GFO Newsletter for July/August 2011
GET THELATEST NEWS FROM GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO
gfo annual meeting coming
The Annual Meeting of Grain Farmers of Ontario will be held September 8, 2011 at the Delta Hotel, 50 Stone Road West, Guelph, Ontario.
This meeting is called in accordance with By-Law No. 1, to review the Auditor’s Report and the Financial Statements of Grain Farmers of Ontario. Provision has been made for open discussion of board operations and the industry in general.
Don Kenny, Chair
The agenda can be found at www.gfo.ca and will include the review of the Board’s activities for the 2011 crop year. Lunch has been arranged for the noon meal.
Grain Farmers of Ontario will be accepting resolutions from districts and/or producer members in good standing until noon, September 8, 2011.
Please confirm your attendance and send resolutions to Brenda Miller-Sanford, no later than August 21, 2011. Telephone: 519-767-4133 / Fax:?519-767-9713, Email: bmsanford@gfo.ca.
clearing up shrinkage confusion
In the April 2011 issue of the Ontario Grain Farmer, we printed a news brief informing farmers that the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) has fixed the maximum shrinkage allowance at zero. It is important to note that this change ONLY applies to process and transfer elevators licensed by the CGC. In Ontario, country elevators ARE NOT licensed by the CGC and therefore this change to the shrinkage allowance does not apply.
Country elevators in Ontario are regulated by the Provincial Grains Act. Only terminal elevators that move product directly into export market are regulated by the CGC. The Ontario Grain Farmer apologizes for any confusion this news brief may have caused.
grain farmers of ontario
Here is our next installment of director and staff profiles in our ongoing effort to introduce you to our GFO?team.
AHMED CHILMERAN, industry analyst
Ahmed recently joined the team at Grain Farmers of Ontario as Industry Analyst.
In this role, Ahmed will be responsible for providing GFO with market information and analysis for use in the development and implementation of policies, marketing, government relations, business development and public affairs decisions and actions.
Ahmed’s previous experience as an economist working with the Ontario Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs coupled with his masters in Economics and bachelors of mathematics will assist in a smooth transition.
During his tenure with the Office of Economic Policy – Ministry of Finance, Ahmed worked on a variety of issues related to public finance including forecasting Ontario’s share of fiscal equalization payments. While with the Strategic Policy Division – Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, Ahmed provided research and analysis on policy issues related to education, demographics, and labour of Aboriginal People in Canada.
Ahmed has a variety of research interests including public policy, public finance, commodity markets, economic development and econometrics. In his spare time he enjoys sports activities and reading.
NICOLE MACKELLAR, MARKET DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Grain Farmers of Ontario recently welcomed Nicole MacKellar to the team as Market Development Coordinator.
Nicole has been charged with seeking out opportunities to create new markets for Ontario corn, soybeans and wheat. She will be working on defining strategic opportunities for new grain industry development based on an understanding of domestic and international markets.
In this position, Nicole will be looking at developing government and industry partnerships that promote Ontario grains in existing and new markets. She will also be integral in coordinating GFO market development investments.
Coming from the Toronto Blue Jays, Nicole has a wide variety of experience in business to business partnership creation.
In her previous role as Manager, Sales Support of the Corporate Partnership department with the Jays, Nicole managed sponsorship accounts and promotions
With this position at GFO, Nicole is coming back to her roots. She grew up on a beef and cash crop farm in Middlesex County and still helps out with the farm chores during the busy spring and fall seasons.
Nicole lives in Guelph with her boyfriend, Craig and enjoys playing volleyball in her spare time.
don’t miss out on agrinvest benefits
AgriInvest helps you manage small income deadlines and provides support for investments to mitigate risks or improve market income.
Your AgriInvest account, held at a participating financial institution of your choice, builds as you make annual deposits based on a percentage of your Allowable Net Sales and receive matching contributions from governments.
AgriInvest accounts are self-managed giving you flexibility to withdraw your funds at any time.
How to participate:
Step 1:
Complete and submit your 2010 AgriInvest form by September 30, 2011
• Submit the T1163 Form found at www.agr.gc.ca/agriinvest
• Forms can be submitted up until December 31, 2011 but the matchable deposit will be reduced by five percent for each month that the application is received past September 30, 2011
Step 2:
Receive your AgriInvest Deposit Notice
• AAFC will calculate your benefits based on the financial information reported on your application and send you a deposit notice outlining the amount you are entitled to deposit.
