Eggs are our inspiration.
Ontario eggs are healthy, easy to prepare, affordable and produced by local farmers. Egg Farmers of Ontario is pleased to offer you recipes, cooking techniques and tips to simplify meal preparation.
This site features information and videos about cooking with eggs and insights into the high-quality care our farmers give to deliver the eggs sold in your local grocery store.
Through consumer research we learned many of you are interested in getting to know what motivates our egg farmers in Ontario. As a result, it is our pleasure to share with you what inspires Ontario egg farmers by presenting some of the 500 farm families featured in our Real Farmers. Real Eggs. campaign.
We invite you to visit each farmer, try their family recipe and find your own favourite to share with your family.
Please be advised that Egg Farmers of Ontario does not conduct employment searches via email and would never request confidential information from end users.
Our mandate is to provide consumers with a guaranteed supply of safe, high-quality eggs at the most reasonable prices possible. This is accomplished through the efficient management of the production of eggs, research, product promotion and ongoing marketing activities.
The mission of Egg Farmers of Ontario is to provide consumers with a supply of safe, high-quality eggs at a fair price and a return to egg and pullet farmers achieved through fair farm pricing, within a stable national supply management system.
Egg Farmers of Ontario is the marketing organization for the over 500 egg farmers and pullet growers in Ontario who account for 40% of total egg production in Canada, or 200 million dozen eggs annually.
A full time staff of about 25 people ensures the organization's policies and regulations are implemented, and administrates programs such as layer placements, advertising and promotion, agriculture awareness and education, poultry and egg research and development and quality control.
Egg Farmers of Ontario is an independent, self-governing farming organization. We are not a government body or department. We are funded entirely by egg farmers. Each farmer pays a fee or levy on every dozen eggs sold and these funds are used to support the activities of the Ontario and Canadian egg system.
Egg Farmers of Ontario is a supply management and fair farm pricing organization. That means we estimate how many eggs will be needed annually and set production levels so the right amount will be produced.
We also set the price paid to the egg farmer which is based on what it costs to produce the egg. Our mandate is to provide consumers with a guaranteed supply of safe, high-quality eggs at the most reasonable prices possible.
This is accomplished through the efficient management of the production of eggs, research, product promotion and ongoing marketing activities.
We are committed to research so that consumers receive safe, high-quality eggs. In fact, the Board has given more than $2.7 million to research since 1964.
We have instituted programs such as the Egg Quality Improvement program and Canada's first poultry on-farm food safety program, with safety audits performed by an independent third party.
Efficient production of safe, high-quality eggs is a result of a number of programs and practices developed after years of research. These include an approved Code of Practice for Laying Operations (covering cage size, lighting, ventilation, water and feed, waste removal and pest control), mandatory bacteria testing of the layer operations, a standardized safety and quality program and regular on-farm inspections to monitor quality and safety standards.
Egg Farmers of Ontario has a long history of supporting research. While improving production efficiency was the primary target in the early years, other priorities such as food safety, disease control and biosecurity have been receiving more attention.
In 1985, the Board endowed an “Egg Research Chair” at the University of Guelph - the first of its kind – to develop new uses for eggs. We continually invest in research to improve all aspects of the egg industry including feed/production efficiency, housing, sanitation, environmental protection, egg quality and safety, new uses for eggs in the processing sector and new egg products.
In fact, we contributed to the creation of the Omega 3 Fatty Acid-enriched Designer Egg – an innovation developed by Dr. Jeong Sim of the University of Alberta.
On a yearly basis, Egg Farmers of Ontario forecasts how many eggs consumers will purchase so that egg farmers can produce enough of a supply to keep egg cases in stores full. By forecasting the need for eggs and planning accordingly, it reduces instability that can result when supply and demand are out of balance.
Demand for eggs is determined by looking at the two markets for the eggs produced in Ontario - the table market and the industrial product market.
Table market eggs are shell eggs and are used at home, and in restaurants and some bakeries.
Industrial product eggs are processed into a variety of forms including pasteurized frozen or refrigerated liquid eggs, dried eggs, pickled, hard cooked, special blends and extracts. Processed egg products are sold to a range of industries including bakeries, food manufacturers (for pasta, salad dressings, cake mixes, etc.) and some restaurants.
Some companies extract elements from eggs, such as lysozyme, for use in bacteria control in food processing and cosmetics.
Egg Farmers of Ontario works to promote eggs as rich in protein and a natural choice for an active lifestyle. Our goal is to take this message directly to consumers via recipe brochures, nutrition booklets, and sampling and cooking demonstrations at shows and fairs. We also promote eggs through advertising, school visits and literature and restaurant promotions.
