Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Fresh Facts
Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

President’s Message……
Newsletter #251
Signs, signs everywhere signs September 2009
Signs continue to be a challenge at our farm. On one hand you don’t want to sign people to Volume 24, Number 8
death and constantly tell them ‘No’ but on the other hand you need to effectively communi-
cate important directions, your brand, prices, and safety concerns. John Stanley says, ’‘The
average customer spends 1.4 seconds looking at each product in your store. The aim of
signage is to make the eye linger longer. The product must be the focus; the sign points the
way.’ (Just About Everything a Retail Manager Needs to Know)
Inside this issue:
The annual November bus tour has become one of the most valuable tools for Strom’s Members News 2
Farm. From big ideas – building a bakery, adding activities to our Harvest Fun Area to in-
credible networking opportunities on the bus to the little details like displays, nametags, and Mapleton’s Journey 4
signs! At our farm we try to put a positive spin on as many signs as possible. For example - to Organic Produc-
tion
instead of saying ‘Do not keep wagons for personal use’, we say ‘Please only use wagons
while picking pumpkins. Thanks!’ and instead of commanding ‘Buy corn here’ we say, ‘We In Field Observations 6
love to see corn in your teeth’. Ernie from Apple Land Station and I have found several
great signs on bus tours in the past years. Case in point – ‘Please drive slowly, our squir- Writing for the Web 7
rels don’t know one nut from another’ and ‘All unattended children will be given a puppy Upcoming Events 8
and an espresso’. This November OFFMA’s bus tour is headed to Ottawa area and western
Quebec. Whether you are looking for new ideas or
effective ways to manage your current operation
this year’s bus tour is a MUST. Don’t wait too
long…spaces fill up fast. See you on the bus!

Also, a special thank you to Martin, Ineke, and

Arwa DeGroot for opening up their farm for our
annual potluck picnic. It was an incredible day of
networking, gathering new ideas and eating phe-
nomenal ice cream. Thank you again for your hos-
pitality and openness to share your farm story.

Please Drive
Amy Strom
Slowly
OFFMA President Our squirrels don’t
know one nut from
another!

November Bus Tour Supplement and registration forms are included

with this newsletter. If you are interested in joining us for this exciting
learning experience, please send in your registration form ASAP.
Seats do fill up quickly.
Page 2 Fresh Facts
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Members in the News
Congratulations to Diane Parks for be-
ing on CBC’s noon phone-in show. She
was highlighting her cookbook, Mrs.
Parks’ Blueberry Cookbook. Diane did
an excellent job of enthusiastically
sharing the many recipes that are found
in her book with the audience.
Parks Blueberries also made the front
page of the Grower’s August issue with
a story about On-Farm retailing.
Marlene O’Brien from Bayfield Berry
Farm was featured on the front page
of the Toronto Star’s Food Section a
few weeks ago. Great photos and a
wonderful story about the farm and the
fabulous products they offer. The To-
ronto Star is running a series about
Happy Trails and visiting various re-
gions in Ontario to feature the foods
that are grown there.
A story on Rick Mercer’s Show last
year got Steve and Lisa Cooper think-
ing about how hey could apply a similar
technique to their corn maze. An On-
tario farm had created a maze in the
shape of Rick Mercer’s head and in-
vited him out to the farm. He came and
did a segment about it on his TV pro-
gram. This spring, the Coopers ap-
proached Breakfast Television to see if
the hosts would be interested in being
featured in their corn maze. They
agreed and BT has been out to the
farm to see how the corn is growing.
Each time they come, the visit is aired
on the program...brilliant.
Suzanne Steed from Lavender Blue is
working with a local chef to promote her
lavender products. She is getting ready
for a television crew that is coming to
the farm to do a piece about her crop.
Global Television went to Stouffville to
talk to Guy Farintosh and Jay Reesor.
They wanted to do a story on what was
fresh from the farm at this time of the
year and how you can prepare the
many vegetables that are available.
I’m sure there are a lot more exam-
ples that I haven’t heard about yet.
The media is looking for stories. Local
food and farms are hot topics. Are
you ready when they call? Can the
media find you easily? What’s your
story?? What are the three key points
you want to get across about your
business when the media comes for a
visit? These should always be top of
the mind and easy to remember for
the owners as well as any employee
on the farm.
Marketing Opportunity for
Greenbelt Growers
In response to growing demand for
local food, the Friends of the Green-
belt Foundation is developing a mar-
ket-oriented database to help Green-
belt growers. The database will con-
nect interested buyers to the grow-
ers/producers who can supply them.
To participate simply visit
www.greenbeltfresh.ca, and fill out a
quick survey. Once your information is
submitted, you will be sent a user-
name and password that you can
use to change or update your listing
as you desire. It’s that simple! This
partnership will also include a profile
for your business on the OCTA
(Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance)
business to business website
www.ontarioculinary.com . One entry
for you – two great places to market
your farm and products!
The OCTA database will then be mar-
keted to a host of potential buyers
who are interested in sourcing more
local food for their food service, retail
and restaurant locations. For more
information about the database pro-
ject please contact Sharon at
ssam@greenbelt.ca .
 Newsletter #251 Page 3

