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New “Faces of Farming” calendar unveiled

Nov. 5, 2012, Guelph, ON – The eighth edition of a popular black and white calendar showcasing the photos and stories of 13 Ontario farmers and farm families was unveiled at a gala in Guelph last night. The “Faces of Farming” calendar, featuring this year’s theme of Real Farmers with Real Heart, is designed to introduce the public to a few of Ontario’s passionate and hardworking farmers – the people who produce food in this province. The calendar is produced by Farm & Food Care Ontario.

With this year’s calendar, the stories of 100 Ontario farm families have now been featured within the calendar’s pages since it was first produced.

All of the calendar’s models are real, working farmers and hail from all parts of the province. As the calendar shows, there’s no such thing as a typical farmer. Their farms are as diverse as the individuals. They range in age from 2 to 78 and produce a variety of crops and livestock from lavender to poultry; fish and mink; beef, pork and soybeans, corn and dairy.

The artistic, black and white calendar photos, taken by Kitchener photographer Terry Scott White, are both dramatic and appealing, as are the farmers’ stories which include:

• A fish farmer that scuba-dives to check on his rainbow trout;
• A four-generation family that enjoys riding motorcycles when they’re not caring for turkeys;
• A senior citizen dairy farmer who has baked thousands of pies for community events;
• A young egg farmer living on a farm that’s been in her family for almost 200 years;
• The winners of the 2012 Outstanding Young Farmer competition;
• A molecular biology student who farms with her family in between university classes;
• A once-tobacco turned lavender farmer;
• And many more.

New this year, a QR code found on each calendar page allows viewers to scan the bar codes from their mobile devices to “meet” the farmers. Each of the codes provides a direct link to short YouTube interviews with each participant.

The calendar is sponsored by many Ontario agribusinesses and commodity groups.

Complimentary copies of the calendar will be mailed as Christmas presents from Ontario’s farmers to politicians, grocery stores, butcher shops and media.

Again this year, the calendar will be sold at all TSC stores across Ontario. It is also available through the Farm & Food Care office in Guelph, by using the online order form at www.farmfoodcare.org or by calling 519-837-1326.

For more information on each of the farmers featured in the 2013 calendar, please see below:

January – Michelle Voskamp of Carrying Place (Prince Edward County)
Sponsored by Maple Leaf Foods Inc.

February – Justin and Jeff McLellan of Chatham (Chatham-Kent Region)
Sponsored by the Canada Mink Breeders and Ontario Fur Breeders’ Association

March – Dan, Arlene, Adriana and Marissa Glofcheskie of Espanola (Sudbury District)
Sponsored by North Wind Fisheries Inc. and Northern Ontario Aquaculture Association
 
April (and cover) – Harry, Paul, Steven and Evan Vanderzanden of St. Ann’s  (Niagara Region)
Sponsored by Turkey Farmers of Ontario and New Life Mills  

May – Cindy, Emma and Leah Schillings of Oshawa (Durham Region)
Sponsored by Egg Farmers of Ontario

June – Thelma Trask of Alma (Wellington County)
Sponsored by Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Limited

July – Anita Buehner of Waterford  (Norfolk County)
Sponsored by the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association
 
August – Fred and Gerald Van Osch of Mount Carmel (Huron and Middlesex Counties)
Sponsored by Monsanto Canada
 
September – Kelsey Ottens of Petrolia (Lambton County)
Sponsored by the Ontario Broiler Chicken Hatching Egg Producers Association

October – Justin Dorland of Brighton (Northumberland County)
Sponsored by Grain Farmers of Ontario
 
November – Stephanie Campbell of Perth (Lanark County)
Sponsored by the Farmers Feed Cities campaign and Burnbrae Farms
 
December – Cory and Heidi Van Groningen of Cayuga (Haldimand/Norfolk County)
Sponsored by RBC Royal Bank

January 2013 – Bob McMillan, Julie Moore, Nolan and Reid of Gadshill (Perth County)
Sponsored by the Farm & Food Care Foundation