Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Fresh Facts

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

Newsletter #301

Presidents Message

Merry Christmas!
I hope you are all finishing up a wonderful year and preparing to spend time over the
holidays with family and friends. Now is also the season when we look back over the
past year but more importantly ahead to the next. As you go through this process, here
are a few gems to ponder from 45 Lessons From Life written by Regina Brett a 90
year old from Cleveland, Ohio.

When in doubt, just take the next small step.

Your job wont take care of you when you are sick your friends and family will.
Dont compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all
about.
Get rid of anything that isnt useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
Its never too late to be happy. But its all up to you and no one else.
Over prepare, and then go with the flow.
Frame every so-called disaster with these words In five years will this matter?
Your children get only one childhood.
Life isnt tied with a bow, but its still a gift!
Believe in miracles.

Now is the time to get registered and your room booked for the OFFMA Summit that is
part of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention in February. This is really an annual
event not to be missed.
Wishing you all a joyous Christmas season and hope you find the miracles in
your life even if they are not wrapped with a bow.
See you in Niagara Falls in February.

Brian Hugli
OFFMA President

Dec. 2014
Volume 30, Number 9

Inside this issue:

Membership News

Lessons from a
Christmas Tree

On-Farm Market
Product Cross
Pollination

Winter Activities

Highlights from
November Study
Tour

The Big Picture,

Small Screens &
your Website

Built to Sell:
Creating a Business that can
Thrive Without
You

Premiers Award
for Agri-Food
Innovation Excellence

10

Upcoming
events

12

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Fresh Facts

MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Congratulations to
Landman Gardens & Bakery!
Landman Gardens and Bakery has
been awarded the Best New Tourism
Business category at the Hills of
Headwaters Tourism awards November 19th 2014!
A relatively new business with some
very shiny stars. Well done!

Classifieds
FOR SALE: Garland maker & Kelco
wreath machine for sale $350 for
the both or $200 each. Contact Joy
Westlaken at 519-762-3504. Pictures have been posted on the OFFMA Members Facebook page.
FOR SALE: Delhaven Orchards Ltd.,
Blenheim, ON
Frozen, pitted sour cherries
available for wholesale and retail
Call 519-676-4475 or
e-mail [email protected]
Classifieds are free for members. Send
your information to the OFFMA office
and it will be included in the next newsletter.

OFFMA Board Vacancies

The OFFMA Board consists of 10 Directors:

8 full members

1 associate member

Past president
Plus 2 appointed, non-voting members:
Executive Secretary
OMAFRA Representative

Colleen Pingle and Steve Smith are completing their second, three year terms
and will be stepping down. Brians term
as president will also be coming to a
close which means that Jesse Lauzon,
Past President will be leaving the Board,
as Brian moves into the Past President
position.
That leaves 3 farm membership positions vacant with a need to be filled this
year.
The time commitment for these positions includes attending 5-6 Board meetings per year, participating in one of the
Boards Committees, and a willingness
to contribute and make a difference to
the direct farm marketing industry.
If you are interested in making this commitment, contact Jesse Lauzon, Chair of
the Nominations Committee at 905-8784908. Additional nominations will be
accepted from the general membership
at the AGM as well.

Tip #624 - Practice Gratitude

Gratitude is good for you - and good for your business. According to the Wall Street Journal...
"Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted
over the past decade. They're also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly and have greater
resistance to viral infections."
These are all things market owners need to be successful!
And it's not just wishful thinking or happiness hokum - it's neuroscience, folks! There are
many, many research studies showing how your brain changes when you practice thankfulness.
Fortunately, practicing gratitude is a lot easier than practicing the trombone, or practicing for a calculus test. To practice gratitude you simply think of something you are thankful for and write it down. You can write it in a journal or type it in an app on your phone.
Big or small, important or whimsical - it's the thought that counts.
Thanks to WhizBang! Training for this tip.

