The Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO) annual conference on April 9, marked a pivotal moment for the organization with the appointment of new leadership, the celebration of agricultural advocacy, and a major federal investment. Key highlights included the appointment of three new directors, the presentation of the2026 Food & Farming Champion Award to egg and pullet farmer Tonya Haverkamp, and a $518,210 fundingannouncement from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

During the annual business meeting, FFCO welcomed three new members to its Board of Directors:

• Tracey Arts, nominated by Ontario Federation of Agriculture
• Bryan Fieldhouse, nominated by Chicken Farmers of Ontario
• Alan Kruszel, nominated by Grain Farmers of Ontario

Horticultural representatives on the 2026 board are potato grower Nicki Scott and grape grower Augusta Van Muyen. 

In a video address, Dominique O’Rourke, MP for Guelph, announced funding for three Farm & Food Careorganizations through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriCompetitiveness Program.Spanning from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2028, up to $518,210 in funding will support four national initiativesshared by the Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Prince Edward Island offices including:

• The Agri-Communicators’ Network: A national hub for industry advocates
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• Faces Behind Food: Expanded outreach on Facebook and Instagram
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• The Real Dirt on Farming: Production of the publication’s seventh edition
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• FarmFood360.ca: Development of four new national Virtual Reality tours
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Janelle Cardiff, chair of FFCO, called the funding “fundamental” to the collective mission of the three groups.“This investment allows us to move beyond provincial borders and scale our agricultural advocacy to a trulynational level,” Cardiff said.

Source:  Farm & Food Care April 9, 2026 news release