16 An update on Grain Farmers of Ontario news and events 2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Grain Farmers of Ontario Annual General Meeting will be held on September 12, 2023, at the Craigowan Golf Club, 595838 Highway 59 N, Woodstock, from 8 a.m. – noon. A buffet breakfast and lunch will be served. The meeting will also be live-streamed. All farmer-members are invited to attend. The meeting is being held in conjunction with Canada's Outdoor Farm Show at the Discovery Farm in Woodstock, Ontario. Attendees of the AGM will receive a complimentary ticket to the show. For more information or to register, visit www.gfo.ca/agm. ANNUAL REPORT Grain Farmers of Ontario's 2023 Annual Report is available online at www.gfo.ca, or you can request a printed copy by calling the office at 1-800-265-0550. The report contains a review of Grain Farmers of Ontario's activities during the last fiscal year and the audited financial statements. Annual General Meeting attendees are encouraged to review the financial statements before attending the meeting to be prepared to ask any questions they may have. SEPTEMBER EVENTS September is a busy month for Grain Farmers of Ontario staff! Until September 4, find us at the Canadian National Exhibition Farm. Visit us at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show September 12-14 at the Discovery Farm in Woodstock, where our booth will be located at N-158 in Crop Alley, across from Maizex. You can also find us at the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo, September 19 - 23. The Grains on the Go trailer will be located on the Bowling Green. And the Grain Discovery Zone will be at fairs and festivals throughout the month of September; come visit us September 1 - 3 at the Mitchell Fair, September 8 - 9 at the Warren Fair, September 15 - 17 at the Acton Fair, September 21 - 24 at the Carp fair, and September 28 - October 1 at the Ilderton Fair. WOMEN'S GRAIN SYMPOSIUM Grain Farmers of Ontario will be hosting its annual Women's Grain Symposium November 27 - 28 in Guelph. The informative and educational sessions include topics such as developing a personal strategic plan, reducing rural violence, and mastering the grain markets, plus opportunities for networking, socializing, and fun. Registration opens September 1. Space is limited, so register early! Visit www. gfo.ca/ about/womens-symposium/ for more information, to view the agenda and speaker biographies, or to register. AGRONOMY RESOURCES The Grain Farmers of Ontario agronomy team of Marty Vermey, Laura Ferrier, and Alexandra Dacey offers a number of resources for farmer-members. Visit www.gfo.ca/agronomy for information on crop management, crop performance trials, apps and guides, soil leadership, and the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network project. Grain Farmers of Ontario hosted a GrainTALK webinar in July highlighting pests and diseases to watch out for in 2023, featuring Tracey Baute and Alberta Tenuta from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Find the webinar at www.gfo.ca/GrainTALK. And did you know that Laura Ferrier, Grain Farmers of Ontario's agronomist, publishes a weekly Field Observations report during the growing season? The report is published in the weekly GrainTALK e-newsletter and at www.OntarioGrainFarmer.ca. To sign up for the weekly GrainTALk e-newsletter, visit www.gfo.ca/GrainTalk. FROM THE CHAIR A Q&A with Brendan Byrne, chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. As we head into a new school year, how has Grain Farmers of Ontario helped ensure agriculture is a career pathway that students choose? Over the past year, we have gone above and beyond to ensure agriculture and agriculturerelated careers are promoted to students — from our work with AgScape to our Grains on the Go trailer visiting 1,700 students and showcasing the pathways agriculture careers can take you, to our inaugural year for the Grain Farmers of Ontario Legacy Fund Scholarships, to our investments in ag-related professorships at the University of Guelph We also support education and careers in agriculture through our research and innovation funding. Last year we had almost $2 million invested in 74 projects to help advance our knowledge in integrated pest management, weeds and diseases, DON, and hybrids. Steering people to a career in agriculture can be tough with all the competing industries out there, but the more we support the next generation and talk to them about our passion for what we do, the more we inspire them to join our industry and professions. I want to remind people to join us for our Annual General Meeting on September 12 at Craigowan Golf Club in Woodstock. It's a great opportunity to join discussions about the work Grain Farmers of Ontario does and bring forward any resolutions. • Do you have a question for our chair? Email GrainTALK@gfo.ca.
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