18 An update on Grain Farmers of Ontario news and events YOUR GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO TEAM Here is our next installment of profiles of your Grain Farmers of Ontario staff to help introduce you to the team. Jenna Marcone joined the Grain Farmers of Ontario staff in January 2024 as the director of finance. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant with previous experience in audit, financial analysis, treasury, and internal controls. Marcone grew up on a grain farm just outside of Guelph. Her accounting career has been centred around agriculture, and she is very passionate about the industry. She is thrilled to join Grain Farmers of Ontario, coming back to her original roots and using her financial skillset to benefit the organization. Marcone, her husband and two daughters live in Guelph. She volunteers as a board member and coach at the local girls’ hockey association. She and her family enjoy an active lifestyle of many sports, including baseball, swimming, and hockey. YOUNG LEADERS WANTED Grain Farmers of Ontario seeks applicants for the American Soybean Association Corteva Young Leader program. This program provides a two-phase training program that engages in leadership training that will enhance your farming operation and your service in other organizations, gives you tools to tell your story better, and provides an opportunity to meet and learn from agriculture industry leaders and other farmers. One soybean farming couple or individual will be selected as the Ontario representative for the Class of 2025. Training takes place in Iowa in November and in conjunction with the Commodity Classic in March 2025. Applications will open in early June at www. soygrowers.com. For more information, read about the experience of Kelsey Banks, the 2024 Ontario Young Leader, at www. ontariograinfarmer.ca, or contact Rachel Telford, manager of member relations, at rtelford@gfo.ca. GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP Grain Farmers of Ontario has launched the 2024 Legacy Scholarship program. Up to ten scholarships, valued at $5,000, are available to students enrolled in full-time post secondary studies. Up to five scholarships are available for students studying in non-agriculture-specific programs. More information, including application instructions, is available at www.gfo.ca/ legacyscholarship or by contacting Rachel Telford, manager of member relations, at rtelford@gfo.ca. Applications close July 21, 2024. FIELD OBSERVATIONS The Grain Farmers of Ontario’s agronomist, Laura Ferrier, publishes a weekly field observations report on the Ontario Grain Farmer website and in the weekly GrainTALK e-newsletter. Find out more at www. OntarioGrainFarmer.ca. A Q&A with Jeff Harrison, chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. What advice do you have for young people getting their start in farming? I didn’t realize how fortunate I was as a young man to have always known what I wanted to do in life; it was only after watching my children contemplate different career paths that I realized I always knew. It’s only now that I’m forced to think about it that I wonder why I just always knew. I grew up on a small farm, and both my parents had off-farm jobs. They worked very hard and made many sacrifices from humble beginnings. My mother is a proud farmer’s daughter who has always spoken so highly of her farmer dad and growing up on a farm. She taught me the love of watching things grow, and that farming is a noble profession; maybe that’s why. My father came home from his off-farm job and worked hard nights and weekends because he loved farming. Maybe I wanted to prove to him I could build my own farm. Maybe it was because we had a small farm and I wanted to show the world I could do it. I have come to learn that a farmer’s love for agriculture isn’t measured in acres. Dream big and know that anything is possible with hard work. A hungry world needs you. Farming has never been easy, and I won’t promise you it’s going to get easier; in fact, the challenges will be relentless. But always remember that’s what makes it so great. If farming was easy everyone would do it. It won’t be easy. But it will be worth it! Do you have a question for the chair? Email GrainTALK@gfo.ca. FROM THE CHAIR
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQzODE4