Fonds F1688 - Ontario Federation of Agriculture fonds

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture was renamed from the Canadian Chamber of Agriculture (Ontario branch) in 1940. The OFA is a producer-led organization based in Guelph, Ontario that works to represent and champion the diverse interests of Ontario’s agri-food sector and rural communities. Their work includes government relations, farm policy development, research, lobby efforts, community representation, media relations and more.

In 1949, the Federation started Co-operators Insurance Association of Guelph (CIAG) as a service to farmers. It started as a wholly-owned subsidiary of OFA. The development of Co-operators was due in large part to OFA’s reaction to growing member concerns regarding a need for insurance protection for farmers. OFA identified (through member concerns) a significant need to establish an insurance company that could meet the unique insurance needs of farmers, starting with automobile coverage.

In 1968, OFA reorganized its structure to allow for individual farmers to become members of OFA. The OFA board of directors was comprised of individual service members (ISM), annually elected from their region and member organizations (county federations). Member organizations were county federations, commodity boards, provincial co-operatives and provincial educational groups. The Ontario Farm Machinery Agency was established as a subsidiary of OFA in 1970 to provide a wide variety of farm implements and parts at a substantial discount for OFA members.

A meeting of representatives of farm organizations in the Province of Ontario was held in Toronto on January 27, 1936, for the purpose of forming a branch of the Canadian Chamber of Agriculture. A committee was appointed and recommended a very simple form of organization. The name was to be the Ontario Agricultural Conference and its purpose was to coordinate the activities of the Ontario agricultural organizations in matters of common interest within the Canadian Chamber of Agriculture. The membership was to consist of provincial organizations composed of producers of agricultural products. In 1940 the name of the organization was officially changed to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.