Classifieds: Survey Reminder

As a member you can submit a classified
ad at any time for free. It will also appear
on line as part of the OFFMA web site.
MaryAnne Van De Gevel from
Great Lakes Farms is looking
for a supplier that has cara-
mel apples. Any suggestions?
She is also looking for kids
drinking cups in the shape of
apples and pumpkins. If you
know where she can source
these items, please contact
her at con-
tact@greatlakesfarms.ca or
519-782-3433
A membership Questionnaire was sent out to
all members with their August newsletter. It
was on pink paper and included a stamped
addressed envelope. We have 30 surveys
that have been completed and returned to
Experience Renewal Solutions. We are
counting on getting 200, so we have a ways
to go.
If you can’t locate that survey go to
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?
sm=8Nf6eXuBgrfU557hN_2bAQ9A_3d_3d
And fill it out online.
Everyone who completes the survey will be
sent a copy of John Stanley’s book “Listen to
Your Customers” as a thank you gift. Please
act now.

Surplus Items for Sale from E.D. Smith Cherry Farm

Call 905-643-0411 ext. 24

200ea Steel & plastic bollards w/yellow rope $20.00 ea

55ea Resin garbage cans – like new $90.00 ea / paid $225 ea
450ft Cedar rail fencing – reasonable offer accepted for full lot
24ea Banner poles 18 ft – great at roadside to attract visitors - $75.00 ea
2 ea Super Max Canopy’s – 12 x 26 ft – 10 leg - $150.00ea
220ea Aluminum picking ladders w/welded seams - $50.00 ea (pd $150)
2ea Super Pro Bird Gard Deterrent w/adj volume - $300 ea (new $850)
1ea Fruit grading station – like new - $5000.00
2ea Wagons – ideal for group tours, seats 40 adults - $2500.00 ea
14ea Two way portable radio’s c/w leather case & charger - $600 set
1ea Basket elevator (indoor) – call if interested
2 ea A-Frame signs & wagons – price negotiable
14ea PT Picnic tables - $40.00 ea
31ea PT Picnic benches - $20.00 ea
50ea Plastic fruit bins – $1.00 ea
966ea White 5.51 pails w/handles - $0.50 ea Frisbees For Sale
23ea Large resin planters – imported from Italy - $200.00 ea (pd $500) The OFFMA office has 6
12ea Stylish Marlborough Teak benches - $375.00 ea (paid $1000)
12ea Elegant Crown Teak benches - $300.00 ea (paid $800) boxes of red Frisbees for
1ea ATM Tritron 9100 series - $1500.00 sale. There is one hun-
4ea Electronic cash registers w/scales & interface & 1 ea cash register –
call for details dred Frisbees in each
Other – armour stone, indoor counter displays, solid pine desk, historic box. They are red with
jam kettles, snow tires, bike racks (call for details)
the “Get Fresh. Visit a
Royal Opportunity Farm.” logo on it in
Ontario Farm Fresh will once again have a presence at the Royal white lettering. Cost is
Agricultural Winter Fair. We will have space available for members $25 per box and $10 for
who would like the opportunity of selling their product at the Royal.
Details to follow.
shipping. First come,
We will also be setting up an area called “Ask the Farmer”. Looking first served. Call the of-
for members who would be interested in staffing the booth and an- fice at 905-841-9278
swering question from the public about farming and growing your
own food. Let the office know if you are interested. and reserve yours.
 Page 4 Fresh Facts

