side because that opened the door to a lot of different things that became important nationally. Market development gave great opportunities for me to promote our products that we produce in Ontario. We are a world player in certain markets that are very important for our farmers. That became obvious to me when I visited some of the Asian countries where our food grade soybeans end up, as well as the European Union. They all rely on some of our raw product to be their food and feedstock. We as Ontario have to be very proud that we became that source and let’s hope we maintain that as well. Internationally, the International Oilseed Producers Dialogue provided an opportunity for international travel, and I met a lot of people that still today I feel I can reach out to any day and have a good dialogue about the issues we are facing and what they are doing. What do you see as the biggest issue for grain farmers going forward? The biggest challenge is to work with government to achieve the best possible outcome. Going back 12 years, it was somewhat easier to work with government because there weren’t that many issues downloaded to agriculture; in today’s world, ag is the target. That is still the biggest challenge for us — how can we work with that and still be positive and forward thinking and not just accept everything that is being thrown in front of us [for example, the federal carbon tax]. We don’t want to give in too easily to the ideas that government brings forward, because in the end that will be the final outcome if we give in. During my time as chair, government relations became Grain Farmers of Ontario’s main items to work on at all times. There is always something that needs to be done, the rest at the end of the day is important, but if we don’t mitigate the impact on the doorstep the government will dictate to us. That’s how I saw it evolve and I know our farmer-members are thinking the same as well. What advice do you have for the new directors joining the Board? Don’t be shy, say what you think. It is very important that board members around the table hear your opinion in the open forum of board discussion. Don’t be afraid to have 24 the dialogue that is required. Grain Farmers of Ontario’s Board has always been very receptive to new members. What are your future plans? I will remain as a delegate for the next year at least, and give input at the local level. I have a lengthy to do list and plans for growing my farm business. I am at the age where it is important for the next generation to know what happens on the farm. My sons are in their mid-20s and they have to feel integrated, and I can only do that if I am there in person. MARK HUSTON, DISTRICT 2 (KENT) What motivated you to remain a director for 12 years? It doesn’t really seem like it has been that long because the Board was always moving, always tackling new topics and new trends. Sometimes the things you started never seemed to get finished, especially on topics like Business Risk Management (BRM) which you always feel you can improve on. You have success on some files, and new ones come up, so it is a never-ending stream of work. I don’t think I would have lasted this long unless I really enjoyed it — and I did. I was fortunate to serve the Board in external positions that allowed me to develop contacts across the industry, in different countries, and different areas of Canada. I have been far more places than I would have been able to go to on my own, and I hope I did good work while I was there. Being on the executive as vice-chair was more work, but I never felt like I was committing more than what I had in me. As a member of the executive, I feel like I had influence on the direction of the organization, and I feel like I contributed a lot. What do you feel is the most important role Grain Farmers of Ontario plays on behalf of farmer-members? I think it is the ability to amplify the voice. Grain Farmers of Ontario has the ability to take what may be an issue for one small area of the province and scale it up to the federal level and even internationally. I represented Grain Farmers of Ontario and Soy Canada on a couple of international missions and being able to take a local issue to the embassy in China or Brussels and do work to try and resolve it is pretty powerful. What was the biggest challenge during your time on the Board? The time and effort away from the homefront were a challenge. I was lucky to have my uncle and my dad and cousin to be able to take some of the reigns on the farm away. My wife took on the family duties while I was away. But while that is the biggest challenge, the experiences are the biggest reward. Sitting down and talking to secretaries of state, having a friend down in the States, or being able to call someone in Brazil or China, those are connections I wouldn’t have been able to get especially as someone who is more introverted. It has pulled me out of my comfort zone a lot and that has been a good thing. What do you see as the biggest issues for grain farmers going forward? Twelve years ago, a carbon tax wouldn’t have even been something that we contemplated talking about, but over the last five to 10 years, the environment has really scaled up as far as the ability to move governments. And I think that we are going to have some challenges financially from a farm standpoint. We have been lucky the last 12 years, with relatively good farm income, despite some ups and downs. The boom cycle can only last so long, so that is going to be one of the challenges we have to be ready to address. Issues like inflation, we are already seeing it on input prices. We are going to have to figure out how to make BRM programs work — programs that we could never get the government to commit to when times were good, how are they going to then commit when times aren’t as good? What advice do you have for the new directors joining the Board? I think my advice would apply to delegates in general. I was lucky that I started on the Board before a lot of big things in life hit me — I was single, I didn’t have any kids, I was in my 20s. I got to grow up with the organization and make it part of my life. With that, you can more easily adapt through different milestones. So, my encouragement is to start younger so you don’t build up the excuses continued from page 23
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