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Page 3

Lessons from a Christmas Tree

We all fall over sometimes; its the
getting back up that is important
Be yourself, if you were born a
tree, be the best tree possible
Its okay to be a little wider on
the bottom
Give without expecting
anything in return
Sometimes, some of us are
a little tilted
Sparkle and twinkle as
often as possible
Be a light in the darkness
Bring joy to others

Merry Christmas
and best wishes for a wonderful New Year
from OFFMAs Board of Directors and Staff

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Fresh Facts

On-Farm Market Product Cross Pollination

By Gary Johnson, OFFMA membership Coordinator
On our early November Ontario Farm
Fresh Study Tour to Simcoe County
and Muskoka Region in which we saw
some amazing enterprises, I was impressed by the number of products on
the shelves that came from other OFFMA members. There was chicken from
The Poultry Place, honey from Dickey
Bee Honey, preserves from Harvest
Goodies (Wheelbarrow Orchard), maple syrup from Voisons Maple Products, milk products from Sheldon
Creek Dairy, and apple chips from
Martins Family Fruit Farm.
As one farm member said to me, you
cant make everything, and when another farm member makes an outstanding product, you add it to your
farm store line.
Its really exciting to see this kind of
business exchange going on between
Ontario Farm Fresh members, as it
underscores the value of being a
member of this great organization. It
became evident, even during this current bus tour as members visited the
various farm destination stops, they
were discovering and trying new products for possible inclusion in their own
on-farm retail operations.

Even though you may have missed the

bus tour, there is still an opportunity to
sell a product you have developed to
other members. This is through the
Ontario Farm Fresh Member Marketplace which is meant to be a gateway
for wholesale products developed by
OFFMA members. You can do this by
registering on the Ontario Farm Fresh
Member Marketplace on the OFFMA
website. If you want to be added to the
database, just let the OFFMA office
know.
On the flip side, there are on-farm markets that would like to carry Ontario
products in their farm store but dont
know where to start looking for small
processors. All these farms have to do
is go to the Member Section on the
OFFMA web site and click on the Member Marketplace and look though the
product list. On seeing something you
have an interest in, just get in touch
with the OFFMA member to actually do
your specific sourcing and ordering.
If there is something you want but do
not see on the list, contact the OFFMA
office as we may be aware of a member who can supply the items on your
wish list.

Big promises can lead to better experiences

by Seth Godin
A $75 bottle of wine tastes better than a $14 bottle of wine. Even if you switch the wines.
The promise implied in the price actually changes the way we experience the product.
Two things to keep in mind:
a. Giant promises lead to poor experiences. When you strain credulity and then fail to deliver on the miracle, we won't enjoy it, nor will we trust you again any time soon.
b. The reason we hesitate to make big promises is that we are afraid. Afraid to own it,
afraid to be vulnerable in the face of possible disappointment.
Once you make a big promise, you have to work harder to keep it. Easier, it seems, to merely make tiny promises instead.
But the fact remains: Human beings have better experiences when they expect to have a
better experience. To hold back on your promise is to deprive your customer of something
valuable.
A promise doesn't have to be a grandiose statement, with or without fine print. It can be
something as subtle as the music you hear when you walk into a shop or the respect a
salesperson offers you when you first interact...

Newsletter #301

Winter business activities to help make 2015 your best year ever.

Update your listing on the OFFMA website the OFFMA website is the
gateway for consumers looking to find a farm they can visit. It is promoted
through all our efforts as the place to get this kind of information and as a
result we have thousands of people looking at it. Make sure your information is correct and your products and services are easy to find.
Sign up for OFFMAs Members Only Facebook Page it only takes a
minute and it will connect you to other on-farm marketers who share their
experiences, or are looking for a specific product or just want to highlight
something wonderful on their farm. Dont delay being a part of this resource.
Listen to a podcast or two from the members section of the OFFMA
website Six podcasts were posted this past year. Everything from
Diversifying Your Farm to Successful Farm Birthday Parties. OFFMA will
be working on adding some more this winter. If you have a topic you want to
see as a podcast, let the OFFMA office know.
Check out other resources on the OFFMA website there is a cache of
great material and interesting resources on the site. You will need your
username and password to get into that section. If you are unsure what they
are, just drop a line to the OFFMA office and we will get you all sorted out.
Register for the OFFMA Summit at the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention at ofvc.ca. Registrations opened on December 1st. The convention
takes place on February 18 and 19 at the Scotia Convention Centre in Niagara Falls. Dont miss this one!!

Most importantly do it NOW.

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Fresh Facts

Highlights from the November Study Tour

Vehicle Branding
This is one vehicle you wont miss seeing on the highway. Great attention grabber with minimal information, easy to remember. You may not be able to
see it in this photo but there are lovely cow lashes on
the headlights of the van. Hewitts Farm Market has
nicknamed their vehicles the corn buggies and each
one is painted the same colour..a Hewitt blue. Once
again, they are unmistakeable as they travel the
roads delivering their products. This is one of the
most inexpensive ways to get your name out in front
of new potential customers. A moving billboard every
time you get into your vehicle.