Step 3:
Make your 2010 AgriInvest Deposit
• You have 90 days from the date your Deposit Notice was issued to make a deposit into your AgriInvest account at your financial institution. AAFC will process your deposit and credit your account with matching government contributions.
Step 4:
Withdraw your AgriInvest funds when you need it most
• You have the flexibility to withdraw your funds through your financial institution at any time.
For more information, visit www.agr.gc.ca/agriinvest or contact AAFC at 1-866-367-8506.
get your premises id now!
Premises Identification is a requirement for many Ontario government funding opportunities. Producers are advised to obtain a Premises Identification Number and certificate for their farms as soon as possible.
What do I need to get started?
You will need to accurately identify your property or properties, preferably with an Assessment Roll Number (ARN), which is a tax assessment number(s) from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.
If you cannot provide an ARN, you will need to provide one of the following:
• Latitude and Longitude from a Global Positioning System (GPS),
• Municipal Address, or
• Lot and Concession Numbers
3 Easy Steps
Step 1: Contact OnTrace for your application form:
• Online at www.ontrace.ca
• By phone: 519-766-9292 or toll free:
1-888-388-7223
Step 2: Complete your application form
All of the required fields must be completed and you will need to describe all the agricultural or agri-food activities that take place on the premises.
Step 3: Submit your application to OnTrace.
If you have any questions, please contact OnTrace.
What is a Premises ID Number?
A Premises Identification Number is a unique identifying number assigned to a parcel of land that is associated with agri-food activities. In Ontario, premises are identified and registered in the Ontario Agri-Food Premises Registry, which is managed by OnTrace.
Premises identification is a critical element of an effective emergency response to a natural disaster, a food safety concern or plant/animal disease outbreak.
farmers feed cities update
Lesson for our Urban Friends
Visiting the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is a tradition that many families regularly end
their summer with. Take just a few steps inside the CNE grounds from mid August to Labor Day each year and you will immediately experience the buzz of energy and excitement from young and old alike. Farmers Feed Cities’ main goal is to create a sustainable future for farmers in Ontario. What better way to do that then set up shop at the CNE and talk directly with consumers about why farming is so important.
Through a brand new interactive exhibit, children and adults alike will be invited to learn about Ontario agriculture through hands-on conversation starting stations. From field to fork will be the concept for this exhibit.
There will be several different stations guests can transition through, starting at harvesting a soybean crop, next crushing the beans, moving on to the grocery store and ending at the family’s kitchen table.
The exhibit will be displayed in the farm building at the CNE for 18 days as well as at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair for 10 days in November.
Fresh From the Field:
A Farmers Feed Cities Dinner Series
Imagine sitting in a century barn that has been converted to a rustic yet elegant dining space. The barn doors are drawn open, you are overlooking crops of the summer season – all of nature’s glory is laid out in front of you. You are set to experience locally grown food and drink.
This is what guests of the Farmers Feed Cities “Fresh From the Farm” dinner series will experience. The first annual fundraising dinner series will consist of four events; two dinners and two cooking school sessions. All four events will happen between July and November 2011.
Funds from the dinner series will go directly towards subsidizing the costs of the campaign’s various programs.
If you would like to purchase tickets for a dinner series event or would like more information please email Jenny@FarmersFeedCities.com or keep checking our website www.FarmersFeedCities.com), twitter feed and Facebook page for more updates.
Famous Farmers
We may not be famous quite yet, however we’re excited to say Ontario’s farmers were in the spotlight May 13. Breakfast Television’s Live-Eye host, Jennifer Valentyne, spent the morning broadcasting live from the farm of Dale Mountjoy near Oshawa. If you missed this episode of BT visit www.youtube.com/FarmsFeedCities to see the live-eye segments from that day.
new look for ontariograinfarmer.ca
The magazine website has been revamped and is chalk full of lots of new features.
Expect to see new content each week on the site including articles from the magazine, extra information on articles that have been published in the magazine and web specific articles. Take a tour around the homepage and see which stories are most popular, what we’re saying on Twitter and engage in conversation with us and other farmers by commenting on the articles.
As always, if there is anything specific you’d like to see on the website, let us know! Contact the magazine Editor, Claire Cowan at ccowan@gfo.ca or 1-800-265-0550. •
