Three Ontario groups praise Local Food Act

Mar 26, 2013

Groups say Local Food Act is a “step in the right direction”

Local food gets a boost from the Government of Ontario with the introduction of the Local Food Act.

Three Ontario groups released a joint statement on Monday - Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and Gordon Food Services (GFS) saying that the Local Food Act is welcomed.

“Ontario farmers are eager to meet consumer demand and preferences for local, fresh food,” says Mark Wales, OFA President. “This Act will help create more opportunities but to be truly effective Ontario also needs to focus on food literacy in our schools and improving access to nutritious food for all Ontarians. We look forward to working with the government to better develop these food priorities.”

Ontario has one of the most diverse agricultural systems in the country, with more than 200 commodities, including fruits, vegetables, and a variety of livestock and greenhouse products available.

The OFA is the largest general farm organization in the province representing farmers in the province. The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation oversees 1.8 million acres of farmland, forests, and wetlands and seeks to protect natural resources. Gordon Food Services is North America’s largest foodservice distributor.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.