Leadership legacy
Scott Persall completes 12 years on the Board
In January 2013, the Baltimore Ravens beat the New England Patriots to win the AFC championship before going on to win the Super Bowl; the NHL ended a 113-day lockout and returned to regular season play; and Kathleen Wynne won the Ontario Liberal Party leadership race, becoming the first woman to lead the province as premier.
That same month, at the District 5 (Elgin, Norfolk) January District meeting, Scott Persall was elected director, a position he would hold for the next 12 years. At District 5’s meeting on January 7, 2025, Persall stepped down from the role after six consecutive 2-year terms, the term limit for Grain Farmers of Ontario directors.
EARLY DAYS OF GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO
Persall’s election filled the role left vacant by Jeff Davis, who had served the District as director following the formation of Grain Farmers of Ontario in 2010 when the Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board, Ontario Corn Producers’ Association, and Ontario Soybean Growers amalgamated.
Persall’s start in agricultural politics began with the Corn Producers, having served as a director in 2008-09 before the amalgamation.
“I was in favour of the amalgamation,” says Persall. “Most farmers grew one or more than one of the crops, or even all three. It was a good fit to have one organization represent all three crops.”
Persall’s Grain Farmers of Ontario resume is a long one; in addition to sitting on the executive committee for six years, he’s been a member of the Government Relations,
Finance and Audit, Market Development, Grain Issues, Resolutions, Communications, and Legacy Fund committees, and has represented the organization on external committees and boards including the Ontario Soybean and Canola Committee, the Bee Health Task Force, Soy Canada, and the American Soybean Association, among others. He has also represented Grain Farmers of Ontario on trade missions to Asia.
“Scott’s contributions to Grain Farmers of Ontario are nothing short of impressive,” says Crosby Devitt, Grain Farmers of Ontario CEO. “He could always be counted on to step up and represent Ontario’s grain and oilseed farmers to get results for the industry.”
Persall’s experience as a member of the Advanced Agriculture Leadership Program (AALP) Class 18 stands out. “I started about six months before Covid,” he says. “We had to pivot to more online learning, which made it more challenging. I think probably our Class 18 is always going to be known as the ‘Covid class.’”
When asked about the biggest challenges— and successes—that the Grain Farmers of Ontario Board has dealt with over his 12-year term, Persall points to the Neonicotinoid issue as one of the big ones but says that fighting for business risk programming has been the overarching theme. “Business risk management has always been something we’re working on to strive to make better,” he says.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Persall is a third-generation farmer in Norfolk County with his wife, Sara, and son Ethan and his wife April. His son, Justin, is finishing a degree in business, and his daughter, Lauren, is currently studying in New Zealand. A focus on growing and expanding the farm is one of his goals.
Immediately after stepping down from his director role, Persall took some time to travel with his wife and daughter, Lauren, to New Zealand in January 2025. Looking ahead to summer, he plans to spend more time on his favourite hobby, racing sailboats, which he’s done competitively for many years. In 2024, Persall and his Port Dover Yacht Club team won the J/80 Canadian Championship in Toronto.
CHUCK AMYOT ALSO RETIRES
Chuck Amyot stepped down from the Board of Directors at the January District meetings as director of District 15 (Northern Ontario). Amyot had served on the Board since 2017; among his leadership roles on the Board, he chaired the Research and Innovation committee and was a member of the Grain Issues, Finance and Audit, and Legacy Fund committees. He also represented Grain Farmers of Ontario on the Canadian Field Crops Research Alliance, Grain Industry Advisory Committee, CropLife Canada, Canadian Seed Growers Association, Ontario Corn Committee, and the Ontario Cereal Crops Committee, among others, during his tenure. Grain Farmers of Ontario thanks Amyot for his leadership and commitment to the organization and wishes him well. •
