GrainTALK newsletter – GrainTALK for March 2026
An update on Grain Farmers of Ontario news and events
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.
Susan Blundell
Director of Communications
Susan Blundell joined Grain Farmers of Ontario in December 2025 as Director, Communications. In this role, she will support clear, effective stakeholder communications, working to strengthen connections across the organization and with farmer-members.
Blundell brings a strong background in communications and stakeholder engagement to the organization. She holds a Master’s degree in communication from McMaster University and she brings a best practice solutions-based approach to her work, with a particular interest in building processes that support collaboration, and long-term impact. With firsthand experience in agriculture, Susan has a deep appreciation for the farming community. Having served time on the Dufferin Federation of Agriculture board, she is very rooted in rural life. That connection informs her work and reinforces the importance of strong relationships between the organization and Ontario’s grain farmers. Susan looks forward to advancing Grain Farmers of Ontario’s vision through strong, strategic communications that will support Grain Farmers of Ontario members and contribute to a strong and sustainable grain sector.
Annual District meetings
Grain Farmers of Ontario held its annual District meetings Jan. 13-23, 2026. Thank you to all of our farmer-members who attended their local meeting. We appreciated hearing your feedback on our proposed governance changes to our regulations and hearing about other issues of concern across the province.
Delegates were elected in all districts with directors being elected in even-numbered districts. Congratulations to those elected: Gus Ternoey, re-elected director for District 2 (Kent), Steve Twynstra, re-elected director for District 4 (Middlesex), Jeff Barlow, re-elected director for District 6 (Haldimand, Brant, Hamilton, Niagara), Jeff Klomps, newly elected director for District 8 (Huron), and Steve Lake, re-elected director for District 10 (Grey, Bruce, Wellington).
We would like to thank Keith Black for his 12 years of dedication as director for District 8 (Huron).
Market Commentary
By Philip Shaw
On January 12, the USDA raised its corn production estimate to 17.02 billion bushels, increasing the yield estimate to 186.5 bushels per acre. This was significantly higher than pre-report estimates. The USDA also bumped harvested acreage by 1.3 million acres, pushing it up to
91.3 million acres. This was a shock to the market and nearby corn futures plummeted 24 cents on the day. The USDA kept soybean yield unchanged at 53 bu./ac, putting the total domestic crop at 4.262 billion bushels in 2025. The report put a bearish pull on grain markets, which continued into February.
The Canadian dollar has risen to US$0.73 (up from US$0.71), in part due to a precipitous drop in the U.S. dollar. Producers need to have standing market orders ready to take advantage of price rallies.
