Grain Farmers of Ontario’s Board of Directors held its annual summer meeting and tour in District 3 (Lambton) in early July. The tour included stops at Cargill, CF Industries, Suncor Ethanol, and the Oil Museum of Canada. It offered a great view of the diverse industry within Sarnia and the surrounding area. The Board was also pleased to welcome MPs, MPPs, and local politicians to a supper meeting with agriculture industry representatives, local farmers, and the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program Class 19. CEREAL RYE GROWERS Growers of cereal rye have expressed interest in increasing future opportunities for the crop and have asked Grain Farmers of Ontario to consider adding this crop to its mandate. Should this occur, Grain Farmers of Ontario would look at leveraging agronomic research, market development, public communication, and advocacy for programs and policies for cereal rye. As part of the process, all farmers that grow and harvest cereal rye are asked to register below. This registration does not imply support for the inclusion of cereal rye to the Grain Farmers of Ontario mandate. Rather, the registration will be used to keep farmers growing cereal rye updated on the issue and seek input, as required. Register at www.gfo.ca/marketing/cereal-rye-growers/. MARKET COMMENTARY by Philip Shaw Grain prices have dropped precipitously since earlier in the spring, as it has been a tough pricing environment in early summer. Futures prices dropped as noncommercial investment capital left agricultural futures markets, following a general meltdown in other commodities such as oil. This happened despite a July United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report which predicted corn acreage up by 400,000 to 89.9 million acres while holding yield at 177 bushels per acre, pegging U.S. production at 14.505 billion bushels. USDA kept planted soybean acreage at 88.3 million acres and national yield at 51.5 bushels per acre which translates to total new crop soybean production of 4.505 billion bushels. In Ontario, the Canadian dollar hovering in and around the 77 cents U.S. level has helped sustain cash grain prices in a negative environment. weekly field observations report on the Ontario Grain Farmer website and in the weekly CropTalk e-newsletter. Find out more on www.ontariograinfarmer.ca. WEBINARS Learn about the latest agronomic and industry news from the comfort of your office, kitchen table, or even the tractor cab — wherever you have wifi! Grain Farmers of Ontario’s GrainTALK webinars feature industry leaders and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) field crop team discussing the topics that matter to growers. Recent webinars include: • Grain Quality & Grading with SGS Canada Inc. • Insects update with OMAFRA‘s Tracey Baute • How to prepare for fertilizer supply chain issues and costs with OMAFRA‘s Ben Rosser • Diseases in the field with Albert Tenuta from OMAFRA Find out more at www.gfo.ca/GrainTALK. SUMMER EVENTS It’s been a busy summer for Grain Farmers of Ontario staff and farmer-member volunteers who have travelled across Ontario to fairs, festivals, and events to help Ontarians learn about grains and grain farming. Our new Grains on the Go trailer, officially launched at the March Classic, had its first public appearance at the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa on July 1 and then made appearances at the Honda Indy in Toronto and the Canadian National Exhibition. The new trailer has lots of fun and interactive ways for consumers to learn about grains in fun and interesting ways, including virtual reality, trivia, and the opportunity to learn from real grain farmers. Come visit us this fall at the International Plowing Match and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The Grain Discovery Zone trailer has crisscrossed the province, attending events like the Niagara Regional Exhibition, Tecumseth’s 100-year celebration, and the Vankleek Fair. Visitors of all ages love playing in the corn box and learning about Ontario grains. As we head into the busy fall fair and festival season, come visit us at an event close to you! Find out more at www.GoodinEveryGrain.ca/events. 19 Discover other ways to join the GrainTALK conversation: E-News, Webinars, Podcasts, Radio, Research Days, and events. Visit www.gfo.ca/ GrainTALK. ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER SEPTEMBER 2022
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