Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

“Faces of Farming” 10th Anniversary Edition Calendar Now Available

“Faces of Farming” calendar celebrates milestone - Farm & Food Care unveils 10th anniversary edition

Minister Jeff Leal and Farm & Food Care Foundation vice chairman Ian McKillop unveiling the cover of the 2015 Faces of Farming calendar featuring Ryan Schill of Wallenstein.

(Guelph, Ontario), October 31, 2014: The tenth anniversary edition of the “Faces of Farming” calendar was unveiled last night at Farm & Food Care’s Harvest Gala in Kitchener, Ontario. This calendar annually highlights the diversity of Ontario’s farmers and farming families, and is designed to show the public the kind of passion and hard work that goes into producing the food we all enjoy.

Since its inception in 2006, the “Faces of Farming” calendar has showcased almost 140 different farmers and farm families from across the province; further information on all of them and their farms can be found at http://www.farmfoodcare.org/news/2015-faces-of-farming-calendar/201.... Annually, the calendar is sponsored by many Ontario agribusinesses and commodity groups. Once again, the photographs were taken by Kitchener photographer Terry Scott White who has been with the project since its inception.

All of the farmers highlighted in the calendar are hardworking individuals who hail from different parts of the province. They are different ages, come from different areas of the industry -from poultry and dairy to corn and orchard fruits - and share a passion for what they do. Here are just a few examples from the 2015 edition:

A group shot of most of the participants and the creative team for the 2015 Faces of Farming calendar.

• Two city girls who found their calling on Ontario egg and beef farms;

• Winners of Ontario’s 2014 Outstanding Young Farmer competition;

• Multi-generational fruit and vegetable farmers who were recognized for their environmentally-  sustainable farming practices;

• A race car driver who grows broccoli on his family farm;

• Brothers who are active community volunteers as well as dairy farmers;

• A family growing edamame beans – a crop new to Ontario - on land that has been in their        family for over a century.

Scanning the QR codes found on the bottom of each calendar page directs viewers to video interviews with each of the farmers and farm families.

Almost 4,000 politicians, grocery stores, butcher shops and media sources will be mailed copies of the calendar and the soon-to-be-released 2014 edition of the Real Dirt on Farming booklet in November. Copies can be ordered by filling out the online order form at www.farmfoodcare.org, or by calling 1(519) 837-1326. A list of retailers selling the calendar is also posted on the Farm & Food Care website.

Farm & Food Care Ontario is a coalition of farmers, agriculture and food partners proactively working together to ensure public trust and confidence in food and farming. Farm & Food Care provides a coordinated approach and credible information on food and farming in Ontario. For more information visit www.farmfoodcare.org. ;

For further information, contact:
Kelly Daynard, kelly@farmfoodcare.org, 519-837-1326 (office), 519-993-8634 (cell)

 

2015 Faces of Farming Calendar Participants

January Ryan Schill of Wallenstein (Waterloo Region)
Sponsored by AdFarm

February Sandra Aspden of Tillsonburg (Elgin County)
Sponsored by the Canada Mink Breeders and Ontario Fur Breeders’ Association

March Jan and Evert Veldhuizen of Woodstock (Oxford County)
Sponsored by DEKALB

April Lynn, Véronique, Jessica and Valérie Longtin of Fournier (Prescott County)
Sponsored by Egg Farmers of Ontario

May Amanda and Jason O’Connell of Carleton Place (Lanark County)
Sponsored by RBC Royal Bank

June Josée Séguin of Noëlville (Sudbury District)
Sponsored by Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd.

