Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Canadian Federation of Agriculture
Abbreviation CFA
Formation 1935
Type Non-Profit
Headquarters Ottawa, Ontario
Official language
English, French
President
Ron Bonnett
Key people
1st Vice-President
Norm Hall
2nd Vice-President
Marcel Groleau
Main organ
Assembly
Website http://www.cfa-fca.ca/

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is Canada's largest general farm organization, representing 200,000 farmers and farm families.[1] The organization is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, with the mandate to provide a unified industry voice at the national level. The CFA was formed in 1935, and continues today as a farmer-funded, national umbrella organization representing provincial general farm organizations and national commodity groups.

Activities

To promote awareness of agricultural producer organizations, the CFA sponsors a "Food Freedom Day",[3] the date when an average Canadian family has earned enough income to pay the grocery bill for the entire year.[4] In 2008, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture calculated that it took 34 days (Feb. 3, 2008) for the average Ontario family to make enough to cover their food expenses for the year.[5] The 2016 date for Food Freedom Day is February 8.[6]

Elected Executives

The current President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is Ron Bonnett. Bonnett had previously been the vice president of the CFA and, before that, the president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. The current First Vice President is Norm Hall of the Saskatchewan-based APAS, and the Second Vice President is Marcel Groleau of the Quebec-based UPA. Previously, delegates at the 2009 Annual General Meeting elected Laurent Pellerin as the President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.[7] The organization had been without a President since September, 2008, when Bob Friesen stepped down in order to participate in national politics.[8] Friesen had been the Canadian Federation of Agriculture's president for over nine years.

Laurent Pellerin had previously served as President of the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) as well as serving as 1st Vice-President of the CFA for over a decade. Pellerin, a hog and beef producer from Saint-Gregoire de Nicolet, Quebec, was the first québécois head of the organization in its 74-year history.[9]

CFA Membership and Policy Development

Being a federation of organizations, the deliberative body is composed of provincial farm organizations and commodity groups. Policy is generally developed in the form of grassroots resolutions, passed through member organizations and finally brought before the general assembly for a vote at the Annual General Meeting. Additional policy development decisions are deliberated by the 24 board members. Organizational decision-making is decided through a subset of the board of directors, called the National Council.

Members of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture currently include:

Provincial Farm Organizations:

Organization Acronym Province
Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture NLFA Newfoundland and Labrador
Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture NSFA Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture PEIFA Prince Edward Island
Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick AANB New Brunswick
Union des producteurs agricoles UPA Quebec
Ontario Federation of Agriculture OFA Ontario
Keystone Agricultural Producers KAP Manitoba
Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan APAS Saskatchewan
Alberta Federation of Agriculture AFA Alberta
British Columbia Agriculture Council BCAC British Columbia

Commodity Groups and Other Organizations:

Organization Acronym Area of Focus
Dairy Farmers of Canada DFC Dairy Marketing
Chicken Farmers of Canada CFC Chicken meat Marketing
Egg Farmers of Canada EFC Chicken egg Marketing
Turkey Farmers of Canada CTMA Turkey Meat
Canadian Hatching Egg Producers CHEP Broiler Eggs
Canadian Seed Growers Association CPC Seed Marketing
Canadian Sugar Beet Producers' Association CSBPA Sugar Beet Production and Marketing
Canadian Honey Council CWB Honey Marketing
Canadian Ornamental Horticultural Alliance CHC Greenhouse and Flowers
Ontario-Quebec Grain Farmers Coalition OQGFC Corn, Wheat, Soybeans, and other grains
National Sheep Network CFQ Sheep Marketing
Canadian Young Farmers Forum CYFF Agricultural youth organization
Mushrooms Canada MC Mushroom Marketing
Canadian Forage & Grassland Association CFGA Forage and Grassland
Farmers of North America FNA Farmer Business Alliance
Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services FARMS Resource management
Equestrian Canada EC Horses
Standardbred Canada SC Horses

References

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