Christian farmers focus on stewardship, sustainability
GUELPH, ON—Finding a financial balance between stewardship and sustainability is the focus of this year's Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) convention.
Taking place in Waterloo on November 16, the event features keynote speaker David Sparling, professor and chair in Agri-Food Innovation and Regulation at the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. Sparling has also run a farming company, an agribusiness insurance company and a biotechnology start-up. His talk will focus on the convention's theme: Building a Better Agriculture…Through Sustainable Profits.
"At farm meetings we often discuss management techniques and marketing opportunities. But without sustainable profits throughout the entire farming venture, management techniques alone won't keep a farm in the black on the financial ledger," says CFFO president Henry Stevens in a media release.
"We've always talked about blend or balance between stewardship and business," says CFFO general manager John Clement. "They're not in conflict with each other."
Clement says the current economic climate, with the Canadian dollar hovering close to par with its American counterpart, has led farmers "to look at how they operate to see where they can find efficiencies."
It has also led members to explore other sources of income, such as renewable energy.
"A lot of our members are very entrepreneurial," says Clement. "Some of those opportunities, particularly windmills, are creating controversy in the rural countryside."
For more information contact visit www.christianfarmers.org.
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