ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER GRAIN TALK 18 Your Grain Farmers of Ontario Team Here is our next installment of profiles of your Grain Farmers of Ontario Board of Directors to help introduce you to the team. Ann Vermeersch Director, District 5 (Elgin, Norfolk) Ann Vermeersch is the director for District 5 (Norfolk/Elgin). She was elected as a director in 2025 after serving as a delegate for five years. She currently serves as chair of the Research and Innovation committee. Ann and her husband, Jeff, own and operate Tillvalley Farms Inc. in Courtland, close to the north shore of Lake Erie in Norfolk County. Together, they farm corn, soybeans, wheat, rye and edible beans. Additionally, they operate a Pioneer Hi-Bred seed agency and custom application business. Vermeersch is actively involved in managing all aspects of the business. Vermeesrch has a BSc. (Agr.) from the University of Guelph and an M.Sc. in Crop Science from Michigan State University. She is a graduate of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (Class 16), a past participant in the ASA-Corteva Young Leaders program, and is a Certified Crop Advisor with a 4R designation. Before farming full-time, Vermeersch worked in the crop protection industry for seven years. She has also been involved in multiple organizations serving in different leadership capacities over the years, including Norfolk Soil and Crop, Norfolk Federation of Agriculture, Ontario CCA board, Norfolk County Council agriculture advisory, and Norfolk County Fair. In her free time, Vermeersch enjoys spending time with her three children, Abbie, Aric, and Evelyn. The girls are very involved in competitive dance, and Aric plays rep hockey. Ann can be found on X @cheekyfarmgirl. Grain Jason Seed Director, District 15 (Northern Ontario) Jason Seed was elected director of District 15 (Northern Ontario in January 2025. After getting his start with Grain Farmers of Ontario on the Grains in Action tour in 2020, he first joined the District as a delegate in 2021. As a delegate, he has served as a member of the Market Development Committee. Seed was born and raised on a beef farm outside Haileybury, Ontario. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from Laurentian University. During his time at university, he spent summers working at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Swift Current Research and Development Centre in Saskatchewan, where his love of all things agriculture flourished. His time in Saskatchewan was spent focusing on native rangeland forages (including variety development and agronomic research). After graduating, he worked as an economist at the research centre supporting scientists in creating economic reports for their work, mainly focusing on risk analysis and disease pressures in pulse crops. Seed moved home in 2020, and lives with his wife, Emily and son, Elliott, on their farm near Englehart, Ontario, growing 300 acres of grain and canola crops, where he has a passion for exploring new practices in crop production. Some of these practices integrate raising beef and poultry for direct-to-consumer sales to maximize production on their small farm. This is accomplished by utilizing crop residues and combining agri systems to support biodiversity, healthier soils, and a better overall economic outlook. Seed enjoys spending time with his wife and son, as well as camping, fishing and keeping up to date with all things farming and economics on YouTube. He can be found on X @JasonSeed13.
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