In the news
NEWS BITES THAT MATTER
Soybean Young Leader
Each year, the Ontario Soybean Growers (OSG) sponsors one couple or individual from Ontario to take part in the American Soybean Association/Dupont Young Leader Program. The program’s goal is to help train the next generation of leaders for the North American soybean industry.
Markus and Roxane Haerle have been chosen through a competitive selection process adjudicated by OSG representatives.
Markus has been farming in Canada for 21 years. Roxane is active in their farming operation of 1,224 acres of corn, soybeans and spring wheat, and 16,000 laying hen operation. They farm near St-Isidore.
Markus is both a committee member for the Ontario Soybean Growers, a delegate for the Ontario Corn Producers’ Association and a councilor with the Ontario Egg Producers’ Marketing Board. He attended Kemptville Agricultural College, and Roxane is a business college graduate.
The 2010 class of Young Leaders and their spouses will participate in a challenging and educational leadership experience in December, 2009 at Pioneer headquarters in Johnston, Iowa, and then complete training in March, 2010 in Anaheim, California, in conjunction with the annual Commodity Classic. This seminar offers the opportunity for participants to enhance their leadership skills as well as meet and learn from other young leaders from around the US and Canada. •
New ethanol plant officially opens
GreenField Ethanol announced the official opening of its largest ethanol plant in Canada on September 3, 2009. According to the company, the facility “sets the gold standard in the biofuels industry and provides a significant investment for local farmers.”
The plant has been up and running since late last year, but opened officially with remarks from Minister of National Resources, Lisa Raitt, Ken Field, Chairman and Founder of GreenField and Don Kenny from the OCPA, among others.
“This new ethanol plant will be an important new market for Eastern Ontario corn. For corn farmers in this area, there aren’t many options to market corn and this new facility will be a valuable new market for us,” Kenny remarked at the opening.
The plant is expected to use 20 million bushels of corn each year and potentially grow the local economy by more than $200 million. •
New flour mill opening
The P&H Milling Group, a division of Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd., is just about ready to open a new milling unit in Acton, Ontario. The new unit will act as a replacement for the Hayhoe mill in Woodbridge, Ontario that was lost in a fire in July, 2008.
The company announced plans to build the milling unit in July, 2009 and construction has been underway since then. A call to the company has confirmed that construction is on schedule and their planned opening in mid-October will be achieved.
The additional milling capacity will provide additional opportunity for wheat farmers in the immediate and surrounding area. The total capacity of the facility will be 400 tonnes of flour per day. •
