Join us - ECFWA Fall tour and brunch Print
Tuesday, 22 September 2009

Join ECFWA members on Friday, October 16, 2009 for a tour of the Elmira Produce Auction Cooperative and a networking brunch in Elmira, Ontario.

The morning event starts at 9 a.m. sharp at the produce auction where we'll take in the action and then hear from our host, manager Noah Gingrich, how this local produce auction has grown in leaps and bounds since its inception in 2004.

The auction consolidates a local supply of produce from the Mennonite community to sell through farm-gate, local retailers and farmers’ market vendors. This approach helps farmers smooth out the supply and demand for local produce while dealing with issues ranging from municipal by-laws to packaging.

Afterwards (around 10:45 a.m.) we’ll meet for a networking brunch at the Crossroads Restaurant in Elmira. Bring your appetite – the buffet is a real treat of home-cooked food – and save some time to browse in their mercantile store.

There’s no cost for the tour and it’s pay-your-own-way for brunch. Non-members are welcome too!

Please RSVP by October 9th to Andrew Campbell, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 519-438-5729 x 5023
 

How to get there:

The Elmira Produce Auction Cooperative is at 7400 Reid Woods Drive in Elmira.
Take Arthur Street North 1 km from the four corners of Elmira to Reid Woods Drive.

The Crossroads Restaurant is located at 384 Arthur Street South, just on the south end of Elmira.
Call 519-669-8117 or visit www.crossroadsrestaurant.ca for more information.

To arrange a carpool visit the ride board to leave your message

For those on the clock, you can be back to work for the afternoon, or if you’re coming rom out-of-town stay overnight and make it a fall get-away – Elmira and nearby St. Jacobs are very popular tourist destinations.

See You There!

 
Follow our ECFWA bursary winner at the CFWF conference Print
Thursday, 10 September 2009
The pre-tour for this year's CFWF conference is set to begin this afternoon, so delegates will begin assembling in Edmonton today, while others are no doubt departing from home headed west.

I'm very grateful to have been selected as the 2009 ECFWA bursary winner and look forward to the conference.

Part of my commitment to the bursary selection team was to share my experiences with our broader membership.  Technology has changed the way we can stay connected and so using social media I will share with you my CFWF experience.  (Not quite the same as being there, I know, but it will give you a sense of the excitement and fun we are no doubt bound to share.)  Perhaps you will feel inspired to consider attending next year's CFWF event!

To keep connected:
* My conference blog: http://web.me.com/anne_thompson1/CFWF_2009/Welcome.html
* Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AnnieHT

Safe travels to all!

Cheers!

Anne

 

 
Anne Howden Thompson awarded 2009 ECFWA travel bursary Print
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Congratulations to Anne Howden Thompson, winner of the 2009 bursary from the ECFWA. The $700 bursary is awarded annually to provide funding to assist the winner with costs related to attending the annual CFWF conference. Her winning entry was unanimously chosen by a panel of judges. 

Howden Thompson is a freelance writer who writes for such publications as Ontario Farmer and Farm Credit Canada’s Agri Success weekly email newsletter. She has been a member of the ECFWA since 2000 and, in that capacity, has served as an ECFWA board member and as a member of the 2004 CFWF conference planning committee.  Howden Thompson and her family farm near Caledon, Ontario.

In her application, Howden Thompson highlighted her interest in the chance to enhance her professional skills and connections.

Said Howden Thompson, "One of the most important benefits I have personally gained from my professional agricultural journalism career is the opportunity to broaden my thinking “beyond my own farm gate”. She added, “As a delegate within this much larger national forum, I will have the opportunity to dialogue and engage with decision makers, agricultural communicators and farm operators from across Canada. An open mind that has been fed and nourished with new and stimulating experiences will bring a renewed energy and edge to my writing for my clients.

Following her return from this year's conference in Edmonton, Howden Thompson will provide both photos and articles for ECFWA's newsletter and website as well as for her own publications. She will also be blogging from a website that she has developed to share her conference experiences: http://web.me.com/anne_thompson1/CFWF_2009/Welcome.html

More details on the CFWF conference, planned for September 10-12 in Edmonton can be found on the Alberta Farm Writers’ Association at http://www.afwa.ca/

 
2009 CFWF Annual Conference Print
Monday, 06 July 2009

Mark September 10 to 12, 2009 on your calendars for the 2009 Canadian Farm Writers' Federation Annual Conference. The event, hosted by the Alberta Farm Writers' Association, is titled "Shaping the Future Marketplace: The Opportunity Hunters". It will be held at the Edmonton Delta South, Edmonton, Alberta.

More information, including pre-registration, can be found on the conference website afwa.ca .

 

Ride Board

Connect with other farm writers to arrange rides to the ECFWA spring networking event in Waterloo.

Visit the ride board

Website Content

Contribute website content
 
Contact Kim at kwaalder [@] uoguelph.ca

Join ECFWA

Member benefits

Eastern Canada Farm Writers’ Association

The Eastern Canada Farm Writers’ Association (ECFWA) serves the common interests of agricultural journalists – reporters, editors and broadcasters, as well as those in business, government and academia - whose primary responsibility is agricultural communications.

The ECFWA represents more than 175 members in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

The ECFWA joins with other regional farm writer organizations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to form the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation. ECFWA members also belong to the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists.