Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Fresh Facts

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.

Presidents Message

Newsletter #305

The roller coaster ride of spring continues, now, not only with the temperatures but with
optimism as well. Every sunny day for market gives me a boost, looking forward to a
busy day but this has been a quiet spring for us, both on the farm and at the farmers
markets attended. Not sure why as some report to be very busy. I can quickly succumb to pessimism although that I know that doesnt prove productive. Pulling yourself
up by the bootstraps can sometimes be difficult when youve got the worries of bills to
pay and a season to start.

Volume 31, Number 4

June 2015

A story caught my attention while watching the CBC National News one night, entitled
Are We Happy? It featured psychologist Shawn Achor- who studies Positive Psychology and Happiness. His premise is that we need to be happy before we are successful. He studied why some people thrived in a stressful environment while others
did not. For a very engaging TED talk by Shawn, go to www.ted.com/talks/
shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work
I am currently reading his book The Happiness Advantage - The Seven Principles of
Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work. He backs everything up with scientific studies, something I like to see. Im finding it time well spent,
check it out.
On a sad note Marlene Mckay of Willowtree Farm passed away May 16th. Their farm
and market is just a few miles south of ours in Manchester. Jim, my husband, spent
time on the OFFMA board with Marlene in the late 90s and early 2000s a time when
both of our direct farm marketing business were growing.
I am grateful to have known her. She was a cohort going through the same stages as
we were, being a Mom and raising a family as well as operating and growing her business along with her husband, Rod. In the last few years that she was well she welcomed and encouraged my sons as they were getting their feet wet in Farmers Markets, having a booth near theirs at Oshawa Centre. Her wealth of knowledge and willingness to share was always appreciated. I admire the legacy that she leaves; both
sons, along with their wives, are fully involved in continuing to grow the farm business
alongside Rod. We enjoy working with Jordan and Alex and look forward to seeing
their plans for their future succeed.
Im working hard on developing my attitude of gratitude and finding the blessings given
me each day. May you find yours.

Leslie Forsythe
OFFMA President

Inside this issue:

Membership News

Ontariotravel.net

Checklists

Managing a Million
Visitors

Updates and Tips

Page 2

Fresh Facts

MEMBERSHIP NEWS
John Stanley will be in Ontario working
with an OFFMA member. If you are interested in having John help your business become more successful, let the
OFFMA office know and we will try and
get you on Johns July schedule.

Classifieds
FOR SALE:

New Associate Memberswelcome to the

OFFMA Family. Have a look at the great products
that are offered by these Associate Members. They
have signed up to support our industry, please consider support their businesses as well.
Terra Cotta Cookie Co.
Kym Taal
Georgetown, ON 905-877-4216
www.terracottacookies.com

Halloween Pumpkin Carriages Used - Each Carriage seats 9 people. Pulled by tractor. Wagon undercarriages. Steel and fiberglass carriage also spray foamed inside for
nice finishing touches.
Used for school tours and weekend
costumers.
2 pumpkin carriages $3,500.00,
each third carriage $2,000.00 Local
pick up only. Email at greenmountainfarm@cogeco.ca or call 905520-0476.

Terra Cotta Cookie Co. makes cookies from scratch

with NO additives, preservatives, artificial flavours or
colours, and reducing sugar content significantly. In
addition to the Original Gourmet Cookies, they have
eight varieties of cookies that are 100% compliant
with Ontario school nutritional requirements. Terra
Cotta Cookie Co. is a peanut and nut free facility.
Recently, Terra Cotta Cookie has developed a new
line of gluten free cookies and healthier treat options.

FOR SALE:
Huglis Blueberry Ranch in Pembroke has its own line of wholesale
gourmet blueberry products that
include bbq sauce, jam, syrup, hot
pepper jelly, pure juice, dressings
and salsa. For inquiries, contact
Judy at info@blueberryranch.ca
*This product can also be found in
the Members Marketplace on the
OFFMA website.

Danielle Hartgers is a small business owner freelancing her own designs and illustrations for international stationery and home decor clients. She loves bright
colors, detailed patterns and whimsical characters.
While she has some long-standing clients that keep
her busy almost full time, she also does freelance
work for local clients such as Frootogo Orchards.
Over the years, she has done everything from brochures to business cards to hand sewn puppets,
yes puppets. Danielle is always looking for ways to
expand her creativity.

FOR SALE:
Delhaven Orchards Ltd., Blenheim,
ON Frozen, pitted sour cherries
available for wholesale and retail
Call 519-676-4475 or e-mail
delhaven@ciaccess.com

English Bay Batter

Peter Hamel
Mississauga, ON 905-670-1110 ext. 235
www.englishbaycookies.com

WANTED:
Farm pictures. We are working on
refreshing the OFFMA website. We
needs lots of picture that depict
farms, fields, bees, maple syrup,
lavender and on-farm markets. If
you have some you would like to
share please send them to the OFFMA office. Thanks in advance.