Connecting your products with

your customers
Patti from Barrie Hill Farms, wanted to have cookies
for her customers at the farm but cookies sales were
not making any records. They had to find a way to create awareness of the new product to the point that
people would want to try them and buy them. Thus, the
Cookie Personality Chart was born. A brief description
of each of the cookies on offer, presented in a friendly,
fun manner. Patti has had record sales ever since.

The Cart
One of the things that Hollis, from Murphys Farm Market & Bakery has created to help her busy schedule is a photo cart. It is a little trolley that is full
of all the items she may use to enhance a photo of her products: coloured
twine, drinking straws, colourful tea towels, antique cutlery. When she
wants to take a picture to post on the many social media tools Murphys
Farm Market & Bakery employs to promote their business, she grabs the
cart and starts setting up the picture. She doesnt have to spend time trying
to track down individual items and bring them all together in spot. They are
already on the cart, all together. This idea would work for other things as
well. Perhaps a display cart or tote. Put your masking tape, your chalk, your
fishing line all in one container and when you need to make new displays,
you simply grab the tote and go.
Hollis other valuable tip was her photo boards. They were taking down one
of the buildings on the property this summer and she asked for pieces of the
wall to be cut into 3 by 3 sections. Each section is painted a colour that she
can then use as the background for any of her photos and one was left a rustic barnboard as well. If you need more proof that these tips work, check out
the Murphys Facebook page for a visual treat.

Newsletter #301

Page 7

Signs, Signs,
Everywhere a Sign

Many members have told me that no one reads anymore. Signs dont work. You may think so but they still send a
message and provide information. Johnstons Cranberries are outside of Bala. It is a beautiful, albeit remote location. They have done a great job suggesting activities that their customers can do once they arrive at the
farms location with signs. They also have very informative signs in their shop suggesting different ways you can
use some of the products they have for sale.
Dickey Bee has a huge blackboard that is set up to be the weekly job board. It cant be missed by staff and is
easy to make additions or changes.
Nicholyns signs are all very professional and some are very funny. They are informative and help to dress up the
market. When the major part of what you sell is in a freezer you need to have other things to make yoru market
look inviting.

Meals
Forget about five star restaurants, just come on an OFFMA Bus Tour especially when we are visiting other OFFMA members. The meals on this trip were exceptional,
from breakfast at Nicholyns to lunch at Valley Farm Market and dinners at the Murphys and HewittsWOW.
Meals are also the time you get to really connect, to build
relationships, to share information and to make lifelong
friends.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

A trip like this is only as good as the
farms that we visit, the hosts who talk
to us and the people who are on the
bus. A big thank you to all our hosts
for making this trip extra special and
for sharing with the group their insider
tips and tricks that make their businesses successful.

Page 8

Fresh Facts

The Big Picture, Small Screens & Your Website

By Jessica Kelly, Direct Market Lead, OMAF
Throughout the hectic, busy season
many direct farm marketers are
stretched to find the time to update
websites with seasonal product availability and upcoming events. However, with wintery weather here, you
want to take some time to look at the
big picture of your website.
I recently participated in a webinar
from Alberta Agriculture about websites and responsive web design. The
speaker recommended a seven step
process for designing, evaluating, or
re-inventing a company website:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Define your goals

Target your audience.
Focus your content
Express who you are
Streamline your design
Design to increase traffic
Include a call to action

Have you ever viewed a website on

your smartphone to discover that you
had to do endless zooming in and out
to get where you needed to go? Responsive web design is a collection of
web design techniques designed to
avoid this nuisance
for customers. It
allows web content
to flex and adapt to
various screen sizes in order to provide a positive user
experience regardless of what device
they are using.

Do I need to worry about mobile internet users?

Yes, you do. Earlier this year, mobile
internet usage exceeded desktop
internet usage in the U.S. for the
first time. That means more people
are using handheld devices than
computers. According to Gartner, a
global technology research firm,
tablet shipments increased 69.8%
in 2013, compared with a 7.3% decrease in shipments of desktops
and laptops.
How does responsive web design
compare with a mobile site?
With responsive web design, you
only have one website to design,
manage, update, and execute
search engine optimization techniques. Mobile sites compared to
desktop sites often have reduced
functionality and content.
If youre interested in watching this
webinar, or other previously recorded webinars from Albertas Explore
Local Webinar Series, visit: http://
www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/
$Department/deptdocs.nsf/All/
explore14025

The majority of internet usage will be done via a mobile device

and for most people the mobile web will be their primary,
if not their only, way of experiencing the internet.
-Peter Rojas, Gizmodo

