24 THE GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO January District Meetings are an opportunity for farmer-members from across the organization’s 15 districts to gather to hear about important updates, present resolutions, and elect delegates, alternates, and District directors. This year, two directors stepped down from their roles, making way for two new directors to take their place: Kevin Armstrong, from District 7 (Oxford, Waterloo) and Emery Huszka, from District 3 (Lambton). KEVIN ARMSTRONG Kevin Armstrong has been a steady presence at the Grain Farmers of Ontario Board table for more than a decade. First elected as director in District 7 (Oxford, Waterloo) in 2012, Armstrong’s involvement goes back even further, having served as a delegate to the Ontario Corn Producers’ Association and the Ontario Soybean Growers (two of the organizations that, along with the Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board, amalgamated to form Grain Farmers of Ontario in 2010). Following the amalgamation, Armstrong stayed on as a delegate to the newly formed organization, serving on the Grain Farmers of Ontario Communications Committee from the very beginning. “When the amalgamation happened, it just seemed a natural fit to stay on as a delegate. I got more involved with the organization … from there, I was asked to step into the director role, and I did. I’m really glad I did,” reflects Armstrong. Armstrong says there have been a lot of challenges over his 11 years on the Board. “The biggest challenge is dealing with a government that doesn’t understand the ins and outs of what we do. That’s a perennial challenge; it was there in 2010 when the amalgamation happened, and it’s still there today. The challenges are getting more complex, but they are always there. In relaying our concerns and our working environment to the government, that’s the biggest challenge that we have,” he says. But, despite the challenges, Armstrong says the Board usually finds success … eventually. “All of our successes, they rarely come immediately. I know it can seem frustrating to people watching from the outside, but the successes do eventually come.” Armstrong points to the neonicotinoid issue as an example. “We went to the wall, we took the government to task and took them to court. We weren’t successful then, but years later, the ban was lifted, and we were able to use those products again. The things we are doing right now, with the carbon tax and with the tariffs, something is going to happen, it might not be exactly what we want, but Legacy of leadership CELEBRATING TWO RETIRING DIRECTORS Ontario Grain Farmer KEVIN ARMSTRONG, PAST DIRECTOR, DISTRICT 7 (OXFORD, WATERLOO). something will happen to help alleviate those problems.” Though this was Armstrong’s last term on the Board — Grains Farmers of Ontario mandates a maximum 12-year term, and District 7’s directorship was up for election in 2023 — he is continuing as a delegate, and he will continue to be involved at the district level with Grain Farmers of Ontario. Though he says he will miss sitting at the board table, he is looking forward to investing some time in hobbies and activities, like mountain biking, which have taken a back seat for the past few years. “I’m going to farm for a while,” he says with a laugh. “Taking some time for myself. I’m going to read more fiction — I’m looking forward to a break from reports, and meeting briefings and minutes and things like that.” Industry News EMERY HUSZKA, PAST DIRECTOR, DISTRICT 3 (LAMBTON).
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