Lime Tree Paper Co.

Danielle Hartgers
Ilderton, ON 519-280-3053
www.limetreepaperco.com

The first cookies were hand scooped and baked for a

small Vancouver Caf. The same quality ingredients
are found in their unchanged base recipes of today.
To meet the demand, their gourmet cookies are now
made in larger manufacturing facilities with the same
attention to superior quality. In Ontario they have 3
facilities in Mississauga. English Bay Batter is available for all distribution channels: Food Service, In-Store
Bakeries, Private Label, C-Stores and Club Stores.
They offer their own (English Bay Batter) brand, comanufacturing, Private Label and blending opportunities.

Newsletter #305

Marlene Mckay
1952-2015
An inspiring life
Few people in this world have as much passion and dedication
to life as Marlene Mckay did. Born in 1952 in Bethel, Ontario,
Marlenes farm upbringing developed in her an intense desire to
work hard and a lifelong passion for strawberries.
Upon meeting the love of her life, Rod Mckay, one serendipitous afternoon, Marlene took
her passion for strawberries, her determination to succeed, and her love for nature and
created a bustling, beautiful farm business that now supports three families. She loved
going to farmers markets with her produce and visiting with her many friends and customers. Marlene had a great thirst for knowledge and was constantly taking courses and
participating in workshops. The pure dedication and commitment that came from one
woman in one lifetime is an inspiration to all those fortunate enough to know her.
Willowtree Farm is a long time member of Ontario Farm Fresh and Marlene served on the
Board of Directors from 1996 to 2005.
One of her greatest wishes in life was to be a grandmother. This dream came true with
the birth of Ian Mckay in January 2015. Marlene was able to spend her last days singing
to her grandson and playing with Guitar Monkey.
Marlene courageously battled cancer for five years until May 16, 2015 when she passed
away peacefully in her home. Even to the last day she never lost her sense of humor.
When asked if there was anything she wanted, with a sparkle in her eye she quipped, a
cigar.
Margaret Bennett
19202015
Margaret and her husband,
Odous evolved the wholesale
business into an on-farm
market, Bennetts Apples
and Cider, after Hurricane
Hazel ripped through their
property in 1954. They collected the apples that had
been blown off the trees and
set them out by the bushel to
sell in front of the barn. Their
apples went so quickly that they decided to revise their
business structure and sell directly to the customer.
She paved the way for the fourth generation of Bennetts
to be growing, and selling apples as well as cider on the
property.
Margaret passed away peacefully, on April 15, 2015 at
the age of 95. She is re-united with her husband Odous.
Margaret was the proud Nana of 5 grandchildren and 11
great grandchildren. She will be missed greatly but never
forgotten.

Success
She has achieved success
who has lived well, laughed
often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of
pure women, the respect of
intelligent men and the love
of little children;
Who has filled her niche and
accomplished her task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty
or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than she found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for
the best in others and given
them the best she had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.
By Bessie Anderson Stanley

Page 3

Page 4

Fresh Facts

Ontariotravel.netyour free online marketing agent

By Jimmy Luong, OMAFRA Summer Student and
Jessica Kelly, Direct Market Lead, OMAFRA
Are you looking to increase online exposure for your farm business without
expanding your marketing budget?
Ontariotravel.net is an official Ontario
information provider that allows tourism-based businesses to post packages, events and things to do. This opportunity to attract visitors is especially important this season as the official
Pan Am and Parapan America Games
website is directing its visitors to Ontariotravel.net for travel information.
Ontariotravel.net is no stranger to the
on-farm markets of Ontario. Johnstons Cranberry Marsh lists their Bog
to Bottle Discovery tour as a vacation
package and Bonnieheath Estate Lavender lists their Lavenderfest as a
tourism event.
Visitors can chose to Play in different tourism themes such as kid fun,
shopping, food and drink, and tours.
Even better, these themes have specific areas for farms, farmers markets,
foodie favourites, and fall
colour and harvest tours
something for every OFFMA member! Visitors can
also narrow down their
search by selecting a certain region or other various
search criteria such as Kid
Friendly, Pets Accepted,
or 19+. If a listing catches
a visitors eye, they can find
out more about its details
and even Book Now!

vides a live chat service (from 8am8pm) that can recommend any upcoming events to potential tourists. In addition, mapping functionality is integrated
into the website and your postings will
even be listed in their Discover Ontario mobile app for free!
So how can you take advantage of this
amazing online service as a business?
Follow these simple steps:
1. LOG IN to tourismpartners.com
and REGISTER if you dont have
an existing account.
2. Select the type of listing you wish
to submit (package, event, things
to do) and then enter your information.
Your listing will be reviewed and translated into French for you. When the
translations and approvals are complete, your listing will be posted onto
Ontariotravel.net
And thats it! What are you waiting for?

