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. Jack McMillan joined the Grain Farmers of Ontario Market Development department in May as market development and sustainability assistant for an 8-month coop placement as a co-op student. McMillan is currently a third-year University of Waterloo Student, completing a Co-op Honours bachelor’s degree in political science, specializing in international relations, with minors in international trade, geography, and environmental management. During his co-op work term, he is excited to continue growing his knowledge of Ontario agriculture, politics, economics, and trade. Rachel Zimic joined the Grain Farmers of Ontario in April 2024 as the market development coordinator. Zimic has an M.Sc. degree from the University of Guelph and has built professional experience in project management, business development, and communications from past roles. 18 An update on Grain Farmers of Ontario news and events Most recently, Zimic worked at Bioenterprise Canada, a national food and agri-tech accelerator focused on commercializing emerging food and agricultural technologies. During her almost four-year tenure at Bioenterprise, she worked on a variety of projects, including supporting the creation of Bioenterprise’s Sustainable Innovation sponsor program, a national sustainability challenge with the Dairy Farmers of Canada, and creating the programming for the Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub alongside the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Through this work, Zimic became fascinated with Canadian agriculture’s challenges and opportunities and wanted to get involved with an organization closer to the farm gate, leading her to the Grain Farmers of Ontario. Outside of work, Zimic likes to experiment with cooking, especially using fresh and simple ingredients right from her garden. When she’s not cooking and gardening, she can be found playing soccer, walking her dogs, practicing guitar or managing soccer teams in the local Guelph league. 2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Grain Farmers of Ontario Annual General Meeting will be held on September 10, 2024, 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. A Q&A with Jeff Harrison, chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. Q. How has Grain Farmers of Ontario helped farmer-members in the 2024 growing season as we head into harvest? A. This has been a tough year for many farmers across the province, with heavy rainfalls, hotter-than-normal weather, and increased costs for equipment, seed, and inputs. One of the most important things we do as directors is be the voice for our districts to the Board and the organization. This year, delegates and directors from western Ontario were pivotal in making sure the Board and the team knew about the terrible impacts of the wet weather on the region and its farmers. This allowed Grain Farmers of Ontario to work with government, giving real world examples, to help get the crop insurance deadlines adjusted. We have also continued to work diligently on the Ontario Risk Management Program. The program paid out to farmers earlier this year, but that is no guarantee for the future and we are in talks with government to ensure the program is properly funded for future need. Again, I want to reiterate that this has been a tough year. As farmers, we know there will be weather issues, we know there could be financial pressures, and we know there are people who just do not understand farming and share misinformation. Through all of that, your Board and team are here working for you, and we want to make sure you have access to the resources you need, especially if you need some help and don’t know how to ask. Mental health is a tough issue, but we have resources for you. Check in on each other and share these resources so we can keep our communities well and safe. Do you have a question for the chair? Email GrainTALK@gfo.ca. FROM THE CHAIR JACK MCMILLAN, MARKET DEVELOPMENT CO-OP RACHEL ZIMIC, MARKET DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
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