26 WHILE TRAVELLING INSoutheast Asia in February 2023, Grain Farmers of Ontario’s CEO, Crosby Devitt, says he was amazed at how often he saw the Canadian maple leaf displayed prominently on food packaging and in grocery stores. “It really drove home how valued Canadian products and the crops that Ontario farmers grow are in that region,” he says. Devitt, along with Grain Farmers of Ontario chair Brendan Byrne, was visiting Japan and Vietnam as part of a Government of Ontario delegation led by Minister Lisa Thompson of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Concurrently, Grain Farmers of Ontario vice president, Paul Hoekstra and District 5 (Elgin, Norfolk) Director Scott Persall took part in a Soy Canada mission, which then continued on to Malaysia. That delegation, consisting of 26 Soy Canada members, met with more than 220 current and potential customers in the Indo-Pacific Region, heard firsthand the quality specifications international customers are looking for when purchasing soybeans, visited manufacturing facilities to see how Canadian soybeans are processed, and shared how the latest developments in the Canadian soybean industry provide value for our customers. “There’s nothing like being face-to-face to share and understand how we deliver value for our customers,” says Brian Innes, executive director with Soy Canada. “The enthusiasm we saw this year shows the value of our On a mission PROMOTING ONTARIO GRAINS AND OILSEEDS Mary Feldskov LEFT TO RIGHT: PAUL HOEKSTRA, BRENDAN BYRNE, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS LISA THOMPSON, SCOTT PERSALL, AND CROSBY DEVITT. market development investment and how we can grow the value of our industry in the future.” A COMMITMENT TO QUALITY Asia is a key market for Ontario-grown soybeans, and that demand continues to grow. According to Soy Canada’s market development manager, Nicole MacKellar, the demand for food grade soybeans is projected to grow 5.6 per cent in Asia over the next three years, and the demand is expected to outpace supply. Soy Canada says that the Japanese market shows a preference for Canadian soybeans, prized for their high quality and protein levels. That’s the message that Byrne took home from the trade missions. “One of the really positive aspects was hearing how well respected our farmers and farms are in other regions,” he says. “And that high quality was synonymous with Ontario grain.” MEXICO AND COLUMBIA Byrne also traveled to Mexico and Colombia in December 2022, along with Grain Farmers of Ontario’s manager of market development and sustainability, Dana Dickerson, as part of Cereals Canada’s New Wheat Crop Latin America Mission. The mission was part of a broader Cereals Canada program that visits 15 countries across Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa to present the 2022 New Wheat Crop Report to global customers of Canadian wheat. These missions were the first to be held in-person in two years (due to the Covid-19 pandemic) and served as important touchpoints to re-engage relationships with milling customers. “People were happy to welcome us back and have the opportunity to ask questions face to face,” says Dean Dias, Cereals Canada’s CEO. “Over the past two years, our team has done an excellent job presenting the information to our customers in an online-only format but one of our great Market Development
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