Canadian Federation of Agriculture

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.

Canadian Federation of Agriculture
AbbreviationCFA
Formation1935
TypeNon-Profit
HeadquartersOttawa, Ontario
Official language
English, French
President
Mary Robinson
Main organ
Assembly
Websitehttp://www.cfa-fca.ca/

Activities
  • To coordinate the efforts of agricultural producer organizations throughout Canada for the purpose of promoting their common interest through collective action.
  • To assist members and where necessary government, in forming and promoting national agricultural policies to meet changing domestic and international economic conditions; and to collaborate and cooperate with organized groups of producers outside Canada to further this objective.
  • To promote and advance acceptance of positive social, economic and environmental conditions of those engaged in agricultural pursuits.[2]

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 2017 date for Food Freedom Day is February 8.[6] February 9 is the day for 2023.[7]

Elected Executives

The current President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is Mary Robinson. She is the first female to hold this position. Robinson had previously been the chairperson of the Canadian Ag HR Council and, before that, President of the PEI Federation of Agriculture. The current First Vice President is Keith Currie, past president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, and the acting Second Vice President is Todd Lewis, current President of APAS (Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan).

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 Ornamental Horticultural Alliance CHC Greenhouse and Flowers
National Sheep Network CFQ Sheep Marketing
Canadian Young Farmers Forum CYFF Agricultural youth organization
Mushrooms Canada MC Mushroom Marketing
Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services FARMS Resource management
Equestrian Canada EC Horses
Standardbred Canada SC Horses

References
  1. "CFA - Canadian Federation of Agriculture - What is the CFA?". Archived from the original on December 26, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  2. "CFA - Canadian Federation of Agriculture - What is the CFA?". Archived from the original on December 26, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  3. Food Freedom Day Archived May 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture's website
  4. Cooper, Kim. "Food freedom comes cheap in Canada". Chatham Daily News. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  5. Ontario Federation of Agriculture's announcement of the 2008 Food Freedom Day
  6. "Food Freedom Day 2017 | CFA - Canadian Federation of Agriculture". Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  7. "Food Freedom Day". Canadian Federation of Agriculture. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
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