June 2024

In this issue:

The innovators

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

June 2024 - EVERY WINTER DURING THE MEETING SEASON, THE WORD “INNOVATION” IS MENTIONED — OFTEN WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM. It may result from a previously untried processing opportunity, a seldom- grown cropping alternative, or a transition to something…

Field Observations

SUMMER 2024

June 2024 - September 19, 2024 Incredible weather for mid-September has helped the corn and soybean crops reach maturity a few days earlier than expected. Soybean harvest has begun, as has winter wheat planting. Corn Some corn has…
PGRs in winter wheat

AGRONOMIC INFORMATION FROM ONTARIO'S CROP SPECIALISTS

June 2024 - PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS (PGR) ARE APPLIED TO WINTER WHEAT TO REDUCE PLANT HEIGHT AND INCREASE STEM THICKNESS. This reduces the risk of lodging or delays the onset and amount of lodging, making managing and harvesting…
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The survivors

STRONG SUPPORT HELPS BEAT BACK CANCER

June 2024 - A CANCER DIAGNOSIS CAN BE A DEVASTATING SETBACK FOR YOUNG, BUSY FARMERS, but with personal grit and support from family, friends, and empathetic members of the agricultural community, they can not only survive but thrive.…
The globetrotters

YOUNG FARMERS’ ADVENTURES TAKE THEM AROUND THE WORLD

June 2024 - PEOPLE CHOOSE TO TRAVEL FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. For some, travel provides a much-needed diversion from everyday life. For these travellers, comfort, rest, and relaxation are the biggest goals. For others, travel is less about the…
The educators

HANDS-ON LEARNING FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

June 2024 - IN APRIL 2024, GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO STAFF HEADED NORTH TO EXHIBIT AT THE EARLTON FARM SHOW. The farm show draws large crowds from the farm and rural communities from across the north who come…
The mental health advocates

TURNING UP THE VOLUME ON FARMER WELLNESS

June 2024 - MENTAL HEALTH IS THE STATE OF OUR EMOTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING. It impacts how we think, feel, and act and plays a significant role in how we cope with stress. Mental health is receiving…
The 4-Hers

GROWING INTEREST IN CROP PRODUCTION

June 2024 - CULTIVATING AN INTEREST IN AGRICULTURE AT A YOUNG AGE CAN HELP INFLUENCE THE FUTURE OF ONTARIO AGRICULTURE — and 4-H clubs are often the first place Ontario youth — farm kids and urban kids alike…
GrainTALK for June/July 2024

AN UPDATE ON GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO NEWS AND EVENTS

June 2024 - YOUR GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO TEAM Here is our next installment of profiles of your Grain Farmers of Ontario staff to help introduce you to the team. Jenna Marcone joined the Grain Farmers of Ontario…
The problem solvers: Joanna Follings

A PASSION FOR BUILDING GROWER CONFIDENCE

June 2024 - JOANNA FOLLINGS, CEREALS SPECIALIST AT THE ONTARIO MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS, IS LIVING HER DREAM. Growing up on a dairy and grain crop farm and working with field crops and farmers during…
The problem solvers: Yajun Peng

IMPROVING AGRICULTURE SUSTAINABILITY IN THE FUTURE

June 2024 - YOU MIGHT SAY PROBLEM-SOLVING COMES NATURALLY TO YAJUN PENG, who is pursuing her doctorate at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus under the supervision of Dr. Laura Van Eerd. “Ms. Peng is an exceptionally talented…
The problem solvers: Dr. Inderjot Chahal

LEADING SOIL HEALTH RESEARCH IN CANADA AND AROUND THE WORLD

June 2024 - NITROGEN IS ONE OF THE MOST LIMITING NUTRIENTS FOR CROP PRODUCTION, YET IT’S THE MOST PRONE TO LOSSES FROM THE SOIL TO THE ENVIRONMENT. This is a problem that Dr. Inderjot Chahal, a post- doctoral…
The problem solvers: Kelsey Boucher

BATTLING SUDDEN DEATH SYNDROME

June 2024 - AWARD-WINNING, MOTIVATED, OUTSTANDING — THIS IS HOW YOUNG SOYBEAN SCIENTIST KELSEY BOUCHER IS DESCRIBED by people who know her, including her graduate advisor, Dr. Istvan Rajcan, professor and graduate program coordinator for soybean breeding and…
The problem solvers: Riley McConachie

DISRUPTING FUSARIUM GENETIC ANALYSIS

June 2024 - UP TO THIS POINT, PHENOTYPING (RATING DISEASE INFECTION SEVERITY) OF FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT (FHB) IN WHEAT HAS BEEN VERY INEFFECTIVE. There’s quite a bit of inaccuracy, making breeding efforts based on the ratings not as…
The problem solvers: Dr. Adrian Correndo

SERVING AGRICULTURE THROUGH DATA

June 2024 - DR. ADRIAN CORRENDO, WHO RECENTLY BEGAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH AS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AND RESEARCH CHAIR for The Pick Family Chair in Sustainable Cropping Systems, was definitely born into the right time. “I…
Next-Gen financing

CONVERSATIONS WITH BUSINESS EXPERTS

June 2024 - (J.M.) WHO WILL BE THE NEXT GENERATION OF CANADIAN FARMERS? (P.W.) The next generation of farmers is important to the growth of our industry. We will be relying on young people who come from a…
The leaders

YOUNG FARMERS MAKING THEIR MARK

June 2024 - CANADA’S FARMERS ARE AGING: according to the 2021 Census of Agriculture, the average age of farmers in Canada is 56 — representing 60.5 per cent of all farm operators in Canada. But what about younger…
Looking back, moving forward

FROM THE CEO'S DESK

June 2024 - MAY 1 MARKED A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE in Ontario agriculture – the 150th anniversary of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) at the University of Guelph. On this day, Aggies from across Canada (and the world!) celebrated…

June 2024

The innovators

Field Observations

PGRs in winter wheat

The survivors

The globetrotters

The educators

The mental health advocates

The 4-Hers

The problem solvers: Joanna Follings

The problem solvers: Yajun Peng

The problem solvers: Dr. Inderjot Chahal

The problem solvers: Kelsey Boucher

The problem solvers: Riley McConachie

The problem solvers: Dr. Adrian Correndo

Next-Gen financing

The leaders

Looking back, moving forward

Recommended:

Tar spot prevention

Tradition meets innovation

GrainTALK Newsletter

Have an idea for an upcoming issue?

June 2024

The innovators

Field Observations

PGRs in winter wheat

The survivors

The globetrotters

The educators

The mental health advocates

The 4-Hers

GrainTALK for June/July 2024

The problem solvers: Joanna Follings

The problem solvers: Yajun Peng

The problem solvers: Dr. Inderjot Chahal

The problem solvers: Kelsey Boucher

The problem solvers: Riley McConachie

The problem solvers: Dr. Adrian Correndo

Next-Gen financing

The leaders

Looking back, moving forward

Recommended:

Tar spot prevention

Tradition meets innovation