Not only does Ontariotravel.net allow you to list your

attractions but it also pro-

Members Only Facebook Page Topics..Happening Right Now

No Outside Food Policy, Reusable Insulated Bag Suppliers, Bake off Bread Products. Make sure you stay in the loop, search for Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association (full name) on Facebook and ask to join the group.

Newsletter #305

Checklists and Resources for

Safe Agri-tourism Operations
Traffic & Parking Safety Checklist
No. Inspection Item
1.

There is a sign located approximately 1 km

from the turn off to the agri-tourism operation with the name and distance to the operation on it.

2.

The entrance to the agri-tourism operation is

clearly marked and wide enough to accommodate school buses and other large vehicles.

3.

The entrance to the operation and parking

areas are sufficiently lit to provide good visibility, allowing visitors to identify the name of
the operation, traffic patterns and parking
spots.

4.

The road/driveway to the operation is

smooth, even and free of holes and dips.

5.

The parking areas where visitors are supposed to park are clearly marked, with adequate space for the number of expected visitors.

6.

The parking area is far enough away from

childrens attractions and gathering areas to
minimize danger to children.

7.

All parking areas are free of brush, long

grass, litter and other trip hazards.

8.

Accessible Parking areas are clearly marked.

9.

If the parking area is far from attractions,

there are drop off and pick up locations available and clearly marked.

Review date: ________

Reviewed by: ________
Present Needs
Date
Correction Corrected

10. If large numbers of guests are expected,

staff wearing bright reflective clothing are
directly traffic.

This chart is an example of what can be found on SafeAgritourism.com

As agri-tourism continues to grow in popularity, implementing safety strategies
to help maximize fun and minimize liability is increasingly important. The website
is an invaluable resource for all agri-tourism operations. There are many checklists that you can modify for your farm as well as signs, policies, forms, and logs
that will help you keep your family, staff and customers safe on your farm. Examples include checklists for Corn Mazes, Hayride Safety, Handwashing & Restrooms, and Inflatable Rides just to name a few.
Take 5 minutes and check it outit could save you hours down the road.

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Page 6

Fresh Facts

Managing a Million Visitors

by Cathy Bartolic
During our scouting tour/miniholiday in British
Columbia, we
took some time
to visit one of the
top tourist attractions in Victoria
on Vancouver
Island- Butchart
Gardens. The
Gardens are a
22 hectare paradise that allows
visitors to roam
No, this is not a border crossing, this the entrance to
various
themed
Butchart Gardens
gardens, as well
as enjoy meals and entertainment. It all
started with the Sunken Garden over a
hundred years ago. Jennie Butchart attempted to create something beautiful
from the gigantic exhausted quarry that
her husbands business had mined. She
had tonnes of top soil brought in by
horse and cart to line the floor of the
abandoned quarry and little by little it
blossomed into the spectacular sight it is
today.
The Butcharts added other gardens as
well and they loved to entertain but it
was their grandson, Ian Ross who transformed their home and gardens into an
internationally famous destination. In
2004, it was designated as a National
Historic Site of Canada. Butchart Gardens now gets close to a million visitors
a year. The Gardens are welcoming,
attractive and filled with incredible colour
with a very positive atmosphere.
Upon entering the property you are
greeted by the entrance gate where
what may seems like significant entrance fee to some people, is requested.
The cost was almost $30 per person. If
for some reason, a visitor changes their
mind and no longer wants to partake in
the gardens it is easy for them to leave

the attraction as they have not gotten

out of their cars. There is a separate
area dealing with buses; the loading and
unloading as well as the parking of buses.
Parking lots are significant and well laid
out. It was not a tremendously busy day
when we visited but there were parking
attendants to assist in getting vehicles
into the correct parking areas. There
were also decorative barriers that
helped the Gardens manage their parking lots and had visitors using the ones
closest to the entrance so that people
were not walking unnecessary distances
to and from their vehicles.
As with any garden, the space is constantly evolving and changing and
sometimes is under construction. Pathways may not be accessible. At
Butcharts they simply used a park
bench across the path with a chain
fence on either side to keep people out.
One of their biggest challenges is the
weather. They are an outdoor attraction
and they know they cannot control the
weather, so they bought hundreds of
umbrellas instead. These umbrella holders are located
throughout the
gardens so that
people can pick
up or drop off
their umbrellas
depending on
what the weather
is doing at the
time. Each umbrella is made of
clear plastic so
that your sight
lines are by no
way impeded during a shower and
you can still enjoy
Umbrellas are available in several
your visit.
location to pick up or drop off depending on the weather.