Newsletter #301

Holiday Reading Suggestion

Built To Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive

Without You - John Warrillow www.BuiltToSell.com
By Steve Smith, Smiths Apples and Farm Market
Like all of us, the businesses we create
have a lifespan. Usually the day-to-day
nitty-gritty details of operating and managing that business occupy most of our time
and energy and so we do not dwell much
on an exit plan. Farm businesses are often a way of living as well as a way of
making a living and that adds a huge
complicating layer to an exit plan. But exit
we will even though most of us would rather change the subject. Given a lifetime
investment of sweat, money, emotion and
vitality it is a difficult subject to face.
In John Warrillows book, he describes a
method that business owners can use to
make a business attractive, valuable and
therefore saleable when the time comes
for someone else to take over. His premise is that many businesses rely
so heavily on the owners involvement they render the businesses almost
impossible to sell no matter how profitable they may be. Think about your
business. Could it thrive if a few key individuals were no longer able to
contribute?
Johns answer is to have a plan which includes teachable systems that
others can learn and follow. He emphasizes the importance of specialization: doing something better than anyone else. (I think our industry already excels at this.)
To illustrate his system, John leads us through the steps of transforming a
fictional business which heavily relies on the owners expertise and contacts and is therefore difficult to sell into one that is the quite the opposite.
You might want to read this some years ahead of your time to succeed,
sell or otherwise exit your business. It can take time to build a business
that can thrive without you.
Steve is selling his on-farm market and apple orchard business if you know of anyone
who may be interested in buying, contact Steve at [email protected].

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Fresh Facts

PremiersAwardforAgri-FoodInnovationExcellence
Since 2006, the Premier's Award for AgriFood Innovation Excellence had recognized
the innovative contributions of producers,
processors, agri-food organizations and rural communities in Ontario. These innovations improve existing products, create new
jobs and grow Ontario's economy. OFFMA members continue to be highlighted as
winners each year. Congratulations to each
winner on a job well done.
Barrie Hill Farms, Barrie
Frozen vegetables are heating up the local economy
in Simcoe County. A few
years ago, Morris Gervais
discovered the value of
having a local processor
freeze his blueberry surplus. Spurred by that success, he has now turned
his sights to asparagus.
Using a variety that maintains a tight tip at longer
lengths, Gervais started a
trial of frozen 8.5-inch asparagus spears - a big
jump from the industry
standard of 5.5 inches.
Three generations of the Gervais Family
Longer spears mean less
trimmed waste and more tips in every package. Freezing surplus asparagus allows Gervais to sell it throughout the year, rather
than fighting for a share of fresh sales when
the market is swamped. Meanwhile, the
product itself has received an enthusiastic
thumbs-up from on-farm customers and
local retailers.
Carron Farms, Bradford
Customers love the beautiful red, purple,
black, white, yellow and orange heirloom

carrots grown at Carron Farms. But handsorting those veggies so each bag contained the full range of colours and the
right sized carrots was becoming a real
headache. To remedy those bagging blues,
Carron Farms tracked down equipment in
Europe that could be adapted to meet
their needs. The first of its kind in Canada,
the stainless steel system uses advanced
computerized scales and sensors to ensure
each retail-ready bag contains the right
weight and colour combinations. Thanks
to the efficient set-up, the farm's multicoloured carrots have made inroads into larger markets - a big win for heirloom food
grown close to home.
Everdale Farm, Hillsburgh
Urbanites, meet agriculture. Agriculture,
meet urbanites. Since 1997, Everdale has
operated a successful farm and environmental learning centre in rural Wellington
County. In 2013, however, it took sustainable agriculture into the big city. By converting eight acres of unused conservation
land into commercial-scale vegetable production, Everdale created Toronto's largest
urban farm. The 60 varieties of organic
veggies it produces at Black Creek Community Farm reflect the diversity of the
surrounding community. As well as onions, carrots and other standards, you'll
find callaloo, okra, Thai chili peppers, tomatillos and long eggplant. The farm is
bustling with interns, staff and local volunteers. Meanwhile, an on-site store sells the
harvest to a community hungry for fresh
produce and the taste of home.
Heeman Strawberry Farm, London
How good were those berries you enjoyed? Heeman Strawberry Farm invites

