Starting my third year as President last year, we continued to navigate closures and meeting virtually.
If one good thing came of the closures, it is the ability to attend more outside meetings (virtually) and collaborate with more people and organizations without the need for travel.
Regardless of that, we had to remind ourselves of how to organize and execute an in-person meeting.
Of course, now people expect to have a video of the in-person meeting posted online because they are unable to attend.
The video from last year’s AGM and our guest speaker Senator Rob Black is online if you missed it.
We hope to continue posting online, on our website and YouTube account, as well as our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts regardless of if we are in-person or not.
Beginning the year, we were invited to online Ministry of Finance Pre-Budget consultations, online participation as a delegation to Sarnia City Council, and finishing up our projects, Rural Economic Development (RED) project with the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership called Local Helping Local and our Food Hub webinars, as well as our partnership with Middlesex and Lambton agencies called From Our Hands To Your Table (handstotable.ca).
Virtual public meetings continued for a while and we were made aware of projects with Hydro One and Enbridge.
Our first in-person meeting this past year, partnering with Lambton Farm Safety, was held at the Wyoming Fairgrounds on March 28.
We had Lauren Van Ewyk in to hold a session for Do More Ag called Talk Ask Listen, for mental health. This was our first attempt at videoing our in-person meetings.
We also held in-person All-Candidates meetings for the Provincial Election, and I was asked to speak in person at the Sarnia-Lambton Energy and Environment Summit.
In the summer, we held a movie night with Lambton Farm Safety at the Kineto Theatre, and we went back to Sarnia City Council, in-person this time.
We also hosted the Vice-President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture for a tour of Lambton College, Twin Creek Greenhouses, and Four Clover Dairy. We then continued on to Alton Farms Estate Winery to hold our OFA Regional/Delegate Selection Meeting.
In the fall we participated in both an online and an in-person meeting for the proposed Electoral Boundary Redistribution.
We also were blessed to return to an in-person Ontario Federation of Agriculture AGM and convention.
So here we are, our first in-person Annual Meeting and dinner in a long while, my third as President, and according to our constitution, my last.
I trust that the Lambton Federation of Agriculture will continue its great work.
I won’t be going anywhere, hopefully the LFA Executive going forward has a place for me.
I’d like continue to engage with farmers in Lambton County, and this year I’d like to organize an all-commodity association social meeting, think a barbeque, and pie.
Keep in touch, and let us know what is going on, and what you need help with organizing.
We can include your message in our Lambton Ag Link Newsletter and our monthly Radio Report, and all our social media.
Thanks,
~Gary Martin~
Outgoing President, Lambton Federation of Agriculture