20 An update on Grain Farmers of Ontario news and events WOMEN’S GRAIN SYMPOSIUM Sixty women from across the grain and oilseed industry — including farmer-members, agronomists, and industry representatives — joined Grain Farmers of Ontario staff for the annual Women’s Grain Symposium on November 28 and 29 in Guelph. The event featured guest speakers on grain marketing, mental wellness, farm transition, leadership, personal development, entrepreneurship, and more. Grain Farmers of Ontario extends our thanks to industry sponsors, including SeCan, FCC, Spirits Canada, Syngenta, BASF, Greenfield Global, Peavey Mart, RBC, and P&H Milling, for their support of the event. The Women’s Grain Symposium is held annually to offer women farmer-members and grain industry representatives the opportunity to network, collaborate, and learn from one another and to encourage more women to get involved in leadership roles within Grain Farmers of Ontario. Thank you to Grain Farmers of Ontario delegates Kristen Carberry from District 11 (Dufferin, Simcoe, Halton, Peel, York), Margaret Vincent from District 8 (Huron), Julie Maw from District 3 (Lambton), Kaye McLagan from District 9 (Perth), and Jennifer Doelman from District 13 (Prince Edward, Lennox, Addington, Frontenac, Lanark, Leeds, Grenville, Renfrew, Ottawa) for participating on a panel discussion about their leadership as delegates. CEREALS CANADA NEW CROP MISSION Dana Dickerson, manager of market development and Brendan Byrne, chair, travelled to Mexico and Colombia in December to participate in the Cereals Canada New Crop Mission. They were joined by Paolo Santangelo, operations manager of SGS Canada — Crop Science, as part of the Grain Farmers of Ontario – SGS Laboratories joint venture that conducts quality testing of Ontario wheat. They met with millers, industry, and government officials to promote Ontario’s soft red winter wheat and grow existing and build new customer relationships. GRAIN FARMING 101 In November, Laura Ferrier, Grain Farmers of Ontario agronomist, and Josh Boerson, director for District 8 (Perth), hosted an Ontario Grain Farming 101 video viewing and pizza night at the University of Guelph. More than 30 attendees watched the Ontario Grain Farming 101 videos and had the opportunity to ask Josh questions about his farm and topics of interest. Attendees included undergraduate and graduate students and faculty representing a wide variety of areas of study, including agriculture, microbiology, zoology, biochemistry, and water resource engineering. Grain Farming 101 is an online video series that shares on-farm information and experiences and explores topics and themes around grain farming. MARKET COMMENTARY by Philip Shaw Farmers across the great North American corn belt are changing gears with the turn of the calendar year. As of this writing, the final numbers on the 2022 U.S. growing season are not yet available but were announced January 12, 2023. In the December United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, corn yield was maintained at 13.930 billion bushels on a yield of 172.3 bushels per acre. The soybean yield was maintained at 4.346 billion bushels on a yield of 50.2 bushels per acre. In Ontario, the final yields for corn came in at 166 bushels per acre and soybeans at 48 bushels per acre. With such a dry season in many parts of the province, that is surprising. The Canadian dollar continues to add stimulus to Ontario grain prices fluttering near $0.74 – 0.75 U.S. FROM THE CHAIR A Q&A with Brendan Byrne, chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. What do you hope 2023 will bring for grain farmers in Ontario and the organization? We started the year off well with our commitment to, and investment in, research and field crop expertise through our gift to the University of Guelph for a field crop professorship. Continuing on that, I know that this organization provides excellence for our farmer-members that is unmatched in the industry. I hope that 2023 brings with it continued excellence that opens doors to new markets for our grains, that sees the federal government recognize the importance and value of supporting farmers through carbon tax and tariff removal for food production, and that the public sees the benefits of how we farm and acknowledges farmers as the experts in food production. But, most importantly, I hope that 2023 brings our farmer-members success, health, happiness, and resilience in tough times should they come. Be safe and well and all the best this year. • Do you have a question for our chair? Email GrainTALK@gfo.ca.
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