GrainTALK for September 2019

FROM THE CHAIR A Q&A with Grain Farmers of Ontario chair, Markus Haerle. Q. What is the AGM? Why should farmer-members attend? A. The Grain Farmers of Ontario Annual General Meeting is held each September in conjunction with Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ont. This is a great opportunity for our farmer-members to hear about the work being done on their behalf by Grain Farmers of Ontario’s staff: to understand more about the research, market development, government relations, and communications priorities. Each year the Board Chair and the CEO give updates on the most impactful issues facing grain farmers in Ontario and how Grain Farmers of Ontario, as an organization, will be helping, or have helped, pursue our agendas throughout the year. One of the most important aspects of the AGM is that it is a chance for you to speak with board members, your delegates, and staff to have questions answered, as well as to provide your insights into the issues that we are working on. Beyond the January District Meetings held each year and the March Classic, this is the best chance to catch up with farmer-members across the province and chat with your delegates before any resolutions are brought before the elected Grain Farmers of Ontario leadership. Most attendees are quite enthusiastic about the free ticket to the Outdoor Farm Show that comes with attendance as well. • Do you have a question for our chair? Email GrainTALK@gfo.ca.

CANADA’S OUTDOOR FARM SHOW

Grain Farmers of Ontario will be at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show from September 10 – 12. You can find us on 1st Lane (Seed Alley). Stop in for a coffee and a chat with a staff member or director.

Attend the 2019 AGM for your free farm show ticket. •

INTERNATIONAL PLOWING MATCH

Grain Farmers of Ontario is a silver sponsor of the 2019 International Plowing Match in Verner (West Nipissing) being held September 17 – 21. We will once again be sponsoring the VIP tent and plowing match.

The Growing Connections trailer exhibit will be on display to showcase the Good in Every Grain for visitors to learn more about Grain Farmers of Ontario and Good in Every Grain. •

2019 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

All farmer-members are invited to attend Grain Farmers of Ontario’s 2019 Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, September 10 at the Quality Hotel & Suites in Woodstock. The business portion of the meeting will be held in the morning and all attendees will be given passes to attend Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in the afternoon.

Location:
Quality Hotel & Suites
Vansittart Room
580 Bruin Blvd, Woodstock, ON N4V 1E5

Agenda:
8 a.m. Registration and breakfast
9 a.m. Chairman’s report, CEO report,
Resolutions, Questions
Noon Lunch
1 p.m. Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show •

ANNUAL REPORT

Grain Farmers Of Ontario’s Annual Report is available online at www.gfo.ca or by calling the office at 1-800-265-0550 and requesting a copy be mailed to you.

The financial statements are included in the report and these should be reviewed ahead of your attendance at the Annual General Meeting so that you can ask any questions that you may have. The report also contains information about the activities of the organization during the last fiscal year. •

ELECTION ASK REMINDER

Grain Farmers of Ontario is asking federal candidates to commit to:

Creating a Trade War Fund to support farmers in non-supply managed sectors, such as grain and oilseed farmers, who are suffering from global trade disputes and competition with U.S. and other Canadian farmers who are receiving government bailouts. We are also asking for the next government to implement long-term business risk management programming that shields Ontario grain farmers from price fluctuations beyond their control.

Defending markets and finding new markets for grains and oilseeds by normalizing commercial relationships with China, defending and investing in domestic processing and international grain markets, ratifying the CUSMA trade agreement, and eliminating harmful tariffs including aluminum and steel tariffs.

Developing climate change action that makes a difference through the elimination of the carbon tax and implementation of a Clean Fuels Standard that recognizes the contribution of domestically produced corn ethanol and soybean bio-diesel as low carbon alternatives.

Learn more about these issues at: https://gfo.ca/federal-election/. •

NO WINTER CEREALS REPORT

The Ontario Cereal Crops Committee (OCCC) will not be publishing a complete 2019 Winter Cereals Performance Trial Report. All of the winter wheat performance trials conducted by the Committee in southern and eastern Ontario were severely affected by the prolonged wet weather during the fall, winter, and spring. As a result of these unprecedented conditions, there is insufficient data for reliable results for most of the province. Two trials in Area 5 (Northern Ontario) are expected to produce reasonable data, but harvest is extremely delayed. A report for Area 5 will be released when the data becomes available.

Farmers are urged to use information in the 2018 Winter Cereals Performance Report as their guide in evaluating varieties for selection this fall. As a reminder, when considering planting options, it is always best to use multi-year data and select varieties that perform well in your area, across a number of sites and years. •

ONTARIO WHEAT HARVEST QUALITY

The Ontario Wheat Harvest Quality program results are now available. Go to http://gfo.ca/production/ ontario-wheat-quality/ to find results from winter and spring wheat classes. Grain Farmers of Ontario partnered with SGS Canada, Inc. on the development of the Grains Analytical Testing Laboratory. The lab conducted this year’s wheat harvest survey program. The program analyzes samples from across the province to create a picture of the quality of each year’s harvest. •

GO WITH THE GRAIN

Media were invited on a Go With The Grain tour at the end of July to learn about conventional and organic farming practices and they asked several questions about GMOs, pesticide use, and environmental sustainability.

The tour included a stop at Woodrill Farms Ltd.; presentations from Melissa McKeown of 1847 Stone Milling and Dean Martin of Harrow Organic Farms; and a tour of Klavan Farms with owner Henry Van Ankum, director of District 10 (Grey, Bruce, Wellington). The visits to Woodrill and Klavan Farms highlighted conventional farming and showed the media the science and technology these farmers use to run profitable and sustainable family farms. Melissa and Dean explained why they choose to produce organic products, why that market is important for them, and some of the different regulations they must follow to sell certified organic products. •

MARKET COMMENTARY

by Philip Shaw

In the July 11 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, corn acres were kept at 91.7 million and the yield remained at 166 bushels per acre. The USDA kept soybean acres at 80 million, but cut the yield by one bushel per acre to 48.5. U.S. corn production is set to come in now at 13.875 billion bushels (166 bu/acre). U.S. soybean production is set to come in at 3.845 billion bushels. The August 12 USDA report will likely change the spring seeded acreage numbers based on a re-survey done in the first two weeks of July.

Corn basis levels have been maintained into August reflected in the compromised crop in Ontario and the greater eastern U.S. Corn belt. The Canadian dollar has been fluttering in the 75-76 cent level, which continues to support Ontario cash prices. •