are here supporting us, and so manyoptions open to us. We are excited to seewhat the future holds!Tom and Nicole were able to meet someof their farm business and environmentalstewardship plans through the BusinessDevelopment for Farm Businesses andEnvironmental Farm Plan programs.


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REMINDERStocheckandupdateyouronlineinformaon.Takeaminutetodothis

whileyoucan,itwillmakeaHUGEdifferenceduringyourbusyseason.

OFFMAwebsiteWeareacvelypromongthiswebsitetoconsumersasagatewaytofindingafarmintheirarea.Makesuretheinformaonwehaveforyouiscorrect.Youcanalsocreatean

enhancedpagewithfurtherinformaontodelightyourcustomers.Sendupdatestothe

OFFMAoffice.www.OntarioFarmFresh.com

HarvestOntarioAsanOFFMAmemberyouareentledtoaFREEPREMIUMWEBPAGEatharvestontar-

io.comincludingphotos,eventscalendar,recipes,expandeddescriponsandmuch

more!Makesureyoutakeadvantageofthismemberbenefitat

www.HarvestOntario.com

*NEW*OCTAEventCalendar!TheOntarioCulinaryTourismAlliancehaslaunchedabrandnew,Ontario-wideCulinary

EventsCalendar.HighlighngFoodandDrinkeventsacrosstheprovince! It'sagreat

waytoshareandpromotetheexcingexperiencesinyourareawithvisitorsfrom

aroundtheworld. Submingiseasy--justfillouttheonlinesubmissionform. Adda

logoorphotoandyou'regoodtogo!

Submityoureventtodayatwww.ontarioculinary.com


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April 8 are you ready for the Easter bunny?

April 10 & 12 webinar, 6:30 to 8:30 pm,

for more info contact Tegan Renner at 1-888-375-7383 or go to

www.cog.ca/shop

April 25 Excellence, presented by the

Disney Institute at the DeGroote School of Business, registration

URL: https: //mgdssl.business.mcmaster.ca/registration

April 30May 4 , Dept of Food Science, University

of Guelph, for more info call 519-824-4120 ext. 52183

July 12-14 , St. Williams, ON

check out website at www.fruitvegtechxchange.com

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: [email protected]

www.ontariofarmfresh.com

Jesse Lauzon, President

Springridge Farm

Brian Hugli, Vice President

HugIis Blueberry Ranch

Amy Strom, Past President

Stroms Farm

Cara Epp, Associate MemberCara Epp Marketing

Leslie Forsythe, Forsythe Family Farms

Jay Howell, Brantview Apples & Cider

Hollis English, Murphys Farmstead

Colleen Pingle, Pingles Farm Market

Geri Rounds, Rounds Ranch

Steve Smith, Smiths Apples

Carl Fletcher, OMAFRA

(Acting Advisor to the Board)

of

Snyders Family Farm. They were named one of three

finalists in this years Ontario Outstanding YoungFarmer Award. The Snyders farm in Bright near

Kitchener-Waterloo. In the spring they have a green-

house operation producing gorgeous custom hang-

ing baskets and in the fall they sell pumpkins, have a

corn maze and fright nights. They have overcome

several challenges and hurdles to get their business

to where it is today and they rose to the challenge of

filling out all the required paperwork for this compe-

tition.

We were very proud to have them represent OFFMA

at the competition this year.

Pictures with the Easter BunnyAre you open for Easter? Do you have an Easter Bunny? Make sure your custom-

ers have a chance to have their pictures taken with the

Easter Bunny. Find a spot that is

-Protected from the weather

-Branded with your farm name, everyone will see your name

when they post their pictures on Facebook or show

the grandparents.

-Provides a great representation of your farm

-Consider having a spring photo contest-Ask customers to send you a copy of their pictures so you

can post them on your website.

fresh facts - april 2012

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