The Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) was founded with some forward-thinking leadership back in 1988, with the spirit of cooperation in mind. Agriculture needs to work together to address consumer concerns today to ensure consumer confidence tomorrow.

OFAC is working hard for Ontario's livestock and poultry farmers to provide a co-ordinated effort and a unified voice. Here are some highlights from 2004:

Through the internet:

• The development of a Media Information Centre on www.farmissues.com , one stop shopping for reporters with facts and figures, expert contacts, photos and video clips.

• Our two sites are averaging 42,000 hits per month, for a total of one half a million hits in the last year.

• Our www.ofac.org  receives over 8000 unique visitors each month. People are looking for agriculture's story and we are here to provide it!

Through the media:

• The Food Writers tour, planned with support from your staff, was a tremendous success. More of these tours will be planned for 2005.

• OFAC & AGCare sponsored the University of Guelph Communications students. Clips featuring OFAC and animal agricultural issues will be featured on Town & Country Ontario over the next year.

• Letters to the editor, media kits, news releases, and interviews keep OFAC and agriculture's messages in the media.

Directly with our customers - the consumer:

• OFAC displays and resources were at 72 events for over 225 days in 2004, reaching more than 2.3 million people with agriculture's message.

• OFAC displays were at events with a special education focus that reached over 50,000 school children in 2004.

With farmers, agri-business, and government:

• Industry representation on committees such as the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition, Livestock Transport Working Group, and Expert Committee on Farm Animal Welfare.

• A recent meeting with the three other FACS groups in Canada will result in more shared resources and representation.

• OFAC continues to actively monitor farm animal care issues and special interest group campaigns.

From our members:

• Our member surveys told us that OFAC is viewed as the communications hub and information source for animal agriculture.

• Animal welfare is the number one issue associated with OFAC. Members value our expertise on activists and difficult issues, public education and media relations.

Looking Ahead: New Directions

These are just a few highlights from 2004 as we look forward to 2005 with a new business plan focusing on our four strategic aims: issue management, public relations, industry relations and member relations. Look for some new and exciting projects from OFAC in 2005.

Join us to learn more at our upcoming Annual Meeting, on Tuesday, April 5, 2005 at the Holiday Inn in Guelph with the theme of, "Communications: What is the cost of doing nothing?"

Your Founding Member support is very important to OFAC's success: Your board, staff and producers continue to help boost our efforts, locally and provincially. Together we can make a difference.

For more information on OFAC:
Crystal Mackay, Executive Director
(905)821-3880 www.ofac.org