Chicken Farmers of Ontario

What Chicken Farmers of Ontario does

Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) is a not-for-profit commodity marketing board established in 1965 and headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, that administers the regulated production and marketing of chicken in Ontario under the provincial Farm Products Marketing Act. Operating within Canada's federal-provincial supply management system, CFO allocates production quotas to more than 1,300 family farms spread across 330 Ontario communities, sets marketings in coordination with processors and downstream buyers, and collects levies that fund board operations, research, and industry programs. The organization is led by CEO Denise Hockaday and operates with a small staff (11-50 employees), reflecting its role as a regulatory and coordination body rather than a commercial enterprise.

The broader Ontario chicken industry that CFO oversees generated approximately $1.26 billion in farm-gate value in 2022 and supports an estimated $5 billion in broader economic activity and 23,000 jobs, indicating a mature and economically significant supply chain. CFO's functional mandate spans quota administration, compliance oversight, animal care and on-farm food safety programming, consumer and stakeholder communications, and policy advocacy in defense of supply management at federal-provincial trade negotiations.

CFO's revenue mechanics derive from statutory levies on chicken produced and marketed under quota, rather than from product sales or licensing fees. Its customer base consists of quota-holding farmers, processors, and indirect downstream retailers and foodservice operators; participation in the system is effectively mandatory for commercial Ontario chicken production, which underpins revenue predictability. The organization is not a venture- or growth-stage business and does not raise external capital; its expansion is bounded by industry demand and regulatory scope.

Name

Chicken Farmers of Ontario

Legal name

Chicken Farmers of Ontario

Website

https://ontariochicken.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Chicken Farmers of Ontario is a not-for-profit statutory marketing board, established in 1965 and based in Guelph, that allocates production quotas and regulates the marketing of chicken for more than 1,300 Ontario family farmers under supply management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Poultry Supply Management Services

NAICS

Broilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production (11232), Poultry and Egg Production (1123)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Broiler Chicken Production (Meat Birds) (AFAEADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Integrated Poultry Operations (Vertically Integrated Farms) (AFAEADAI)

Keywords

• Poultry supply management
• Chicken quota allocation
• Commodity marketing board
• Farmer regulatory services
• Processor licensing programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Guelph

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Levies and Fees: CFO operates under the Farm Products Marketing Act and collects licence fees, levies, service charges and penalties from chicken farmers and processors. The Licence Fees, Levies, Service Charges and Penalties Regulation (2744 - 2026) governs these revenue streams.
2. Quota-based Production Rights: Revenue generated through the supply management system where farmers hold quota units and pay fees based on production. Farmers must hold minimum 14,000 units of quota.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chicken Farmers of Ontario administers the provincial chicken supply management system under the Farm Products Marketing Act, allocating production quota to over 1,300 family-run farms across Ontario and setting the Farm-Gate Minimum Live Price by quota period. The organization licenses processors, runs farmer and processor growth programs (New Entrant, Specialty Breeds, Artisanal, Family Food, and processor market opportunity policies), and operates the CFO Connects portal for quota, contracting, and compliance management.

Product overview

Chicken Farmers of Ontario operates a supply management system regulating chicken production across Ontario through multiple interconnected programs and platforms. The core offering is the CFO Connects farmer portal which provides quota management, contracting, and resource access for over 1,300 chicken farms. Supporting programs include the New Entrant Chicken Farmer Program, Specialty Breeds Chicken Program, Artisanal Chicken Program, and Family Food Program. For processors, CFO offers growth programs including the Ontario Market Opportunity Policy, New Entrant Chicken Processors Policy, and Small Whole Bird Supply Policy. The charitable CFO Cares: Farmers to Food Banks program enables farmer donations to food banks. All programs operate under Ontario's supply management framework governed by regulations and policies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CFO Cares: Farmers to Food Banks: Community giving program allowing each chicken farmer to donate 300 chickens (700 kg) annually to Ontario food banks. Farmers receive a 25% tax credit on donations.
• New Entrant Chicken Farmer Program
• Raised by an Ontario Chicken Farmer