Egg Farmers of Ontario’s Thomas R. Graham Scholarship
The Egg Farmers of Ontario’s Thomas R. Graham Scholarship was established to recognize the contributions of Tom Graham, a graduate of the Ontario Agricultural College in 1950. First awarded in 1984 this scholarship grants $5,000 to a PhD student, registered in their first year in an area of research and study in the general field of poultry science. If no PhD student is eligible, two awards of $2,500 can be awarded to MSc. students.
Tom Graham owned and operated Graholm Farms that was founded within the current town of St. Marys in 1953. The farm is now operated by Tom’s son and Egg Farmers of Ontario (EFO) chair, Scott and his wife Laurie, along with his grandson Brett and his wife Jessica. Brett represents the third generation involved with the farm.
Egg Farmers of Ontario and the Graham family are honoured to offer this scholarship opportunity.
For more detailed information and how to apply please visit the University of Guelph website.
Egg Farmers of Ontario / Dr. Donald Shaver Scholarships in Sustainable Poultry Production Deadline
Established in recognition of Dr. Shaver's impact on layer genetics and sustainable poultry production. Students must submit a one-page research proposal and a CV, and arrange to have 2 letters of reference submitted, to the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies grschol@uoguelph.ca by February 3.
Open to students entering any graduate program or in semester 1, 2, or 3 at time of application, who are conducting or proposing research in egg farming, such as, but not limited to: marketing initiatives aimed at growing the market for egg products; economic and business aspects of egg production and marketing, egg quality, safety and processing, the environment; as well as layer production research related to improving nutrition, health and performance. Recipients are required to submit an annual summary of their research.
More information on the Egg Farmers of Ontario / Dr. Donald Shaver Scholarships in Sustainable Poultry Production
Brian Ellsworth Memorial Bursary
To honour the legacy of Brian Ellsworth, who served as General Manager of Ontario Egg Producers from 1970 until 2003, EFO has established the Brian Ellsworth Memorial Bursary. This bursary will provide $5,000 towards eligible applicants’ tuition cost for the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP).
In order to be eligible, applicants must: be an egg or pullet farmer, or family member or employee under an active Ontario quota number, or an EFO staff member; have been successfully selected as a class participant for the AALP; submit an application form to Egg Farmers of Ontario, including proof of successful selection, before May 1 of the year the class begins; agree to speak at an Egg Farmers of Ontario meeting and/or event about their experiences in the AALP.
For more information or to apply for the bursary, please contact dlange@getcracking.ca.
For more information on the AALP and how to apply, click here.
Student Nutrition Ontario
Egg Farmers of Ontario is proud to be a key partner with Student Nutrition Ontario. Through our partnership with SNO, our farmers are pleased to help nourish today's students with high-quality protein-filled eggs to start their day off right and be ready to learn all day long.
For more information on the SNO organization please visit the Student Nutrition Ontario website.
Feed Ontario (formerly Ontario Association of Food Banks)
Ontario’s egg farmers have a strong record of donating to food banks and in celebration of its 50th anniversary, Egg Farmers of Ontario (EFO) introduced a new egg donation program in collaboration with Feed Ontario.
EFO’s Egg Donation Program makes it easy for egg farmers and all supporters to donate eggs to food banks across Ontario.
For more about this program please visit the Feed Ontario website.
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Egg Farmers Rocks & Rings Presented By Curling Canada
Egg Farmers of Ontario is proud to support the Egg Farmers Rocks & Rings Program presented by Curling Canada, reaching over 200,000 students a year in schools throughout Canada. Rocks & Rings is getting kids active in a lifelong sport right in their school gym. Having reached over 1.4 million children, we are proud to help grow the sport of curling at the grassroots level.
For more about this program please visit the Rocks & Rings website.
Ontario Minor Hockey Association
Egg Farmers of Ontario (EFO) are proud to be the first ever sponsor of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) Playdowns. Teams from across the province compete in the 82 Playdowns to be crowned champions and win the coveted Red Hats. Playdowns are one of the most exciting events on the hockey calendar and are a celebration of all the hard work that teams put into the season.
With over 90,000 players in the OMHA, ranging in ages from 4 to 19, we are proud to support local Ontario communities by helping them maintain an active lifestyle while teaching life skills such as teamwork and discipline through the sport of hockey.
For more information on this partnership, visit the OMHA website.
The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario
Egg Farmers of Ontario is proud to be a key supporter of The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario. The Grove currently has four sites open throughout Guelph and Wellington County, with plans to grow to seven sites. The Grove Hubs provide youth with mental health and wellness support. Through our partnership, The Grove continues to provide safe spaces for youth to access the resources they need — whether it be help securing their first job or coping with mental health challenges.
For more about this program please visit The Grove Hubs website.