By Clarence Nywening December 30, 2015
As 2015 draws to a close we look back on the priorities and accomplishments of the past year and begin to set our goals for 2016. In the past year the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario or CFFO has played a role in informing the government about key concerns shared by farmers across Ontario. The broader goals of the CFFO for the next year are to do more work in addressing the issues of wetland rejuvenation, clean water preservation, and farm sustainability.
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As president of CFFO, my personal goals are to encourage greater grassroots involvement over the next year. This can be accomplished through the policy tours our organization will be hosting throughout the winter months. Daylong discussions will be presented in every district on soil. We will discuss water, carbon sequestering, diverse farming, along with open discussions on tillage practices and the benefits surrounding different methods of soil stewardship.
Several districts will also be hosting barbeques for young farmers. These barbeques will be a chance for CFFO members to interact with farmers under the age of forty and gain their input and views on farming. We hope also to better understand how the CFFO can be a benefit to these young farmers as their needs may be different from the needs of older generations.
As an organization, we recognize that young farmers play an important role in our industry. It will be these farmers who will have an influence on future farming practices. Because of this, it is important that we keep the younger generation involved with the concerns and policies of daily life.
In order to maintain dialogue between these farmers CFFO is looking for ideas to implement newer technology to allow farmers to join in policy conversations without having to leave their farm. By having these ongoing conversations we hope to build stronger policy that is more representative of all the farmers in our organization. Stronger policy will help us better communicate with our politicians and allow us to have a greater influence on the laws and bylaws that are implemented in the next few years.
For more information on all that CFFO is doing and on ways to get involved, visit our website at www.christianfarmers.org. Just check the events calendar to find out what's happening in your district. This is Clarence Nywening, President of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, wishing you all a blessed New Year.
______________________________________________________________________________________ Clarence Nywening is the President for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKNX Wingham, and UCB Canada radio stations in Chatham, Belleville, Bancroft, Brockville and Kingston. It is also archived on the CFFO website: www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,000 family farmers across Ontario.
