Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance offers this bi-monthly e-newsletter featuring the foundational pillars of the Headwaters Food Charter. The Charter was developed in partnership with WDG Public Health and has been widely endorsed. This series aims to keep you informed about issues and events relating to the Charter's 6 Pillars, 15 Goals and 27 Actions prioritized by our communities to enhance our food system.
Headwaters Farm Fresh
Local Food Guide
The 2021 Headwaters Farm Fresh Guide is out!

Have you received your copy in In The Hills magazine, or seen stand-alone copies in farm stores and food businesses throughout Headwaters? Full of beautiful images, heartwarming stories and a growing list of fabulous food businesses, you won't want to miss this guided tour through the best local foods our region has to offer.

Even though things are opening up, it's no time to go back to supermarket shopping. With the growing season in full swing around here, you can find everything you need - from vegetables, meats and dairy to craft beverages, baked goods and preserves - all from local businesses in the Farm Fresh Guide. They were there for us throughout the pandemic, and they are there for us still. Let's keep showing up for them.
Buying food from your neighbourhood farms has a number of benefits. You can build relationships and trust knowing where your food comes from. Local food is fresh, nutritious, lasts longer (picked yesterday) and contributes to a circular economy where there is less waste. Eating in season means your food tastes better, and short seasons help us appreciate things like strawberries and asparagus when they are at their peak. Ontario grows hundreds of crops - that's food that doesn't have to travel 1,500km to reach your plate. Buying from local farmers and food businesses helps your whole community by keeping your money local and strengthening the economy close to home, which means more local jobs for our youth and underemployed residents.
Hosted by our friends at In The Hills.
Check out their Dining In The Hills guide to our amazing local restaurants too!
Farm to School Learning Circle
Opportunity to expand on our success
The HFFA Farm to School team will be preparing an application for a Learning Circle grant opportunity through Farm to Cafeteria Canada. It's a great chance to take the solid work we're doing and expand connections with the growing ecosystem of food literacy champions across Dufferin and Caledon...and beyond!
Local Food Club
Get more great local food with MONTHLY deliveries until December 2021
HFFA's Local Food Club will now be offered every month from August to December 2021, meaning more local food goodness for you and your family! Local Food Club is a meal in a box program offering seasonal recipes and local ingredients from food and farming businesses in Headwaters. Sized for a family of four, you get not only the food but nutritional information, tips for cooking with kids, and supplier listings so you can shop directly in future. There's also sliding scale pricing and optional FREE DELIVERY within Dufferin and Caledon! Order by August 17th to get the next pack.
Farmer for Climate Solutions is Hiring
Program Officer
Apply by July 21, 2021

Farmers for Climate Solutions (FCS), a pan-Canadian coalition of farmer-led organizations and supporters working to advance climate solutions in agriculture policy, is looking for a Program Officer to support their operations. This is an opportunity to work with incredible partners to advance policies to spread climate solutions on millions of acres of farmland across the country.
Feeding your future
Making Connections in the Agri-food Workforce
Employers are seeking qualified candidates for Ontario’s food, beverage and agri-products sector. Feeding Your Future wants to make it easier for employers to find, train, and retain the workers they need, and help employ Ontarians with meaningful jobs during COVID-19 and beyond.
Municipal Matters
Dufferin County and Caledon

Both Dufferin County and Caledon municipal governments are taking actions that will strengthen our agriculture sector and our local food system. From Economic Development to Tourism to Climate departments, and from regional meat processing to agri-tourism, to workforce development to low-carbon agriculture and farmer networking, we applaud the commitment and progress being made by our municipal partners.

Check out current projects and ways to engage on the municipal websites for Dufferin and Caledon. Here are some places to start:


including meat processing feasibility study and Ag Advisory Group
County of Dufferin
Introducing Rainscaping Webinar
Tuesday July 27, 6:30 - 7:45pm
Join Climate Action in Dufferin and Credit Valley Conservation to discover the beautiful ways to collect and manage stormwater on your property such as rain gardens, rain chains, and soakaways.
Learn which options are right for your property and how to implement these innovative landscape features.

This virtual event is FREE and open to all Dufferin residents.

Climate Stories of Dufferin Project
Accepting submissions until September 30, 2021

You don’t need to be a scientist to talk about climate change. From residents, business owners, farmers, schools, community groups, or youth, we all have a story to tell about the changes and impacts we are observing in the places we live and how we are responding to them. Dufferin wants to know:
  • What in your local environment or community is special to you?
  • How does climate change threaten the people and places you care about?
  • How are you taking action on climate change?
By sharing your story, you will help give others a deeper understanding of how climate change is impacting life in Dufferin and inspire others to take climate action.

Join Dufferin County's Tourism Advisory Group
DEADLINE EXTENDED!
Submit by August 15, 2021

Are you or is someone you know interested in being part of Dufferin County’s tourism growth? Do you want to be a local champion in building tourism for the community, with the community? You’re invited to apply to join Dufferin County’s Tourism Advisory Group. Whether your background is in the arts or agriculture, education or accommodation, or anything in between, they welcome your interest.

Deadline to participate is August 15, 2021!
Town of Caledon
Caledon Agriculture Trends Study
Read the Future Caledon report

As part of the Future Caledon Official Plan Review, the Town of Caledon commissioned the services of the Wilton Consulting Group to undertake a study of agricultural trends to 2051 as a means to help inform the development of agricultural planning policy. The final report, The Road to 2051: An agricultural trends study for planning policy in the Town of Caledon, is available now.
Plastic Free Ecochallenge on now
July 1-31, 2021

Who doesn't love a good challenge? Ecochallenge.org always has one on the go for anyone interested doing their part for the planet. There certainly is a lot to do when it comes to plastic in our food system.
July 1-31 2021 is the Plastic Free Ecochallenge. Check it out!
Grow a Row. Give a Row.
Orangeville Food Bank

Working on your second planting in your garden this summer? Join Orangeville Food Bank's #GrowARow #GiveARow campaign and help to provide our community with fresh produce.

Simply dedicate a row in your garden for the Food Bank. Once the produce is ready to donate, harvest it, wash it and bring it into the Food Bank during one their scheduled drop-off times.
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Headwaters Food Charter
This newsletter supports the these Pillars, Goals and Actions from the Headwaters Food Charter
Pillar

Goal 1


Goal 2

Goal 3

Actions
Economic Vitality

Food and farming businesses are developing, expanding and increasing.

A skilled and growing food and farming workforce exists.

Headwaters is an agricultural, food and culinary destination.

The following actions will help ensure that the Economic Vitality goals are achieved:
  • Build awareness of the Headwaters as a good cluster encompassing production, processing and service businesses.
  • Build partnerships with food sector businesses and academic institutions to strengthen skills of the food sector workforce.
  • Partner with (local) tourism, municipalities and individual operators to promote Headwaters as an agricultural, food and culinary destination.
  • Encourage municipalities to create policies and infrastructure that support attraction, retention and expansion of local food processing and agricultural businesses.
  • Work wiht farmers and municipalities to strategize ways to improve local food purchasing in institutions, schools and agencies.
  • Support opportunities for education and training for local farmers and/or food entrepreneurs.
Join the HFFA Hub
The next meeting of the HFFA Coordinating Hub is scheduled for early October 2021. Email us if you would like to attend and see what we're all about!
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Trusted Links
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Our Vision
The Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance (HFFA) envisions a food system that is productive, sustainable, transparent, and fair; supports the health and well-being of our residents and food providers; and contributes to the prosperous and equitable economy.
Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance (HFFA) is a project of
Headwaters Communities In Action