16 An update on Grain Farmers of Ontario news and events YOUR GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO TEAM Here is our next installment of profiles of your Grain Farmers of Ontario team. ALLISON HESSELS, POLICY ADVISOR Grain Farmers of Ontario welcomed Allison Hessels in October 2021 to the government relations team in the newly created role of policy advisor. Hessels is a recent graduate from the University of Waterloo, with a BA in Political Science. She brings a strong background in agriculture to her role, having grown up on a cash crop and chicken farm in Canada and Australia. Prior to joining Grain Farmers of Ontario, she worked as a summer student for FS Partners in Drayton supporting agronomic tasks such as soil sampling, crop scouting, and yield counts. In the role of policy analyst, Hessels will help shape Grain Farmers of Ontario’s government relations strategies by conducting research, writing policy briefs, monitoring government policy, and liaisingwith industry and government. HAYLEY MICALLEF, MARKET DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Hayley Micallef joined Grain Farmers of Ontario as market development coordinator in December 2021. In this role, Hayley supports Grain Farmers of Ontario market development priorities including the Grains Innovation Fund and the Ontario Wheat Survey. Micallef is a graduate of the University of Guelph, receiving a BA in International Development with a focus in Rural and Agricultural Development in 2018. She obtained a post-graduate certificate in Agribusiness Management from Fanshawe College in 2019. Before joining Grain Farmers of Ontario, she worked as a grain control specialist and grain merchandiser working with grains, oilseeds, and feed. Micallef currently resides in Guelph and enjoys camping, hiking, baking, and discovering the great local eats Ontario has to offer. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTED At the Grain Farmers of Ontario inaugural board meeting, held in February, the Executive Committee was voted into office for the year. Brendan Byrne, director for District 1 (Essex) has been re-elected as chair. Jeff Harrison, director for District 12 (Durham, Northumberland, Kawartha, Peterborough, Hastings), and Scott Persall, director for District 5 (Elgin, Norfolk), will serve as vice-chairs. Josh Boersen, director for District 9 (Perth), will hold the position of executive member. A full listing of the 2022 Board of Directors, as well as a contact list for all district delegates, can be found at www.gfo.ca/about/districts. ONTARIO PROVINCIAL ELECTION Ontarians will head to the polls in June for the Ontario general election. As we approach election day, Grain Farmers of Ontario will be sharing election-related news, commentary, and information on the website, and in the weekly GrainTalk e-newsletter. We will be actively engaging with candidates to tell the Grain Farmers of Ontario story, outline our provincial priorities, and to make agricultural issues top-of-mind in this election. To learn more about our election platform and what candidates are saying about agricultural issues, visit www.gfo.ca/governmentrelations/provincial-priorities. FROM THE CHAIR A Q&A with Brendan Byrne, chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. How is Grain Farmers of Ontario helping to showcase the sustainability practices of Ontario’s grain farmers? As farmers, we know the value of healthy soil and water better than almost anyone, and that’s why we take care to have the best impact we can on the world. Grain Farmers of Ontario has been involved in several programs and committees to ensure that we have the best information to back us up when we speak to the government or the public about farming and sustainability. This year, we launched the Grain for Good campaign to increase public support for the environmentally sustainable practices farmers already have in place. We spearheaded a cover crop report that highlighted the breadth of cover crop use in Ontario that already exists, and we can take those findings to showcase the efforts of farmers when it comes to soil health. A Grain Farmers of Ontario staff member from our market development department sits on the board of directors of Field to Market Canada, and we participate in the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops to ensure our farmer-members voices are heard in those discussions. And, our new large educational trailer will visit schools across Ontario to tell our stewardship stories. • Do you have a question for our chair? Email GrainTALK@gfo.ca.
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