Ontario Grain Farmer November 2021

Being a sole operator, Vander Spek is keen to add to his farm management skills to help make his future business plans a reality — he attended Dordt University in Sioux Centre Iowa and the Advanced Farm Management course. Vander Spek already has his own elevator and hopes to one day become involved in the seed or crop care industry. Some of Vander Spek’s forward thinking has come out of necessity. Nine years ago, he was pulling a corn header when he was hit by a transport truck that ran a stop sign. The accident left him with limited mobility, changed his viewpoint on some things in life, but did not diminish his desire to farm. The elevator, along with a new on-farm shop, were built to allow him to work at his own pace and be more self-sufficient. Diversification is also his way of securing a profitable future that will allow his children to work with him on the farm if they choose. Vander Spek and his wife, Adriana, have three children, Makayla, 15, Jacob, 13, and Natalie, 10. “In the past couple of years, higher crop prices and higher land prices have lost me a good chunk of rented land. My goals are to boost fertility on owned land to maintain a higher revenue stream for my operation.” Another goal is to be completely self sufficient on machinery. “Owning my own sprayer allows me to be on top of insect management, whenever needed, at the right time. This seems to be a hurdle for growers in my area,” says Vander Spek. “I only rely on custom wheat planting, but I have established a reliable relationship with an operator who has never left me hanging and even puts my crop ahead of his.” Vander Spek also knows when asking for help is better than trying to do everything himself. “I have a great agronomist. His scouting and recommendations allow me to be more focused on keeping myself in the tractor seat or wrenching broken things." SOYBEAN INDUSTRY The ASA Young Leader program provides farmers with insights into the soybean industry and provides them with a North American and international perspective on markets. Vander Spek says being close to the Port of Hamilton makes his marketing fairly easy and the increased on-farm storage allows him to capitalize on the long- game of soybean pricing. But he is interested to learn if others have had more success with the IP market and what production practices they are utilizing on-farm to increase their yields, particularly with biologicals. “Sitting on the Grain Farmers of Ontario marketing committee has opened my eyes for the need for heightened awareness in foreign markets. We also need to develop local markets that weather the storms of trade impacts as well,” says Vander Spek, who has served as a delegate or alternate for District 6 (Haldimand, Brant, Hamilton, Niagara) for the past four years. He has an interest in continuing his involvement with our organization and taking on more of a leadership role in the future. You can follow updates from the 2022 Young Leader class on Twitter @ASA_Soybeans and follow Vander Spek @bainsbrookacres. l ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 33 NOVEMBER 2021 This article features an initiative of Grain Farmers of Ontario's Member Relations. As a long-time farmer, Bradley knows stuff happens when he's juggling work sunup to sundown everyday. Good news is, he also understands his insurance coverage thanks to The Commonwell and our local, insurance-savvy brokers. Knowing you're covered and understanding that coverage cr eates confidence. It's our job to ensu re that happens - so no matter what else happens, you come out on the right side every time. Take the surprises out of your farm insurance by visiting thecommonwell.ca/farm to find a Commonwell b roker. @#&*! HAPPENS