Newsletter #305

The staff in every area of the attraction

were pleasant, helpful and wanted to
make sure you had a wonderful time.
We stopped to ask one of the gardeners a question and he was happy to
oblige. It is sometimes difficult to instill
in staff that it is important to engage
with customers but not spend all their
time chatting with them as they still
have other tasks that need to be done.
Butcharts has been able to find that
balance with their staff.
They have also taken to heart ways of
not including the word no in their
signs. Many establishments signs will
read Do Not Enter, No Pets, or No
Parking Here creating a very negative
atmosphere. I was happy to see that
their little sign on the grass said
Please Stay on the Path when it could
have very easily said Do not walk on
the grass. A lot of thought had gone
into how best to make people feel welcome.

Page 7

All these little details added up to a

very enjoyable visit. Maybe gardeners are a more docile bunch and
easier to manage or maybe after
100 years, Butchart Gardens has
learned a few things about crowd
management that can be adapted to
farm businesses as well. I think the
latter.

Barriers can be simple and effective and made from items you already
have around your business.

Page 8

Fresh Facts

Inserts in this issue

Thatcher Farms

Ontario Farm Fresh

Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director
2002 Vandorf Rd. Aurora, ON L4G 7B9
Phone: 905-841-9278
E-mail: info@ontariofarmfresh.com
www.ontariofarmfresh.com
2015-16 OFFMA Board of Directors
Leslie Forsythe, President
Forsythe Family Farms
Nicole Judge, Vice President
Spirit Tree Estate Cidery
Brian Hugli, Past President
Huglis Blueberry Ranch
Kristin Ego MacPhail, Ego Nurseries Ltd.
Hollis English, Murphys Farm Market &
Bakery
Cara Epp, Associate Member
Edana Integrated Marketing
Steve Martin, Martins Family Fruit Farm
Dana Thatcher, Thatcher Farms
Karen Whitty, Whitty Farms
Jessica Kelly, OMAFRA Advisor

Dana Thatcher has put together some wholesale pricing on their meat products. If you
are considering carrying meat products or looking for a new or additional supplier, check
out the enclosed insert and give Dana a call. Also, have a look at the Members Marketplace on the OFFMA website for other great Ontario products produced by OFFMA members.

Chockablock Media

Allyson Reid presented some useful information at the Fruit & Vegetable Convention this
past February on how to get your message across using videos. OFFMA and Chockablock
have put together some options specifically for OFFMA members to help YOU get some
videos created for your farm. It is a busy time but it is also the perfect time to capture
images that portray your farm to your customers. Have a look at the insert and see if
there is a program that will work for you.

Seven Tips to get your new employees off to a great start from Donald Cooper
Do you have a structured On-boarding Plan (orientation and learning agenda) for each new
employee you hire? What do they need to know about the company and their job, who do
they need to meet? How do you want them to feel? Heres a checklist of seven tips you
should consider
1. Give them your Company History and general Welcome to Our Team info package when
you hire them so they can read it before they start with you. The Welcome to our Team
package will contain info on dress code (including why), Company Values (including why),
Standards of Behavior (including why) and any other rules, info or tips that folks will need to fit
right in.
2. The Thursday before they start a brief memo should go out to all employees with whom
theyll be working or interacting. It should say who the new person is, what theyll be doing,
why its important what their background is and a little about them as people.
A similar memo should go out to announce the promotion of an existing employee to a new
position or to announce a special achievement by a Team member, inside or outside the
business.
3. Create a specific detailed learning agenda for them. What do they need to learn, from
whom or where will they learn thatby when. Who do they need to meet? When will that happen?
4. Have their work place ready for them.
5. Take them on a tour of the operation so they see the full scope of the business and how
each Department relates to the whole.
6. Meet with them first thing and at the end of the day for the 1st week or 2 to discuss learnings, answer questions and introduce next steps in their on-boarding plan. Some smart companies assign a veteran mentor to each new employee to show them the ropes and be a
cultural advisor.
7. Ensure that they feel welcome and comfortablechallenged, but not overwhelmed.

NEW ProductFeather Flags

A limited number of feather flags are available on a first come, first served
basis. We have strawberry, sweet corn, apple, blueberry, pumpkin and
watermelon. They are 13 tall and move with the wind and are definitely
eye catching.
Cost is $150 + HST and shipping each for the flag and $85 + HST and
shipping for the pole set. Contact OFFMA office if you are interested.