Mapleton’s Journey to Organic Production

OFFMA’s annual potluck was hosted by Mapleton’s Organic Dairy Farm in August. We had a
great turn out and everyone learned a few things especially about ice cream. This is the story
of how Martin and Ineke decided to take the route they have. A longer version first appeared in
the summer issue of the SideRoads magazine written by Kelly Waterhouse.
selves and farmers and their consum-
ers. As it turns out it was a critical de-
cision in their careers.
In 1990 they planted their first organic
crop. Ineke says she didn’t worry
about being different from her
neighbours because they already
were different. They were immigrants
and had an accent. It took five years
for the entire 600 acres to be certified
and another year after that for their
milk to be considered organic. Or-
ganic milk was not to be their final
product, being Dutch, cheese was
always a possibility especially for
Martin. But Ineke felt that ice cream
would be much more popular in Can-
ada. She signed up for an ice cream
making course at the University of
Guelph and convinced Martin that this
Entrance to the ice cream shop was the route to take. In May 2000,
Martin DeGroot and Ineke Booy came they made their first organic ice cream.
to Canada in 1980 to help run a tradi- They launched with four organic ice cream
tional dairy farm. They were only going to flavours and three organic frozen yogurt
stay for a few months but they haven’t left flavours. Each product was made using
yet. Ineke is an avid learner and reader. fresh milk from their farm. For three years,
In the late eighties she was reading a the business was in the red. They went to
book by Schumacher, “Small is Beauti- special events, festivals and concerts.
ful”. It sparked an idea about turning their Then finally, the media found out about
conventional farm into an organic one. Mapleton’s and their customer base
Martin was a conventional farmer from started to expand. A small store was built
way back and he was not interested in on the farm which has become one of the
making this change. But Ineke was per- drawing cards of their business and now
sistent and today, Martin talks positively serves light lunches and frozen products in
about that big decision. He felt they addition to ice cream. Mapleton’s Organic
needed to do it for ice cream can now be found in stores right
their own personal across Canada.
“I want people to leave here health, for the envi- “Looking back, going organic was the big-
feeling they’ve learned some- ronment, for the gest positive change and the best thing
thing new, something fun, in ability to take back I’ve ever done in my farming career,” says
their own community, with control of the deci- DeGroot. “Young people are getting so
their family and they can feel sions you make on frustrated by the big picture. I can’t change
good about supporting local your farm and be- the world, but we can all make small
cause it would help changes in our lives and make an effect to
farmers.” them develop a change the bigger world. It shows young
-Arwa DeGroot closer relationship people that this is possible. I really believe
between them- in what we’re doing. We are trying to cre-
 Newsletter #251 Page 5

gather. Since Arwa’s return the farm has

added a demonstration barn, Planted a
crop circle to educate children about the Thank you to
crop rotations on the farm and hired a our hosts
CRAFT intern who runs a Community and to all the
Supported Agriculture (CSA) business members,
on four acres of the farm. But the plans especially
and ideas just keep on coming. the new
This summer, Mapleton’s featured ones, who
“Fridays on the Farm”. From 4p.m. to made an ef-
8p.m. every Friday there will be live en- fort to come
tertainment, kids’ crafts and the occa- out and par-
sional movie night with screenings ticipate. A
barnside, featuring themes on rural is-
good time
sues.
was enjoyed
“I want people to leave here feeling
they’ve learned something new, some- by all.
thing fun, in their own community, with
Martin discussing ice cream sales. their family and they can feel good about
ate a better world.” supporting local farmers,” says Arwa. “I
In 2006, their daughter Arwa came back have hope in the grass roots message.”
to the farm. Her passion lies in environ-
mental issues, devising a
curriculum –based farm
tour program for school
groups of various ages.
Arwa’s goal is to create a
real farm experience that
brings community together,
connecting the consumers
to agriculture, so people
see where their food is
grown. They can feel good
about the quality of like of
the animals, understand
the nature of the land and
meet the farmer whose
integrity links it all together.
The best way to do this is
to create a venue where
the community could

