From the CEO’s desk – August 2026

The past month has been a busy one for me with meetings involving national and international collaboration. These meetings can feel like a long way away from my work on the farm, but the truth is the two worlds in which I operate are tightly connected. The decisions farmers make in their fields are increasingly shaped by conversations happening around tables that bring together farmers and organizations from across the globe. And I’ve been fortunate enough to have a front row seat to some of those discussions.

Recently, Grain Farmers of Ontario and the Canadian Canola Growers co-hosted the International Oilseed Producers’ Dialogue (IOPD) meeting in Niagara Falls. This informal group brings together farmer representatives from major oilseed-producing countries such as Brazil, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, and the United States. Together, IOPD members represent over a million farmers and close to 90 per cent of global soybean exports.

Hosting the IOPD was a reminder that even though we farm in our own regions, we’re facing many of the same pressures: government policy and regulations, evolving sustainability standards, changing trade patterns, and the need to keep farmers economically viable while meeting the expectations of customers and consumers around the world.

One of the outcomes of the IOPD is a resolution that captures what we collectively agree on, such as principles around markets, sustainability, and farmer livelihoods. That document is still being finalized, and I think the mindset behind it is what’s most important. It’s farmers and their organizations leading the conversation, rather than reacting to it.

I also had the opportunity to connect with grain farmers across Canada at the Grain Growers of Canada’s 25th anniversary celebration, where we met to develop common positions on key issues facing our industry. Ontario grain farmers were instrumental in the formation of this organization, at that time represented by the Ontario Corn Producers Association and the Ontario Soybean Growers. Grain Farmers of Ontario also recently participated in panel discussions with international partners at the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative in Saskatoon. The focus was on making sure that any sustainability program for grain is practical and works on farm.

There is no shortage of good intentions when it comes to sustainability, but the challenge is turning those intentions into programs that recognize how farms actually operate. These intentions need to consider weather risk, tight planting and harvest windows, labour constraints, capital costs, and the reality that margins can be thin. When we’re part of these discussions, our role is to keep bringing the conversation back to what is realistic on farms, to speak up for systems that reward good practices without burying farmers in complexity or cost.

International collaboration is also about markets. As we wrap up wheat harvest, we’re reminded that we don’t just feed Canadians; we also supply grain to customers around the world. Recent visits from Mexican buyers and Haitian millers reflect the work Grain Farmers of Ontario is doing to grow and diversify our markets. Every time we sit down with international customers, we’re not just selling grain, we’re building long-term, trust-based relationships that benefit the entire value chain.

Alongside these global conversations, we’ve also been engaging with the federal government here at home. In early June, we were in Ottawa with our Grain Belt East partners (Quebec and Atlantic grain farmers) for a reception and meetings with the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Heath MacDonald. Recognition is growing at the federal level that food and agriculture deserve focused attention and investment, and this is encouraging.

For our part, we’ll keep highlighting the issues that matter to grain farmers and making sure policymakers understand that strong, competitive, and sustainable farms are the foundation of any credible food strategy.

All of this global and national work can feel pretty far removed from the cab of a tractor, but at every one of these meetings, I’m reminded that the ultimate goal is simple: to keep farmers farming, and to make sure that what we grow has value in markets around the world.

That came to mind recently as I watched my son graduate from the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College, along with the rest of his class. Seeing a new group of young people stepping into roles across our sector was a powerful reminder that we’re not just managing this year’s crop—we’re building the future of Canadian agriculture. If we can keep connecting what happens on our farms to what’s decided in boardrooms, then those new graduates will inherit an industry that’s not only surviving, but thriving, at home and around the world. •