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Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization,
representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers.
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Ontario Grain Farmer Magazine

Barley and oats to be represented by Grain Farmers of Ontario

GUELPH, ON (January 5, 2015) – Barley and oat farmers across the province have voted strongly in favour of being represented by Grain Farmers of Ontario.

“We are pleased to announce that barley and oat production in Ontario is anticipated to be represented by Grain Farmers of Ontario by July 1, 2015,” says Barry Senft, CEO of Grain Farmers of Ontario. “These crops are important to the grain industry in our province and we are keen to provide value to Ontario’s barley and oat farmers in the areas of research, market development, and advocacy.”

The Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission invited barley and oat farmers to participate in an expression of opinion vote in November, 2014. The result was very positive with 77% of voters in favour of representation by Grain Farmers of Ontario.

The Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission has begun the process required to make the regulatory changes. This includes a posting on the government regulatory registry for 45 days to allow additional comments on the addition of barley and oats. The intent is to have all regulatory amendments finalized for July 1, 2015. Under the amended regulations, farmers selling barley and oats to licensed elevators or mills will be required to pay a license fee to Grain Farmers of Ontario. Farm fed and farmer to farmer sales of barley and oats will not attract any licence fees, which is consistent with the current treatment of corn, soybeans, and wheat.

Barley and oat farmers are encouraged to attend Grain Farmers of Ontario’s annual district grain committee meetings held across the province throughout the month of January. Information about these meetings can be found at www.gfo.ca. 

Grain Farmers of Ontario

Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 corn, soybean and wheat farmers. The crops they grow cover 6 million acres of farm land across the province, generate over $2.5 billion in farm gate receipts, result in over $9 billion in economic output and are responsible for over 40,000 jobs in the province.

Contact:

Barry Senft, CEO – 1-800-265-0550; bsenft@gfo.ca

Meghan Burke, Communications – 519 767-2773; mburke@gfo.ca

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Grain Farmers of Ontario
Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers. The crops they grow cover over 6 million acres of farm land across the province, generate over $4.1 billion in production value, result in over $27 billion in economic output and are responsible for over 90,000 jobs in the province.