Ontario Grain Farmer November 2021

32 FAITH AND FAMILY have shaped Kevin Vander Spek’s perspective on life and farming. “It humbles you when you grab a seed and put it in a planter and into the ground, no matter what you do, no matter how much money you spend, you’re ultimately not the reason that seed grows. Whether you believe in a higher being or Mother Nature, you need a lot of faith.” Vander Spek, a grain farmer in Cayuga, has been selected as the Ontario representative for the 2022 American Soybean Association (ASA) Young Leader Program sponsored by Corteva Agriscience. The Young Leader program enhances participants’ skills through leadership, communications, and issues-based training, and builds a strong peer network. Grain Farmers of Ontario is a member of the ASA and selects one farmer or farming couple to participate in the program each year. COVID-19 prevented the attendance of an Ontario farmer last year. With the easing of travel restrictions, Vander Spek is looking Growing a network 2022 ASA CORTEVA YOUNG LEADER PROGRAM Rachel Telford KEVIN VANDER SPEK WITH HIS FAMILY ON THEIR FARM IN CAYUGA. PHOTO COURTESY KEVIN VANDER SPEK. forward to traveling to theCortevaGlobal Business Center in Johnson, Iowa for the first phase of the programat the end of November and to the CommodityClassic inNewOrleans for phase two in March 2022. FARM MANAGEMENT Vander Spek farms about 800 acres, about half of which are planted to soybeans. He says soybeans are the crop best suited to the hard clay ground common in Haldimand County, but he has a strict rotation of corn, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa because it provides improved soil health and higher soybean yields. Member Relations