By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
The deadline for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) ‘Reel’ Farm Video Challenge has been extended to October 15, 2014.
The new contest idea, originally pitched by the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture (BCFA), and later embraced by the farm group’s Proud to Lead task team, seeks to get farmers of all ages involved in sharing why they’re proud to be an Ontario farmer.
Farmers can enter a video submission in one of two categories – a Rick Mercer ‘rant’ style video or a farm-themed music parody. Each category winner will receive a $1000 cash prize. The deadline was extended one month from the original deadline of September 15, with the hope to get more video entries.
With the concept being new, OFA has made a real attempt to get the word out among their members, especially young farmers - a demographic who may be more likely to give the contest a try. And at their second annual Young Farmer Tailgate event held recently at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, OFA representatives made an announcement about the contest, encouraging attendees to participate.
According to OFA, they would like to share the videos on their website, at meetings, and at some events. The farm group says “agriculture is made up of so many great stories and we would like to hear yours.” Farmers are also encouraged to join the conversation about the contest on Twitter using the hashtag #ofavidchallenge.
For more information about contest rules and guidelines visit www.ofa.on.ca. See a link for a promo video and an example below. The sample video was created by Patrick Jilesen, the President of BCFA: