20 An update on Grain Farmers of Ontario news and events 2022-2023 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Grain Farmers of Ontario held its Annual General Meeting on September 12 at the Craigowan Golf Club in Woodstock. The financial statements for the 2022 - 2023 fiscal year (June – May) were presented by the auditors, RLB LLP, at the meeting. The financial statements are included immediately following this newsletter for the easy reference of all farmer-members. The financial statements can also be found in the 2023 Annual Report, available online at www.gfo.ca/about. WOMEN’S GRAIN SYMPOSIUM Grain Farmers of Ontario is hosting its annual Women’s Grain Symposium November 27 - 28, 2023, at the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre in Guelph. The Symposium is an opportunity for networking, professional development, and leadership development, and is open to women who are grain farmers, active members of their family grain operation, or working within the grain sector of agriculture business with a direct connection to farmers. A registration fee of $100 includes all Symposium events, meals, and one night hotel accommodation (Monday, November 27). More information, including the agenda, speakers, and registration can be found at www.gfo.ca/about/womens-symposium/ or by contacting Rachel Telford, manager of member relations at rtelford@gfo.ca. SIGN UP FOR GRAINTALK Get the latest farm news and important Grain Farmers of Ontario updates each week! Go online to www.gfo.ca and click on the button to subscribe. • STEMTERPRISE LAUNCHES Good in Every Grain, the public outreach campaign of Grain Farmers of Ontario launched STEMterprise, an award-winning science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program for Ontario Grade 3 classrooms. STEMterprise is a unique teaching resource based on Ontario grain farming in coordination with the Ontario elementary school curriculum. The Farming STEMterprise program created by the National Farmers Union United Kingdom (NFU U.K.) brings agriculture into the classroom in a fun and exciting way for students and teachers alike. This program, offered at no cost to Ontario teachers, will allow students to learn where their food comes from, how food gets from field to fork, and how farmers protect the environment while meeting the increasing demand for food. Students will also develop business, entrepreneurship, and sales skills as they create a classroom bake sale with their granola bar businesses. Good in Every Grain is excited to launch this program and bring the importance of agriculture back into classrooms, one grain ata time. Ontario Farming STEMterprise materials can be found for download at www.GoodinEveryGrain.ca/ontario-farmingstemterprise/. COME SEE US AT FALL EVENTS Grain Farmers of Ontario’s communications intern, Ainsley Leblanc, has be traveling across the province this summer visiting fairs and festivals with the Grain Discovery Zone trailer. The 2023 season wraps up at the Brigden Fair October 6 - 9 and at Sheldon Creek Dairy’s ‘Day on the Farm’ on October 28. The Grains on the Go trailer will be exhibiting at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair November 3 - 12. FROM THE CHAIR A Q&A with Brendan Byrne, chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. Do you see continued opportunities for growth in domestic and international trade of Ontario-grown grains and oilseeds? Absolutely. As chair, I have been fortunate to travel the world as an ambassador for Ontario grains, and the people I meet have overwhelming respect for Ontario farmers and our products. Our grain is truly considered world-class. There are opportunities for us in emerging markets and to deepen our sales to existing markets. One of the issues I have heard about is logistics and freight costs as barriers we need to overcome, but I am very optimistic about the demand for our grains and overcoming any obstacles. I recently attended the International Oilseed Producers Dialogue in Argentina, where we were made to feel very welcome and appreciated, and so many countries were eager to talk to us. It was clear to me that farmers around the world share a passion and a love for what we do and that our challenges with the environment, government regulation, and misinformed consumers are shared, too. Maybe by using our collective influence, we're better off than trying to fight alone. • Do you have a question for our chair? Email GrainTALK@gfo.ca. 2023 Annual Report Grain Farmers of Ontario Grain Farmers of Ontario 679 Southgate Drive Guelph, ON N1G 4S2 Tel: 1-800-265-0550 www.gfo.ca
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQzODE4