Grain Farmers of Ontario unveils new Guelph headquarters

Aug 13, 2014

Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) - the province’s largest commodity group that represents 28,000 corn, soybean and wheat farmers, officially unveiled its new headquarters at 679 Southgate Drive in Guelph, Ont. on Tuesday.

To celebrate the occasion, GFO hosted an open house style event where they invited various members of the agricultural community, including end-users of grain, associations and government officials (members of provincial parliament), and media. More than 100 people attended the event. “We sincerely appreciate the support from everyone who attended,” Meghan Burke communications manager for GFO said in an emailed statement.

Previously, GFO’s office was located at the Ontario Agri-Centre at 100 Stone Road West in Guelph, Ont. The organization had been there since the merger of the legacy organizations in 2005. Legacy organizations include the Ontario Corn Producers Association, the Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board, and the Ontario Soybean Growers.

According to Burke, the move was a process that was initiated back in 2011 when GFO “delegates passed a motion that we investigate purchasing our own office space in Guelph,” she said. “This is now the permanent home of Grain Farmers of Ontario.”

The organization currently has 30 staff and has grown over the years by investing in several areas, including sustainability, market development and public outreach. The new office site provides GFO with the flexibility to add new roles as they see fit, and not have to worry about the constraints of office space, which proved to be the case at its former location.

“We are proud of our new, permanent home of Grain Farmers of Ontario and we have designed the office space with the future in mind, allowing room to grow,” Burke noted. “This was an important milestone for us and the next step in the evolution of our organization.”

In June of this year, GFO retired its popular Farmers Feed Cities campaign and launched a new public outreach initiative called Good in Every Grain, aimed at sharing a message about “the good values farmers represent, the good work they do for the environment and communities, and the good crops they grow.” A table was set up at the grand opening of GFO’s new office, which displayed promotional material, including t-shirts, magnets and literature.

A photo album of the event can be viewed at OntAg.Farms.com.

Video: How farmers are protecting the soil and our food security | DW Documentary

For a long time, soil was all but ignored. But for years, the valuable humus layer has been thinning. Farmers in Brandenburg are clearly feeling the effects of this on their sandy fields. Many are now taking steps to prepare their farms for the future.

Years of drought, record rainfall and failed harvests: we are becoming increasingly aware of how sensitively our environment reacts to extreme weather conditions. Farmers' livelihoods are at stake. So is the ability of consumers to afford food.

For a few years now, agriculture that focuses solely on maximum yields has been regarded with increasing skepticism. It is becoming more and more clear just how dependent we are on healthy soils.

Brandenburg is the federal state with the worst soil quality in Germany. The already thin, fertile humus layer has been shrinking for decades. Researchers and farmers who are keen to experiment are combating these developments and looking for solutions. Priority is being given to building up the humus layer, which consists of microorganisms and fungi, as well as springtails, small worms and centipedes.

For Lena and Philipp Adler, two young vegetable farmers, the tiny soil creatures are invaluable helpers. On their three-hectare organic farm, they rely on simple, mechanical weed control, fallow areas where the soil can recover, and diversity. Conventional farmer Mark Dümichen also does everything he can to protect soil life on his land. For years, he has not tilled the soil after the harvest and sows directly into the field. His yields have stabilized since he began to work this way.

Isabella Krause from Regionalwert AG Berlin-Brandenburg is convinced after the experiences of the last hot summers that new crops will thrive on Brandenburg's fields in the long term. She has founded a network of farmers who are promoting the cultivation of chickpeas with support from the scientific community.