Products and services

• CFO Connects Portal

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Feed OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFO Cares: Farmers to Food Banks program enables chicken farmers to donate 300 chickens (700 kg) annually to Ontario food banks through Feed Ontario. The program supports over 500,000 Ontarians who rely on food banks each year. Farms receive a 25% tax credit for donations.
• Farm & Food Care OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFO works with Farm & Food Care Ontario on industry initiatives including virtual farm tours and consumer education about Ontario chicken farming practices.
• Chicken Farmers of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational chicken producers organization that sets national allocation and coordinates supply management policies across provinces. Tim Klompmaker serves as Chair of Chicken Farmers of Canada.
• Ontario Farm Products Marketing CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory oversight body that evaluates and reports annually on CFO's performance to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
• Poultry Insurance Exchange of Canada (PIE)minorOthersInsurance exchange for poultry industry risk management. Brian Lewis represents PIE on the CFO Board.
• Feather Board Command Centre (FBCC)minorOthersPoultry industry coordination body. Jordan Fois represents FBCC on the CFO Board.
• Livestock Research Innovation Centre (LRIC)minorOthersResearch and innovation center for livestock. Brian Lewis represents LRIC on the CFO Board.
• Canadian Broiler CouncilminorOthersNational broiler chicken council. Scott Buchan represents Canadian Broiler Council on the CFO Board.
• Ontario Chicken Processors AssociationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents primary chicken processors in Ontario. Growth programs for processors facilitate market development and new entrant opportunities for processors.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Maple Leaf Foods: Canada's largest poultry processor and a primary customer of CFO-regulated Ontario chicken farmers. Comparable as the dominant downstream commercial counterparty in the Ontario chicken value chain that CFO's processor growth programs are designed to support.
• Chicken Farmers of Canada: National umbrella organization for the provincial chicken marketing boards. CFO's CEO Tim Klompmaker serves as Chair, making this the direct national counterpart that sets inter-provincial allocations and federal supply management policy.
• Burnbrae Farms: Major Canadian egg producer operating within Canada's supply-managed egg system. Comparable as a large, integrated player in a parallel supply-managed poultry sub-sector, and a counterparty to similar provincial marketing boards.
• Sofina Foods (Lilydale): Major Canadian poultry processor purchasing chicken from CFO-regulated Ontario farmers under processor allocation programs. Directly comparable as a primary commercial buyer operating within CFO's supply management framework.

Direct peers

• Turkey Farmers of Ontario: Provincial turkey supply management marketing board with the same Farm Products Marketing Act authority, quota system, and processor allocation model. Highly comparable in scale, governance, and operational structure to CFO.
• Egg Farmers of Ontario: Ontario's egg supply management marketing board, also operating under supply management with quota-based production rights and a similar governance/levy model. Directly comparable in mandate, regulatory structure, and farmer-member relationship management.
• Dairy Farmers of Ontario: Parallel supply management marketing board for Ontario dairy, operating under the same Farm Products Marketing Act framework with quota-based production rights, levies, and statutory authority. Closest structural analogue to CFO in operating model and regulatory regime.
• Alberta Chicken Producers: Alberta's provincial chicken supply management marketing board with equivalent quota allocation and processor oversight functions. Functionally identical operating model in a different provincial jurisdiction.
• British Columbia Chicken Marketing Board: Provincial chicken supply management board for BC, operating under parallel provincial legislation with the same quota-based production rights model. Direct functional peer in another provincial jurisdiction.

Regional players

• Canadian Broiler Council: National industry council representing broiler chicken producers and value chain partners. A board seat at CFO is held by a Canadian Broiler Council representative, making this a closely aligned industry-coordination peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCuAX9_FVPXYPNvsequukwnw
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChickenFarmersofOntario
• Xx.com/ontariochicken
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicken-farmers-of-ontario

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicken Farmers of Ontario