Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Commentary
By Clarence Nywening, CFFO President
It is estimated that this New Years, over forty per cent of Canadians will make a New Year’s resolution. Of these New Year’s resolutions, close to nineteen per cent will be broken within the first twenty-four hours. Despite the fact that so many people fail to keep their resolutions, it still remains a good way to reflect on the past year and prepare for the year to come.
The board and staff of the Christian Farmer’s Federation of Ontario have also come up with some resolutions for the New Year. First and foremost, we resolve to continue to represent the needs and concerns of the agricultural community to our governing bodies. With an upcoming provincial election, we can wonder at what our government will look like over the next year. No matter how the elections turn out, CFFO looks forward to working with the new government to implement policy that represents the needs of the farming community as well as promotes safe and healthy farming practices.
We also resolve to do our best to protect the health of our land and waterways. As Christians, we are called to be stewards of all created things, to have dominion over them, and to protect them. At CFFO we take this call to care for creation seriously. We recognize that if we care for the land, animals and waterways that have been given to us, they in turn will provide in abundance for generations to come. With this in mind, we will continue to pay close attention to the concerns of high phosphorous levels in Lake Erie and encourage farmers and urban citizens alike to find ways to reduce phosphorous run off.
Finally, we resolve to seek to serve the community around us. As farmers, we know that what we grow ends up on the dinner table of every person in Ontario. It is a rising concern of our community that the food they eat is grown in a manner that is safe to eat and safe for the environment. As such, we continue to support science-based measures that protect Ontario’s high standards for food quality and safety, so that our urban neighbours continue to feel confident in the farmers who work so hard for them.
Resolutions are not made because they are easy. We at CFFO know that there will be many challenges in the coming year, but we are encouraged to know that we have a growing community of support to help us face the challenges ahead.
On behalf of CFFO, I wish you all a blessed New Year.
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