Field has recently become very involved with the calf barn, of which between 35 and 40 calves call home | Mik Horvath/MBC
The Ottawa Valley is well-known for its cascading farmland and its farmers are even more well-known within their communities.
About a 10 minute drive from the myFM Centre lays Lindmilk Farms which is one of the biggest dairy operations in the area.
A modest herd of about 500 dairy cows wander the more than 1000 acres Lindmilk Farms utilizes to produce their 6,000 litre daily dairy quota.
Of the 500 cows about 200 individuals produce roughly 37 litres of milk daily | Mik Horvath/MBC
One of the key pillars behind this operation is Angela Field, a very hardworking woman who has been in the thick of her husband’s farm since 2003.
Field married into the farming life after moving from Sudbury and she couldn’t imagine her life going any other way.
Field tends to the control panel connected to the feeding system for the calves; Lindmilk allocates roughly 600 litres of milk for calf feeding | Mik Horvath/MBC
Field also has experience within the administrative field, working within the Dairy Farmers of Ontario as well as the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA).
She is also the Deputy Mayor for Admaston/Bromley, a position she’s held since 2022.
As a woman of many titles Field has decided this year she would run for OFA’s Director-at-Large position.
The Director-at-Large is a three-year term in which the elected official acts as a liaison between Ontario’s farmers and the provincial government and as a member of the OFA she has the option to put herself in the electoral race.
Field said her bureaucratic experience will translate well to this position if elected.
The electors are selected from county and regional federation delegates; Ontario has 51 of these federations which are the sub-areas that represent the local regions’ farmers.
Each federation will select a handful of delegates to attend the OFA’s annual general meeting which is where and when the election will take place.
Field is expecting anywhere from 200 to 400 delegates to make an appearance on the Nov. 25 and 26 meeting days.
Although it’s a grand opportunity Field said she is simply more than happy to be a part of the running.
That begs the question of what Field wants to bring to the table.
Firstly, Field wants to provide a strong voice for the Eastern and Northern farming communities in Ontario.
Field has enjoyed working with animals her entire life | Mik Horvath/MBC
Field also wants to bring a more effective communications strategy because of reports of lackluster communication efforts between farmers and the federation.
OFA’s annual general meeting will be held in Toronto, where Field will make an appearance in front of the voting delegates.
(Written by Mik Horvath)