Ontario Grain Farmer October 2021

An update on Grain Farmers of Ontario news and events 2021 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Grain Farmers of Ontario held its Annual General Meeting on September 14. During the meeting, the financial statements for the 2020-2021 fiscal year (June – May) were presented by the auditors, RLB LLP. The financial statements are included immediately following this newsletter for the easy reference of all farmer-members. The financial statements can also be found in the 2021 Annual Report, available online at www.gfo.ca/about. YOUR GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO TEAM Here is our next installment of profiles of your Grain Farmers of Ontario team. DANA DICKERSON, MANAGER, MARKET DEVELOPMENT Dana Dickerson joined Grain Farmers of Ontario as the manager, Market Development at the end of May. In this role she is responsible for leading the retention and expansion of both domestic and international grain markets, overseeing the development and implementation of sustainability initiatives, and exploring new market access opportunities that align with our overall strategic goals. Prior to joining our organization, Dickerson spent eight years in progressive leadership roles at the British Consulate-General Toronto as a locally engaged member of staff. She spent the last three years as North American Head of Sector for Consumer Goods and Agri-Food. In that role, she led the UK’s strategy to develop agri-food exports to Canada and the U.S. through marketing, business development, and trade policy FROM THE CHAIR A Q&A with Brendan Byrne, chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. Why does Grain Farmers of Ontario keep doing a farmer-member survey every few years? What is the value? The farmer-member survey is an excellent way for the Grain Farmers of Ontario organization and Board to hear from our membership and get insight into several things, including which areas our membership considers priority areas for programs, how our farmer-members prefer to receive information, the value our membership sees in the organization and more. One key area of the survey is the demographics and questions about the magazine as this data helps us to show the value of the Ontario Grain Farmer magazine to advertisers who want to engage with grain farmers. We can also use the survey data in government outreach to show the diversity of our farmer-members and their operations. I encourage everyone to fill out the survey – either online or the print version they received last month. • Do you have a question for our chair? Email GrainTALK@gfo.ca . analysis. After many years working on behalf of our cousins across the pond, Dickerson is excited to have made the transition to Canadian agriculture and is proud to be part of the home team supporting Ontario farmers. Dana holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce with a major in International Business and minor in French language from Lakehead University. She was born and raised in Thunder Bay and grew up spending summer vacations on her grandparents’ farm in Kent County where they grew corn, oats, soybeans, and wheat. When not working, Dickerson enjoys spending time with her husband Kevin and Schipperke Basil, as well as cooking, travelling, and collecting rare gins and whiskies. SOYBEAN DRYING CHARGES Soybean producers are reminded about the need to confirm drying charges which are now calculated under the Agreement for Marketing the Ontario Soybean Crop made under the Farm Products Marketing Act(O. Reg 485/09). Go to www.gfo.ca/marketing for a drying charges calculator. Soybean drying charges are no longer tied to the price of soybeans. Cleaning and handling charges, as well as soybean drying charges/ moisture discounts, are agreed upon by the dealer and the producer through competitive market forces, similar to the corn and wheat markets. Producers should confirm all terms and conditions with their buyer before making their deliveries. MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES Farmer-members and industry associates who have changes to their mailing address cancel their subscription to the Ontario Grain Farmer magazine can contact Phaedra McIntosh, Grain Farmers of Ontario database coordinator, at pmcintosh@gfo.ca or 519- 767-4130. 18