The Farm & Food Care Ontario annual conference this past week featured an engaging
program as always – but also served as an impromptu gathering of farm writers from
Ontario, Alberta and overseas.

Claire McCormack, an agricultural journalist and PhD researcher from University
College Dublin in Ireland, was the keynote speaker at the event, sharing early results of
her research into the shifts in how urban and rural media cover agricultural issues.
She also took part in a panel discussion hosted by ECFWA member Bern Tobin
addressing issues around journalists and the changing face of agriculture in the media.
Fellow panelists included CTV reporter Scott Miller and former London Free Press
Reporter turned communications consultant Debora Van Brenk.

McCormack and dairy journalist Sjoerd Hofstee from the Netherlands, both members of
the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists, also spent a few days visiting
farms and farm businesses in southern Ontario.

Alberta Farm Writers’ Federation member Jenn Norrie was at the FFCO conference.
She was joined by ECFWA members Kristy Nudds, Jess McCann, Lauren Miller, Sarah
Andrews, Karen Dallimore, Maggie Van Camp, Christa Ormiston, Kelly Daynard and
Lilian Schaer.