Zone 9 Nominees - Gord Flewwelling, Leo Blydorp, Mark Reusser

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gord Flewwelling

Nominee for Zone 9 OFA Director (Wellington, Waterloo, Dufferin)

 
Biographical Notes:

- born and raised in the farm community of Wellington

-engaged in mixed farming when it was a viable business and provided an adequate lifestyle

- currently engaged in a cash cropping and managing a turkey operation

- close working relationship with the Township of Wellington North as a livestock evaluator

- involved in the early planning of the Wedge of Wellington, one of the premier events for agricultural awareness with young Wellington County students that continues today as the Pizza Perfect project

-- regular contributor at the Drayton Farm Show

- very familiar with Dufferin County as a former educator

- over 10 years representing the interests of the Wellington farm community as the OFA Regional Director (never missed a meeting, never missed a convention)

- my style and belief is that quiet diplomacy will often accomplish as much or more than fiery rhetoric

 
 

-I am restructuring my commitments so that I am available to work on the problems facing the farm community in Wellington, Waterloo and Dufferin

 

 

Within the area of Wellington, Waterloo and Dufferin we have some of the most stable and prosperous farms to be found anywhere in the province. Much of this stability comes from supply-managed commodities. I recognize the importance of these farm operations and will work to see that this system is not eroded.

 

 

Farming has changed dramatically in my time and continues to change today, as evidenced by the development of the local food movement first in Waterloo and spreading across Wellington, Dufferin and other parts of Ontario. I will monitor these developments and support those changes that offer new opportunites to the farm community.

 

 
The Clean Water Act is a cause of concern for many in the farm community. Wellington, Waterloo and Dufferin farmers have a unique relationship with their municipalities and their conservation authority called the Rural Water Quality program. This has benefited many farmers in the area and is perhaps a good model for others to follow. I will work to promote positive models like this in the shadow of impending environmental legislation.
 

 

For the past decade I have had the priviledge to represent Wellington County as a director to the OFA. I ask for your support to continue to represent not just interests of Wellington but Waterloo and Dufferin as well. I am prepared to invest the time and necessary resources to get the job done. I believe strongly in OFA’s mission statement. I will work collaboratively towards a profitable, sustainable future for Ontario farmers.

 

 

 

 

Leo Blydorp

Nominee for Zone 9 OFA Director (Dufferin, Waterloo and Wellington Counties)
 

 

Biographical Summary

· Born and raised in Kent County on a hobby farm

· Graduate of Ridgetown College (1977) and the University of Guelph (1981)

 

· Worked on hog, dairy and vegetable/cash crop farms

 

· Worked on a potato/cash crop farm in the Netherlands for a summer

 

· Began a career with the predecessor Bayer CropScience companies in 1981 and held positions in technical service, field development and product management

 

· Began cash crop farming in 1995

 

· Left Bayer CropScience in 2002, began farming more land and initiated a consulting business, primarily in the crop protection area

 

· Am currently cropping 575 acres in Dufferin and Huron Counties, and continue with consulting work

 

· I am married to Alice and together we have five children

 

· I am a Certified Crop Consultant

 

 

 

I heartily support the mission of the OFA to “work collaboratively towards a profitable, sustainable future for Ontario farmers.”

 

While some farms are profitable and their futures seem sustainable, others are struggling and still others are unsure if they can continue because of the current market realities in their commodities (beef, pork and horticulture).

 

 
Farm Issues

· Farm income support parity with neighbouring jurisdictions (Quebec and US)

· Production input disparity for similar products sold in Canada versus the US (some pesticides and pharmaceuticals are much more expensive in Canada)

 

· Promote a versatile and responsive agriculture that can change with marketplace and consumer preferences

 

· The impacts of provincial regulation (most recently the Greenbelt Act, Species at Risk Act and Source Water Protection Act) must be carefully thought through for their financial implications on Ontario farms relative to the benefits provided to the broader community and consideration of who pays for these costs.

 

· Fairness in wind energy developments and placement of electrical transmission corridors

 

· Viability of small farms and enabling young farmers to get started

 

· Preservation of Class 1 and 2 agriculture land for farming in southern Ontario

 

 

 

Thank you for considering me as your director for Dufferin, Waterloo and Wellington

 

 

Mark Reusser

Candidate for Zone 9 OFA Director

(Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin)

 

Mark Reusser (right) speaking with Ken Seiling (Region of Waterloo Chair, on left) at a recent farm tour.

