youth in exploring outdoor education. She lives in Cambridge, Ontario, with her husband and young son. 2023 JANUARY DISTRICT MEETINGS PRIZE WINNERS Thank you to all of our farmer-members who participated in this year’s January District Meetings. All attendees were entered into a draw to win one of three tech prizes. Congratulations to our winners! Dennis Jibb (District 15) and Ben Claussen (District 10) will both receive an Apple iPad, and our grand prize winner of an Apple MacBook is David Heuchan (District 10). PRIVACY POLICY Grain Farmers of Ontario is committed to responsibly collecting, using, and disclosing information in compliance with the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. When you voluntarily provide us with any information, we will NOT rent, sell, or otherwise disseminate your information to ANY third party. Please contact Grain Farmers of Ontario’s privacy officer at info@gfo.ca if you require additional information on privacy issues. MARKET COMMENTARY by Philip Shaw On January 12, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their ‘final numbers’ on the 2022 U.S. crop year. Corn production was reduced 200 million bushels down to 13.730 billion bushels, which is the lowest in three years. U.S. National corn yield now sits at 173.3 bushels per acre, but the USDA also cut harvested acreage by 1.6 million acres. The total supply now stands at 15.157 billion bushels with total usage coming in at 13.915 billion bushels. Soybeans were lowered to an average yield of 49.5 bu/acre putting U.S. domestic supply at 4.276 billion bushels. These estimates were lower than trade expectations. The Canadian dollar continues to flutter in the 0.74 – 0.75 cent U.S. range adding stimulus to Ontario grain prices. South American harvest is in full swing putting pressure on grain futures. 23 ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER MARCH 2023 DOUG WAGTER, GRAINS EDUCATOR Doug Wagter joined the Grain Farmers of Ontario staff in September 2022 as the grains educator. Wagter, who grew up on a farm in Haldimand County, continued this tradition after graduating from Ridgetown College and farmed in the Dunnville area. After farming for several years, he sold the farm business and returned to school to become a teacher, getting his B.Sc. and B.Ed. from Redeemer University. Before joining Grain Farmers of Ontario, he taught at Christian and First Nation schools in Western Canada. Wagter has been involved with several organizations over the years, including youth groups, Haldimand Soil and Crop Improvement Association, and as a volunteer firefighter. Wagter, his wife, and three of his children live in Dunnville, Ontario. JENN LESLIE, AGRONOMY PROJECTS COORDINATOR Jenn Leslie joined the Grain Farmers of Ontario staff in October 2022 as the agronomy project coordinator. Leslie has a B.Sc. in agriculture and a Masters in agricultural economics from the University of Guelph. She has spent the last six years working as an agricultural project manager and researcher in Canada and New Zealand. Before joining Grain Farmers of Ontario, she worked at the University of Guelph managing grants in the Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics Department. Jenn has worked with farmers over her career to bridge the gap between the academic, public, and private sectors, delivering projects that improve practices in the field. As a volunteer, Leslie has worked with Scouts Canada and Scouts Aotearoa New Zealand, supporting Venturer Win! Enter the monthly online contest for 2023 at www.OntarioGrainFarmer.ca. In March - enter to win a Husky Standard duty 52” 9-drawer mobile workbench with solid wood top courtesy of BASF Canada (valued at $650). The contest is open to all farmer-members and is online only.
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