The demonstration barn

OFFMA’s NEW informal lending library at the potluck

The lending library was launched at the potluck. Several members took advan-
tage of the opportunity to pick up a new book. If you have a business book you
would like to donate….send it along to the office. The lending library will be
available at other OFFMA events as well.
 Page 6 Fresh Facts
In Field Observations
By Dorene Collins, Marketing and Customer Service Program Lead with OMAFRA
I took some time this summer to get out ‘in
the field’ and visit a few on-farm markets,
and farmers’ markets. Folks commented
that despite the challenges with weather,
the interest by consumers in local food
along with meeting and supporting the
farmer is growing. A striking observation
was the number of businesses that feature
baking or bakeries. This correlates with the
OFFMA research results where baked goods
topped the 4 most popular products pur-
chased. Another observation was the im-
provement in on-site signage whether a stall
at a farmers’ market or elaborate and col-
ourful signs to educate and direct visitors to
various activities while on the farm property.
Many of the folks I met in my travels had
hosted Jane Eckert, Direct Farm Marketing
and Agri-tourism Guru at their operations
this summer and shared with me how valu-
able her suggestions were relating improv-
ing their operations including traffic flow,
internet marketing, staffing and curb ap-
peal. I had the opportunity to chat with Jane
at the OFFMA annual picnic at Mapleton’s
Organic Farm on August 18th and she was
thrilled with the calibre of operations and
the openness to suggestions she received
from OFFMA members. Jane was delighted
with how many OFFMA members were multi-
generational farms excited about the future
of the direct farm marketing sector.
Many of you may not read this article till
your gates are closed later this fall and you
have a moment to catch your breath, but I
Jane Eckert discussing one of Steve Smith’s cut out pictures.
trust you all had a successful fall season. Be
sure to sign up for the many training and
learning opportunities that will be offered
this winter through OFFMA, OMAFRA, and
other associations and organizations.
NEW: Growing Forward Business Develop-
ment Programs
Included in this month’s OFFMA newsletter
is a pamphlet explaining the Growing For-
ward Best Practices Suite – Business Devel-
opment for Farm Businesses. The program
incorporates self-assessment and goal set-
ting with a range of cost-share advisory ser-
vices and skills development opportunities
to help reach your farm business goals.
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/
about/growingforward/busdev.htm
Applicants must meet the program eligibility
criteria and adhere to all program terms and
conditions and project claim submission
deadlines to qualify for cost share. All cost-
share funds are available on a first come,
first served basis up to the available annual
funds of each year of the program
Individual Ontario producers, beginning
farmers, and members of a group enterprise
such as a corporation or partnership are
eligible to apply for cost share if they satisfy
the following criteria:
1. Have attended a Growing Your Farm
Profits (GYFP) workshop, and have had their
Action Plan(s) Reviewed and Signed-off by
OSCIA representative;
2. Be a Legal Farm Entity and possess a
valid Farm Business Registration Number
(FBRN) or equivalent;
The Growing Forward Business Development
for Farm Businesses is delivered by the On-
tario Soil and Crop Improvement Association
(OSCIA). For information concerning work-
shop schedule or eligibility criteria please
contact your local OSCIA Representative or
Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Associa-
tion at 1-800-265-9751 or the OSCIA web-
site http://www.ontariosoilcrop.org/
Helpful resources:
Visit the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) - Business
Management Unit website at: http://
www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/
agbusdev.html
Subscribe to our OMAFRA Agricultural Busi-
ness Update Newsletter at: http://
www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/
news/index.html#agbus