Biographical Summary

  • Ancestors immigrated from Pennsylvania to Waterloo County in 1799
  • Graduated with a degree in crop science from the University of Guelph
  • Operated a hay and straw business and cash crop farm in Middlesex County for 15 years
  • Purchased a broiler farm near New Dundee in 1995
  • Married to Mila for 25 years with two sons and two daughters ranging in age from 10 to 21

Past activities

  • Graduate of Advanced Ag. Leadership Program (AALP Class 4)
  • Farm representative on Waterloo Region's Biosolids Masterplan Advisory Committee
  • Served on Waterloo Region's Agricultural Economic Impact Study Advisory Committee
  • Chair of Church Council at Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church

Current activities

  • Since 1997, Director of the Waterloo Federation of Agriculture, currently Vice-President
  • OFA Director since 1998, currently Vice-Chair of the OFA Land Use Committee
  • Farmer representative on the Waterloo Region Food Systems Roundtable
  • OFA representative on the Centre for Rural Leadership's AALP Management Committee
  • Farmer representative on Waterloo Region's Regional Growth Management Strategy and Rapid Transit Public Advisory Committee
  • Avid gardener and grower and collector of heritage tomato and melon varieties

 

Agriculture deserves to be a profitable industry in Ontario. In fact there is no reason why farmers should not have the right to make the same returns on their investments as any other industry. Why must we bear the burden of producing cheap food for consumers? Those who can afford to should pay a fair price and the responsibility of providing for those who are less fortunate should not be borne only by the farmer, but by society at large and the government.

 

Food is a national security issue. Unfortunately our governments have not yet fully realized this and, thus, the preservation of prime farmland is not a priority iether federally or provincially. I firmly believe that farmland is a non-renewable natural resource and deserves at least the same recognition as other resources such as aggregates, wetlands and woodlands.

 

Farmland is being lost to urbanization at a dangerous rate. We need to work with the government and our urban neighbours to enact mechanisms and policies THAT ARE FAIR TO FARMERS to ensure that urban sprawl is minimized and that urban expansion takes place in such a way that it utilizes land with low agricultural potential. The current rate of conversion of prime farmland to development is counter to our national interests and the future of agriculture.

 

A country that destroys the land that feeds its own citizens does not have a bright future.

 

I believe that it is the OFA's job to help create an environment that is conducive to the business of agriculture. We should always demand that legislation, regulation and planning be in the long-term best interest of agriculture. When we are gone, the next generation of farmers will still need to produce food. It is our responsibility to make sure that they have not only the land to grow food, but a place to grow it profitably and sustainably without undue regulation and interference.

 

In a climate where we are constantly being presented with new and onerous legislation and regulation, I think that our three counties have a good example of a unique and successful initiative to offer to the province.

 

The Rural Water Quality Program, administered by the Grand River Conservation Authority has greatly improved water quality, has benefited farmers and has been delivered at a very reasonable cost. Best of all ist is vountary, 100% voluntary! This is a program designed and administered in consultatuion with the farm community. The success of the Rural Water Quality Program speaks volumes.

 

It has been an honour and a privilege to represent the farmers of Waterloo on the OFA Board of Directors for the past ten years. I look forward to the opportunity of serving the OFA members of Waterloo, Wellington and Dufferin and boldly championing initiatives that are in the long-term best interest of agriculture in Ontario.

 

I respectfully ask for your support as I strive to honour the OFA's mission statement by working collaboratively toward a profitable, sustainable future for Ontario farmers.

 

 

 

The voting period will commence on third Monday of August and conclude at the close of business on the second Friday of September. Ballots must be received by an elections officer of the OFA prior to the closing deadline, regardless of the date of the postmark to be valid.

 

1.2.3 Elections – Voting Procedures:

 

a) The election process for the Director-at-Large position will be scheduled, in advance, on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting and be subject to the approval of the delegation at the meeting.

b) The election process will include brief presentations by each nominee, followed by a question and answer session. Balloting, by secret ballot, will commence immediately after the question and answer session.

