GrainTALK for August 2025

ANNUAL FEDERAL RECEPTION

Board of Directors members and staff were in Ottawa on June 8 to meet with MPs to discuss Grain Farmers of Ontario’s federal priorities. In the evening, Grain Farmers of Ontario, together with industry colleagues from the Atlantic Grains Council, Producteurs de grains du Québec, and Spirits Canada, hosted their annual federal reception, which was attended by MPs, senators, parliamentary staff, and industry representatives.

The annual federal reception is an opportunity to advance Grain Farmers of Ontario’s and the eastern Canadian grain industry’s priorities. •

GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO AGM

The Grain Farmers of Ontario Annual General Meeting will be held on September 9, 2025, at the Craigowan Golf Club, 595838 Highway 59 N, Woodstock, from 8 a.m. to noon. A buffet breakfast and lunch will be served.

The meeting will also be live-streamed. All farmer-members are invited to attend.

The meeting is being held in conjunction with Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show at the Discovery Farm in Woodstock, Ontario. Attendees of the AGM will receive a complimentary ticket to the show.

For more information or to register, visit gfo.ca/agm. •

ASA CORTEVA YOUNG LEADER PROGRAM– APPLICANTS WANTED

Grain Farmers of Ontario seeks a soybean farming couple or individual to represent Ontario in the 2026 Class of the American Soybean Association Corteva Young Leader Program. The Young Leader program enhances participants’ skills through leadership, communications, and issues- based training and builds a strong peer network, generating increased success in their businesses and communities.

Phase one of the program will be held at the Corteva Global Business Center in Johnson, Iowa, December 2-5, 2025. Phase two takes place in conjunction with the Commodity Classic in Denver, Colorado, February 25-27, 2026.

Young Leaders are not necessarily young in age but are new in their leadership development. The ideal candidate is looking to become more involved in Grain Farmers of

Ontario. Applicants must ensure that they have the necessary documentation to travel to the U.S.

For more information on the program, read about 2025 Class participant, Tyler Robertson, at www.ontariograinfarmer.ca.

Applications opened in July 2025 and can be submitted to the American Soybean Association directly at soygrowers.com or by contacting Rachel Telford, manager, member relations for Grain Farmers of Ontario, at rtelford@gfo.ca. Applications are due September 2nd. •

WOMEN’S GRAIN SYMPOSIUM

Grain Farmers of Ontario is excited to announce the return of the annual Women’s Grain Symposium, taking place December 9-10, 2025, at the Delta Hotel and Conference

Centre in Guelph. This inspiring two-day event brings together women from across Ontario’s grain sector for networking, education, and leadership development. Registration opens in September. Stay tuned for more details on gfo.ca as they become available. •

SAVE THE DATE! MARCH CLASSIC 2026

Mark your calendars for March 24, 2026, for Grain Farmers of Ontario’s annual March Classic.

Grain Farmers of Ontario is excited to announce that the 2026 March Classic will be held at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre. The new venue provides an opportunity to grow Ontario’s premier agricultural event. Find out more at gfo.ca/marchclassic. •

YEN ANNUAL NETWORKING TOUR VISITS THE UK

In June, 28 Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network participants and staff from Ontario and the U.S. participated in a networking tour in the UK. Grain Farmers of Ontario participants included Marty Vermey, senior agronomist; Alexandra Dacey, agronomy project coordinator; and Jason Seed, director of District 15 (Northern Ontario), along with Joanna Follings, cereals specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. They visited research facilities, UK YEN participant farms, and the annual Cereals conference. Watch upcoming issues of the Ontario Grain Farmer magazine for in-depth coverage of the tour. •

MARKET COMMENTARY

By Philip Shaw

Is the crop made in the United States? It certainly feels that way toward the end of June, with lower futures prices reflecting a big crop in the United States. The June United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report maintained the new crop corn forecast of 15.82 billion bushels, based on a yield forecast of 181 bushels per acre, which remains unchanged. The USDA reported a soybean production status quo of 4.34 billion bushels, based on a planted acreage estimate of 83.5 million acres. This is based on the U.S. national yield of 52.5 bushels per acre.

In Ontario, the wheat crop in June was moving quickly toward harvest, enhanced by hot weather, pointing to a certainty of combines rolling through the wheat fields of southwestern Ontario in early July. The Canadian dollar, which has been fluttering upward toward the 73- cent U.S. mark, continues to affect Ontario cash grain basis levels. •