How summer helps connect farmers and politicians, from fairs to farm tours

By Tracey Arts, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Summer is a time of long days, local fairs, barbecues, community celebrations — and for Ontario farmers, it’s also prime harvest season for everything from hay and grain crops to fruits and field vegetables.

At the same time, summer is also a great opportunity for some informal advocacy about the importance of food and farming. After all, it’s when local MPPs and MPs are home in their ridings and on a break from their Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill commitments, but that doesn’t mean their work has stopped.

That presents a golden opportunity for Ontario farmers and agri-business leaders to engage with MPs, MPPs, and municipal councillors in a more relaxed, face-to-face setting at local community barbecue, open house, festival or other special event — one where interesting conversations can happen outside of the pressures of more formal political settings.

My family and I farm in Oxford County between Woodstock and London and I’m also a director with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). As an organization, our job is to build relationships on behalf of our members and or sector and to bring our needs and opportunities to the attention of policymakers.

Although we regularly meet with politicians from all levels of government, it’s just as important that farmers from across Ontario also taking the opportunity to get to know their local elected officials and share their perspectives with them.

Summer time offers the perfect settings for those relationship-building moments. Whether it’s chatting over burgers at a local fundraiser, walking the midway at a rural fair, or attending a farm tour, these casual touchpoints allow politicians to connect with farmers as people — neighbours, business owners, parents — and let them learn about who we are and what we do.

Ontario’s farmers do more than grow food — they help power our economy. With nearly 50,000 farms across the province, agriculture adds more than $50 billion to Ontario’s economy every year.