OFA members in Essex, Kent and eastern Ontario to elect provincial directors

Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) members in southwestern and eastern Ontario will be voting in an election to choose their representatives on OFA’s provincial board of directors.

Elections will be held in Zone 1, representing Kent and Essex counties, and Zone 11, representing Dundas, Frontenac, Grenville and Leeds counties. Four candidates are seeking the two available director positions, with one director to be elected in each zone for a three-year term.

Returning directors in three other regions were acclaimed following the close of nominations. Andrea McCoy-Naperstkow will continue to represent Zone 8, which includes Arnprior, Lanark, Ottawa and Renfrew; Brian Crews will serve another term as director for Zone 12, representing Hastings, Lennox and Addington, Northumberland and Prince Edward; and Bill Groenheide will represent Zone 15, Northern Ontario, for three more years.

“I want to thank all of the candidates who have put their names forward and are willing to serve Ontario’s farm community,” says OFA President Drew Spoelstra. “Our organization is strongest when members are engaged, so I encourage everyone in the regions holding elections to learn more about the candidates and take the time to cast their ballot. The directors elected this fall will help bring local perspectives to the provincial board and shape OFA’s priorities and advocacy on behalf of farmers across Ontario.”

OFA’s board of directors provides leadership and direction for the organization and represents the interests of Ontario farmers and farm businesses. The board includes 15 Zone Directors elected by members across the province and three Directors-at-Large elected by delegates at OFA’s Annual General Meeting in November.

Candidates in Zone 1 – Essex and Kent

In Zone 1, Laura Mastronardi of Kingsville and Scott McGeachy of Chatham are seeking election to replace Louis Roesch who has held the seat since 2014.

Mastronardi is a third-generation farmer whose family grows apples, cherries, field tomatoes, corn and peaches near Kingsville and operates a local farm market. She is also a district committee representative with the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers.

McGeachy farms with his family south of Chatham, producing wheat, soybeans, commercial corn, seed corn and machine-harvested cucumbers. He is a past president of the Kent Federation of Agriculture and has a long history of industry involvement.