Study Shows More than 90,000 Jobs in Ontario Thanks to Grain Farming

Dec 12, 2023

Guelph, ON – – Grain Farmers of Ontario, the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers, today unveils new numbers showcasing the economic impact of grain farming in Ontario, including growth in jobs, economic output, and government revenue contributions.

A recent study by MNP, spearheaded by Grain Farmers of Ontario, shows clearly that Ontario grain farming continues to grow in its economic value to Ontario and Canada through job creation, a foundational contribution to a thriving, stable and necessary value chain for the province’s economy.

The study highlights that Ontario grain farming is a positive force for the provincial and national economy with:

More than 90,000 jobs created from grain farming
A 60 per cent increase in economic output since 2010 – now valued at $27 billion
More than $2 billion in government revenue generated – a 64 percent growth

“Grain farming in Ontario is vital to the economic success of the province. Our industry is a stable source of jobs and economic growth, but farming is also one of the riskiest businesses to run. In order to ensure the sustainability of farming and food production, we need to work with government to ensure farmers can survive crises and keep growing food. Farmers also need to be able to take risks and continue to be a leader in adopting new innovation,” said Brendan Byrne, Chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario.

“I know that our partners in government see these numbers and value farming and its contribution to the success of our province, and I look forward to working with them further,” Byrne continued.

The report outlines the importance of grains and oilseeds in the value chain, starting with inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides, materials and equipment, and repair and maintenance services.

Source : GFO

Video: Spring 2026 weather outlook for Wisconsin; What an early-arriving El Niño could mean

Northeast Wisconsin is a small corner of the world, but our weather is still affected by what happens across the globe.

That includes in the equatorial Pacific, where changes between El Niño and La Niña play a role in the weather here -- and boy, have there been some abrupt changes as of late.

El Niño and La Niña are the two phases of what is collectively known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short. These are the swings back and forth from unusually warm to unusually cold sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator.

Since this past September, we have been in a weak La Niña, which means water temperatures near the Eastern Pacific equator have been cooler than usual. That's where we're at right now.

Even last fall, the long-term outlook suggested a return to neutral conditions by spring and potentially El Niño conditions by summer.

But there are some signs this may be happening faster than usual, which could accelerate the onset of El Niño.

Over the last few weeks, unusually strong bursts of westerly winds farther west in the Pacific -- where sea surface temperatures are warmer than average -- have been observed. There is a chance that this could accelerate the warming of those eastern Pacific waters and potentially push us into El Niño sooner than usual.

If we do enter El Nino by spring -- which we'll define as the period of March, April and May -- there are some long-term correlations with our weather here in Northeast Wisconsin.

Looking at a map of anomalously warm weather, most of the upper Great Lakes doesn't show a strong correlation, but in general, the northern tiers of the United States do tend to lean to that direction.

The stronger correlation is with precipitation. El Niño conditions in spring have historically come with a higher risk of very dry weather over that time frame, so this will definitely be a transition we'll have to watch closely as we move out of winter.