The Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) has seen the past year filled with change and a renewed sense of purpose. Our new strategy and business plan has served us well, with many measurable successes to report. It includes several new projects, in addition to building on our existing efforts.

OFAC’s mission is to be the responsible voice for animal agriculture, working towards the goal of 80% of resources directed towards positive, proactive efforts. There will always be a need to respond and react, but agriculture will never get ahead if we just play defense. Here are a few highlights from 2005:

OBJECTIVE 1: ENSURING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN ANIMAL AGRICULTURE

OFAC members rate the value of OFAC’s strength as a coordinator and a coalition very highly. Media, consumers, government, industry groups and members all turn to OFAC for information on animal agriculture. OFAC’s public Web site, www.farmissues.com,  which features facts, photos and video clips about farming, received 1.5 million hits and almost 30,000 visitors in 2005.

FOCUS ON THE MEDIA: Because each reporter reaches so many consumers, OFAC is working to strengthen relationships proactively with the urban media. OFAC expanded the successful media farm tour idea to three tours in Toronto, London and Ottawa areas this year. Food writers and reporters spent a day touring farms and talking with farmers.

The 2006 Faces of Farming calendar, featuring 12 classic black and white portraits of Ontario livestock and poultry farmers, received great media coverage. Over 3,000 copies of the calendar were sent to every media outlet and politician in Ontario, and over 1000 were sent to grocery stores.

OFAC also sponsors the University of Guelph communications students’ InfoBreaks, which air on Town and Country television, to increase positive coverage of agricultural issues and build relationships with future journalists.

OFAC is always busy writing letters to the editor and providing background information and story ideas for journalists. In addition, OFAC staff conducted 55 media interviews in 2005.

FOCUS ON THE PUBLIC: OFAC public education displays were on the road at 75 events for 236 days in 2005, reaching over three million Ontarians, including over 50,000 students.

OFAC’s popular new Farm Animal Care Specialist “Spokesrobots”, Oprah and Owen, were a huge success at both public and industry events all year, reaching kids from two to 92!

OFAC recently commissioned public attitude studies to poll 1000 Ontarians on their concerns with food and farming. These studies will be coordinated regularly to help agriculture develop effective resources.

OBJECTIVE 2: ADVANCING RESPONSIBLE FARM ANIMAL CARE

OFAC printed and distributed over 20,000 resources on livestock transportation emergencies as part of the Ontario Humane Transport Working Group. Window stickers for truckers, contact information cards for police officers and a full guide for emergency response workers were distributed in 2005.

OFAC updated and distributed 40,000 copies of the “Should this animal be loaded?” decision tree documents for pigs, cattle, sheep and goats to producers. Posters and resources were placed in all the salesbarns in Ontario.

OFAC’s Animal Care Helpline service handled 14 calls in 2005, and assisted with several other animal care concerns. The Helpline provides a confidential ‘farmer helping farmer’ approach to farm animal care issues.

OBJECTIVE 3: PROVIDING EXPERTISE ON ANIMAL ISSUES

OFAC staff delivered 51 presentations to both public and industry groups on farm animal issues, about OFAC, and media and communication training. This included two training sessions for OFAC’s new Young Ambassador program.

OFAC continues to monitor special interest groups and campaigns which target animal agriculture, providing advice and expertise to our members.

GREAT PARTNERSHIPS OAFE, AGCare and OFAC partnered with the Canadian National Exhibition to update and distribute OFAC’s Teacher Toolkit resource.

OFAC and AGCare now share an office and staff in the new AgriCentre building in Guelph. OFAC’s new phone number is (519) 837-1326. Visit www.ofac.org  for more information. With thanks…

OFAC’s success relies on membership and project funding support. Thank you to our Founding members, industry and government partners, project sponsors and each individual farmer who supported OFAC’s efforts in 2005.

OFAC takes pride in how much we can accomplish together with a modest budget. Every dollar and volunteer hour helps us and our industry to get the message out about agriculture in a positive and professional manner. OFAC’s success is your success.