GFO Newsletter for December 2014

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THANK A GRAIN FARM FAMILY
During the month of October, Grain Farmers of Ontario held its third Thank a Grain Farm Family contest. The contest was held to recognize the hard work and long hours farmers put in during the harvest season. Three winners were randomly selected from subscribers to the Bottom Line weekly e-newsletter. Valerie Gilvesy, Grain Farmers of Ontario member relations, delivered lunch to their farm for their family and employees.

Congratulations to our winners: Todd Charlton (District 1), William Arthur (District 9), and Dale Grant (District 12). •

SWAC SATELLITE LOCATIONS ANNOUNCED
Grain Farmers of Ontario and John Deere will jointly host four satellite locations for the Southwest Agricultural Conference (SWAC) on Wednesday, January 7, 2015.

Earlton — Green Tractors Inc.,
271429 Poupore Rd., Earlton
Omemee — Green Tractors Inc.,
114 Heights Rd., Omemee
Walkerton — Royal Canadian Legion
505 Scott St N, Walkerton, ON

A fourth satellite location in eastern Ontario is still being confirmed.

Visit www.gfo.ca/SWAC.aspx for a full list of sessions to be broadcast to all locations. To attend a satellite location, please register online or contact Erin Calhoun at 519-767-4137 or ecalhoun@gfo.ca with your name, preferred location and contact information by December 30, 2014.

Admission is $25. All locations will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with lunch provided.

For more information about SWAC, visit www.southwestagconference.ca. •

GRAINS IN ACTION
Grain Farmers of Ontario is looking for young farmers, between the ages of 20 and 35, to participate in the 2015 Grains in Action program. One session will be held from February 2 – 5. This year, the tour will be stopping at four new locations in southwestern Ontario. Highlights include Suncor, the Sarnia Grain Terminal, the Hiram Walker distillery, and course favourite P & H Milling. If you are interested in the program, please contact Valerie Gilvesy at 226-979-5581 or vgilvesy@gfo.ca. Limited space is available. •

AT THE ROYAL
Grain Farmers of Ontario sponsored the attendance of a school group at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in November. The Grade 3 class from Dallington Public School in North York enjoyed a day at the fair, including a stop at the Growing Connections exhibit. Teacher Mary Matusoff uses the Grade 3 Teacher’s Kit to help her students learn about agriculture. Any Grade 3 teacher can obtain a free Teacher’s Kit at www.goodineverygrain.ca. •

VARIETY PERFORMANCE TRIAL REPORTS
Farmers planning for next year’s crop may want to look at how well their preferred varieties performed during the 2014 growing season. Winter wheat and spring cereal performance trial reports are currently available at www.gocereals.ca, and the website also features a tool for head-to-head variety comparisons. The soybean performance trial report is posted at www.gosoy.ca. Any soybean locations that were delayed in harvest or data analysis will be posted as soon as they are available, but it is expected all soybean information will be on the website the first week of December. Because of the cool and wet season, the corn performance trials were harvested late and this report will be delayed. It is expected to be posted to www.gocorn.net in early December. The website also contains trial data in tables that can be sorted to your preference and corn production decision support tools you can use for next year’s crop. 

If you would like copies of any of these reports sent to you by mail, please contact Meghan Moran, Grain Farmers of Ontario research coordinator, at 1-800-265-0550. •

MEETING WITH MINISTER RITZ
Grain Farmers of Ontario met with Gerry Ritz, minister of agriculture and agri-food at the end of October. The meeting was an opportunity to highlight key issues affecting Ontario agriculture. The Agricultural Growth Act, that includes the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act which will bring Canada under UPOV 91, was one area of discussion. Trade agreements, our commitment to pollinator health, commodity prices and the need for dependable risk management programs, low level presence, and the new Canadian Grain Commission cost recovery plan were also brought up during the meeting.

Attending the meeting with Ritz and Jim Scott, senior policy advisor to the minster, was Grain Farmers of Ontario’s CEO Barry Senft, chair Henry Van Ankum, and  federal government liaison Gord Pugh. •

EDUCATIONAL DISPLAYS
The Grain Discovery Zone concluded its 2014 tour at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in November. The trailer had a very successful season reaching over 25 events across the province through spring, summer, and fall. It is resting for the winter, but available for some special event requests. With the show season wrapping-up, we also bid farewell to this year’s Grain Discovery Zone Ambassador, Justine Lennox, who talked to thousands of rural families sharing the Good in Every Grain message and answering tough agricultural questions. We wish Justine all the best in her future.

We also have two new educational displays available for school or community events throughout the winter. These interactive displays teach youth about grain farming practices and machinery, as well as uses for Ontario corn, soybeans, and wheat. The displays can be mailed to you or picked-up at the Grain Farmers of Ontario office. Please note: these displays require an adult at your event to set-up and facilitate the activities.

To request the Grain Discovery Zone for 2015 or an educational display please visit: www.gfo.ca/Community/ FairandEventOfferings. •

MARKET COMMENTARY
by Philip Shaw
The USDA boosted its corn and soybean yield forecasts to 174.1 and 47.1 bushels per acres respectively in their October 10 report and they were expected to be increased slightly in their report released November 10. Record crops of 14.475 and 3.927 (Oct report) are expected.  Big crops sometimes get bigger and 2014 is likely to be no exception.

The good news is an unexpected October rally has boosted corn prices approximately 50 cents and soybeans $1.30 over the last three weeks of October and first week of November. This combined with a Canadian dollar at 88 cents U.S. has boosted cash prices. Ontario corn varies across the province, with the cold summer and September frost impacting test weight and quality.  •