Press release! The Cornwall and Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Food has launched a Agriculture Advisory Council!

All Things Food and the Social Development Council of Cornwall and Area (SDC) have some exciting news! Check out the details from All Things Food’s website below.

Wednesday, July 5th, 2017, marked the official launch of the Cornwall and Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Food and Agriculture Advisory Council, a new initiative coordinated by All Things Food (ATF) and the Social Development Council of Cornwall and Area (SDC). The makeup of the council’s members reflect various interests, including those of farmers, producers, business owners, employment boards, educational institutions, healthcare institutions, recreation, and tourism.

“We’ve been working towards this council for over a year,” said Kat Rendek, Coordinator of ATF. “We felt there was a significant need to pull together local food and agriculture stakeholders to discuss and to create a more representative strategic action plan for SDG and Cornwall.”

New council member Jim Wert expressed, “ The timing of the project is great because consumers are not only looking for what’s available, they also want to know how it is being produced. Producers are establishing networks to strengthen their business plan and build relationships with their customers. This project has the potential to benefit both these groups. ”

With the help of a grant from the Eastern Ontario Development Program (through the Cornwall & Counties Community Futures Development Corporation), ATF and the SDC secured funding to hire Sarah Chisholm Ryder as Food & Agriculture Development Officer. Sarah will work exclusively to advance local food economy issues, as well as serve and implement action items set forth by the new council.

This Council will work together over the next 18 months to create a strategic plan and establish some key areas of focus. At the inaugural meeting, discussion topics included administrative items and council structure, as well as a presentation from SDG Counties Economic Development and Communications Officer, Terry Besner, on the Economic Priority Areas for SDG moving forward.

“SDG’s greatest strength is its concentration of agri-food businesses, first among Eastern Ontario’s 13 counties. As the agriculture sector is a key element of the SDG Economic Development Strategy, projects like this new council will help encourage future entrepreneurial support to the next generation of food and agriculture producers in the region,” explained Terry Besner.

The meeting ended with a roundtable discussion of initial challenges, issues or opportunities for the food and agriculture sector in the region. Some themes brought to light were the idea of anchor institutions, agricultural and culinary tourism, the need for locally-specific food and agricultural education in SDG, local regulations, labour issues and youth retention.

The project funding is secured until December 2018, and the council intends to meet 14 more times between now and then. Specific working groups will be established to address particular initiatives and actions.

For more information, please contact Sarah directly:

Sarah Chisholm Ryder
Food & Agriculture Development Officer
All Things Food Community Food Network
Email: agrifoodSDGC@gmail.com