Writing for the Web
by Tracy Matthewman
You should know this upfront...your visitors
will not read every word on your web page.
They are more likely to scan it over quickly.
Also, reading great amounts of text online is
very hard on the eyes because of the flicker-
ing screen. Knowing this, you should know
a few things about how to effectively struc-
ture and write your web pages.
Keep your paragraphs short and sweet.
Don't have anymore than 3 sentences per
paragraph...2 would be ideal and sometimes
even one is nice. Radically different than
writing for print.
Use bullet points or a numbered list
whenever possible. Try to keep list less
than 8 items. This makes it very easy for a
reader to get to the "point".
Use creativity and keywords when creat-
ing headlines and sub-headlines. This al-
lows your visitors to scan the page and find
something of particular interest to them.
Newsletter #251 Page 7
Format the most important in either bold
or underline. Formatting jumps out in a sea
of text. As you see in this document, it's easy
to scan the page and get the gist of the mes-
sage.
Be friendly. Write as if you were talking to a
friend. It makes it much more personal and
helps to build a certain level of trust and
openness.
KISS. Keep It Short & Sweet. You want to
make it as easy as possible for the visitor to
read your message without much work.
Scrolling is a hassle so make your articles or
message short. This is true for an option page
but not necessarily true for a sales letter page.
It takes the average person longer to read
from a computer screen than from printed
material so write for some one who scans.
Finding information will be easier and they
may be more inclined to visit some of your
other pages.
Tracy Matthewman is the publisher and edi-
tor of Women Can Do Anything, an online
community and business resource for busi-
ness women and female entrepreneurs.
 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: info@ontariofarmfresh.com
www.ontariofarmfresh.com
2009-10 OFFMA Board of Directors
Amy Strom, President
Strom’s Farm
Jesse Lauzon, Vice President
Springridge
Mark Saunders, Past President
Saunders Farm
Paul Brooks, Brooks Farms
Jay Howell, Brantview Apples & Cider
Anne Just, Kurtz Orchards
Marg Land, Annex Publishing
(Associate Member)
Colleen Pingle, Pingle’s Farm Market
Geri Rounds, Rounds Ranch
Steve Smith, Smith’s Apples
Dorene Collins, OMAFRA
(Advisor to the Board)
Upcoming Events
Sept 15-17 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Woodstock, ON
Visit www.outdoorfarmshow.com for additional information.
Sept 22-26 International Plowing Match & Rural Expo, Temiskaming, ON
Visit: www.ipm2009.net for further info
Oct. 7 & 8 Canadian Greenhouse Conference, International Centre, Mississauga,
for additional info, visit CanadianGreenhouseConference.com or
call 905-945-9057
Oct. 21-22 Collection Days for Obsolete Pesticides-Animal Health Products for addi-
tional info, go to http://www.opep.ca/Obsolete%20Collection%20Days.pdf
Nov. 6-15 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Canadian National Exhibition Place,
Toronto, ON, go to royalfair.org for further details
Nov 8-12 OFFMA’s Bus Tour to Eastern Ontario & Quebec
Contact: Cathy Bartolic, 905-841-9278
Quest for New Farm Value – Value Plus™ workshops. Ten will offered across the province
this fall and winter – 3 scheduled to date:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/busdev/conference/quest/index.html
Alfred-French Nov. 3 & 10
Thunder Bay Nov. 18 &19
Sudbury Nov. 27 & 28
Dec. 8-10 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO, Grand Rapids,
Michigan. For details, visit www.glexpo.com

Ruby Slippers by Seth Godin

If you could make one thing come
true that would change everything
for your project or business, do you
know what the one thing would be?
One breakthrough client, one tech-
nical advance, one testimonial? One
achievable change in the world?
For Google, the one thing was a big
thing, "we need to be the place peo-
ple come to search." But for many
sites, many companies, there isn't a
thing. They can't articulate it. They
have no wish. If you have no wish,
how can it possibly come true?
Crazy Hat Participants at the Annual Potluck. Thanks for going the extra
mile and bringing your wacky hats!