July Brian, Silken, Theo and Eli Ricker of Dunnville (Haldimand County)
Sponsored by Turkey Farmers of Ontario

August Sheila Sheard of Brampton (Region of Peel)
Sponsored by Beef Farmers of Ontario and the Ontario Corn-Fed Beef Program

September Clarence Nywening of Thamesville (Chatham-Kent)
Sponsored by Ontario Broiler Chicken Hatching Egg Producers Association

October Krista Patterson of Appin (Middlesex County)
Sponsored by Grain Farmers of Ontario/Good in Every Grain

November Kenny Forth of Lynden (Region of Hamilton)
Sponsored by Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association

December Annette MacKellar of Alvinston (Lambton County)
Sponsored by SeCan – Canada’s Seed Partner

January, 2016 Glen, Monica, Ryan, Rick, Kevin, Jill, Emma and Cohen Howe of Aylmer
(Elgin County) Sponsored by the Farm & Food Care Foundation

Views: 146

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

*Webinars* Strategies for Reducing Calf Losses: Veterinary Insights from Across Canada

Are calf losses cutting into your beef operation’s productivity and profitability? You are not alone! The BCRC is hosting two 90-minute webinars featuring veterinarians from across Canada who work directly with cow-calf operations like yours. A March 18 webinar will feature veterinarians who work with Eastern Canadian cow-calf operations, sharing insights on practical prevention strategies to implement before, during and after calving to increase calf survivability. During the March 25 webinar, Western Canadian veterinarians will outline regionally relevant approaches for reducing calf losses, highlighting essential pre-calving strategies and practical management techniques to use during calving to help ensure healthier outcomes for both cows and calves.   Both webinars will include an extended Q&A session, giving you plenty of time to ask questions. Each webinar will also be available for?one continuing education (CE) credit for veterinarians and registered veterinary technologists

China halts tariffs on some Canadian ag

Some Canadian ag products will have tariff-free access to China as of March 1

Farmers Face Harsh Truths While Refusing to Abandon Their Way of Life

A recent post on social media by a friend asked to add a line from a movie that fans of it would instantly recognize. One of my contributions was, “You can’t handle the truth.” While that line came in a courtroom scene from one of my favorite movies with Jack Nicholson yelling it at Tom Cruise, it actually got me thinking about farming. Many of us who grew up on a farm have seen both good and tough times. That is the truth. But what are we currently experiencing and can we handle these truths? American Farm Bureau recently said there was a 46% increase in farm bankruptcies in 2025. That’s pretty sobering. Those of us who grew up during the farm crisis in the 1980s, when more than 250,000 farmers filed for bankruptcy, never want to hear about someone losing a farm. For a few years I’ve personally been concerned about what’s happening in our farming communities. Interest rates have been plenty high; input costs don’t seem to come down when market prices do. Farmers have always been pr

As US agriculture flails, farmers see big corn acres as best bet to break even

U.S. farmers, though punished by slumping prices after last year’s monster corn harvest, are expected to cut back only slightly on their plantings of the grain in 2026 as they brace for a fourth straight year of narrow profit margins or even losses. Farmers expect corn, the most widely grown U.S. crop, to hew close to break-even levels this year, supported by strong usage. Some see soybeans as riskier, given rising competition from Brazil and a volatile U.S. trade relationship with top buyer China. “Right now, you absolutely cannot make money on beans,” said Tim Gregerson, who farms in eastern Nebraska. “You can probably break even on corn, but you are going to have to have an extraordinary yield, or a price increase,” Gregerson said. Most growers in America’s Midwest farm belt grow both crops, alternating what gets planted on each field from year to year to boost soil health. Many add wheat, sorghum, cotton or other crops to their rotations. But among farmers who have some flexible

This is Agriculture: Producer, advocate, industry leader

Jill Verwey lives and breathes agriculture. Her roots growing up on a mixed grain and cattle operation in rural Manitoba lend themselves well to her current roles – the office manager for Verwey Farms Ltd., president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), and first vice president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA). Jill’s pride in Canadian agriculture is unmistakable. Learn more about her career and advocacy journey below. Describe your job or product in one sentence. My role includes managing the day-to-day administration and financial operations of our family farm, overseeing food and animal safety and human resources, and representing agricultural producers provincially and nationally through leadership roles with KAP, CFA, and various boards and advisory groups. Where did you grow up? Was it an agriculture or urban environment? I grew up in rural Manitoba on a mixed grain and cattle operation. I have been married for 32 years, and my husband and I are involved in

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service