 

c) The nominee with the highest number of votes, exceeding 50% (of ballots cast) plus one vote will be declared the successful candidate.

d) In the event of a tie in the highest number of votes received, or in the event any one candidate does not achieve a majority, a second ballot will be cast, after eliminating the nominee receiving the lowest number of votes on the first ballot.

e) Balloting will continue as necessary.

f) In the initial year of this policy, where three Directors-at-Large will be elected at the Annual General Meeting, the three nominees with the highest number of votes will be declared to be the successful candidates.

g) Following the election of the At-Large Directors a random draw will be conducted to determine their term of office.

 

2. Election and Appointment of Councilors and Delegates:

 

2.1 Regionally Elected Councilors and Delegates:

 

 

2.2 Appointed Councilors and Delegates:

 

 

3.1 Nominations:

 

 

3.2 Elections:

 

 

 

a) Each nominee will be given an opportunity to address the Annual General Meeting, followed by a question and answer session with delegates.

b) Voting by secret ballot will commence following the question and answer session.

c) The nominee for President with the highest number of votes, exceeding 50% (of ballots cast) plus one vote, will be declared the successful candidate.

d) In the event of a tie in the highest number of votes received, or in the event any one candidate does not achieve a majority, a second ballot will be cast, after eliminating the nominee receiving the lowest number of votes on the first ballot.

e) Balloting will continue as necessary.

f) The two nominees with the highest number of votes cast for the two positions of Vice President will be declared elected, providing they both achieve at least 50% (of cast votes) plus one.

g) In the event one or both of the nominees with the highest number of votes fails to achieve at least 50% plus one vote, the candidate who does meet the majority of votes threshold will be declared elected and balloting will continue with the nominee having received the lowest number of votes eliminated from the next ballot.

h) In the event of a tie for the second highest number of votes, the nominee with the highest number of votes, if exceeding the majority threshold, will be declared elected and a second ballot will be cast for the two nominees who tied for the second highest number of votes. The nominee with the highest number of votes on this ballot will be declared elected.

i) In the event of a tie after the second ballot a random draw will be used to determine the successful candidate.

j) By motion from the floor, all ballots will be destroyed following each election.

 

a) The election of the President and the election of the two Vice Presidents will take place at the Annual General Meeting at a time stipulated on the approved agenda, but falling after the election of the Director-at -Large.

b) Written nominations for the positions of President and Vice Presidents will be received by the OFA Elections Officer commencing immediately following the election of the Director-at-Large at the Annual General Meeting.

c) Eligible nominees are any member of the Board of Directors who will be serving a term of at least one year following the Annual General Meeting at which the election is being held.

d) Nominations must be signed by two voting members, with membership numbers also appearing on the nominations form.

e) Nominations will close at the commencement of the respective elections. Nominations will not be received from the floor.

 

a) Each Agricultural /Commodity Organization admitted as a member of the OFA is entitled to appoint one Councilor and three Delegates to represent that organization.

b) The organization will be responsible for ensuring the OFA is advised of any changes to the appointees.

 

a) The By-law stipulates the process for the election of Councilors and Delegates by region.

b) In all cases, the annual regional meetings called for the purposes of the elections will not take place until after the election of the Directors in each zone.

c) At the annual regional meeting, elections will be conducted by the OFA Elections Officer or a designate thereof.

d) Eligible voting members will be nominated to the positions of councilor or delegate by another voting member residing in the region. Nominations will all be from the floor.

e) Nominees will be provided an opportunity to address the meeting.

f) Balloting will be by secret ballot.

g) The elections officer will declare the nominee with the highest number of votes to be the successful candidate. In the event of a tie for the highest number of votes, a second ballot will be distributed after eliminating the nominee with the lowest number of votes.

h) In the event of a tie between two remaining nominees the selection of the successful candidate will be by random selection.

i) In the event a Councilor or Delegate cannot fulfill their term of office the county federation in the region will be asked to name a successor and, on approval by the OFA Board of Directors, the successor will be deemed elected to fulfill the remainder of the term.

j) Ballots will be destroyed following the election on the direction of an approved motion from the floor.

 

3. Election of President and Vice Presidents
 
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