Newsletter #301

its customers to go
online, type in the
16-digit code on the
bottom of the quart
and rate the quality
of strawberries they
just ate. The unique
code allows Heeman to track those
berries back to the specific farm, field,
picker and harvest time. As well as engaging customers, the system boosts
food security. Should a recall ever be
necessary, Heeman can track affected
units from source to final sale. The system also streamlines payroll and generates crew efficiency reports. This new
technology is helping ensure the "berry"
best quality in every quart.
Johnstons Cranberry Marsh, Bala
Until recently, the folks at Johnston's
Cranberry Marsh & Muskoka Lakes
Winery were forced to compost 20,000
pounds of perfectly good fruit each year.
Because consumers prefer bright red
cranberries, the growers were discarding
white, pink and light-coloured berries.
Then they got to thinking. They had
already produced a successful red cranberry wine. Why not put their wasted
fruit to equally good use? It took some
doing, but after a lot of experimentation
the first-ever white cranberry wine was
born. Nowadays, those 20,000 pounds
of would-be compost are transformed
into 6,000 litres of award-winning fruit
wine that's sold at the farm, online and
through the LCBO. Now that's something worth raising your glass to.
T&K Ferri Orchards, Clarksburg
When you grow apples for a living,

your income comes

from fruit, not
wood. So when
T&K Ferri purchased an orchard in
2007, they went
high-density. Really
high density. While
the industry standard
is 1,200 trees per acre, T&K Ferri
planted roughly 3,000 per acre using
a "super spindle" system - the first
Ontario orchard to do so. This tightly
packed approach creates uniform,
hedge-like rows of trees that make
mechanical pruning and harvesting
possible, which in turn reduces labour costs. It also cuts down on pesticide use and takes just three to five
years to achieve full production. As
land costs keep rising, producing
more fruit on fewer acres makes good
financial sense. No surprise, then, that
so many national and international
groups come to tour and learn from
this Grey County orchard.

Super spindle trees at T&K Ferri Orchards

You need to apply in order to be recognized

for an Agri-Food Innovation Award, stay
tuned for details in the coming months.

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Fresh Facts

Upcoming Events
Jan. 15

Foodie Tour in Stratford, reg form included with this newsletter

Jan. 23

SoilSmart, RIM Park ManuLife Financial Sportsplex, Waterloo.

www.farmsmartconference.com

Jan. 24

FarmSmart Conference, University of Guelph, Rozanski Hall,

Guelph, ON, www.farmsmartconference.com

Jan. 29-Feb.1

Guelph Organic Conference & Expo, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON

www.guelphorganicconf.ca

Jan. 31

Deadline for submission to the Food Innovation Award, details on the

OFFMA website, OntarioFarmFresh.com

Feb. 1-6

30th Annual NAFDMA Convention, Nashville & Knoxville, TN,

www.farmersinspired.com/TN2015

Feb. 17

OFFMAs Pre-Convention Workshop, watch the newsletter for details

Feb. 17

OFFMAs Annual Awards Banquet, watch the newsletter for details

Feb. 18-19

OFFMA Summit at the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention,

Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, ON, www.ofvc.ca

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
2014-15 OFFMA Board of Directors
Brian Hugli, President
Huglis Blueberry Ranch
Leslie Forsythe, Vice President
Forsythe Family Farms
Jesse Lauzon, Past President
Springridge Farm
Hollis English, Murphys Farm Market &
Bakery
Cara Epp, Associate Member
Edana Integrated Marketing
Nicole Judge, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery
Steve Martin, Martins Family Fruit Farm
Colleen Pingle, Pingles Farm Market
Steve Smith, Smiths Apples
Dana Thatcher, Thatcher Farms
Jessica Kelly, OMAF Advisor to the Board

Join us in Stratford
January 15th, 2015
A day of exploring, networking, planning
and inspiration for you and your staff.
Look for the reg form included with this newsletter for details.
Space is limited, so act now and register for this little winter
outing.

Staying stress free during the holiday season

Many of us will be faced with endless to-do lists during this season with little time or energy. Here are some
tips to survive the next few weeks..
Ask for help despite what you may think, you are not a superhero, so delegate to your spouse and your children, whether
it be decorating, cleaning, baking or wrapping gifts.
Get plenty of sleep after rushing around all day to check things of your list, ensure that you re-energize with at least seven
hours of pillow time.
Dont skip workouts even if its just a quick walk around the field once a day, getting your heart rate up will help shed
some of the stress.
Keep it nutritious follow a balance diet to stay energized and try to limit the sweets that could make you feel more tired
when your blood sugar plummets after the high.
Laugh quality time spent with family and friends is great, but sometimes equally frustrating. Rather than pulling your hair
out, try looking at everything as a sitcom or comic strip.
Lose the expectations Accept that a picture perfect Christmas only exists in the movies. Take your family and friends as
they are, stay away from gossip and feud loops. Control the things you can and forget the rest.