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Grain Farmers of Ontario unveils March Classic speaker lineup

GUELPH, ON (January 22, 2014) – The Grain Farmers of Ontario March Classic 2014 conference is sure to impress attendees with an outstanding speaker line-up. Joining headliners Colonel Chris Hadfield and environmentalist Mark Lynas will be Cal Whewell, Michelle Painchaud, and Jon Montgomery.

A staple of the March Classic and crowd favourite Cal Whewell, Risk Management Consultant for FC Stone, will provide his 2014 grain market outlook. Whewell works with companies associated with end-users, producers, and county grain elevators in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Ontario, helping to reduce risk and increase margins. Grain farmers will not want to miss Whewell’s insights.

The afternoon portion of the conference will open with Michelle Painchaud, President and CEO of Painchaud Performance Group and S.C.O.R.E. Consulting. With over 20 years of field experience in employee performance and a background in agriculture, she is one of Canada’s leaders in behavioural science and talent management. Painchaud is a Certified Performance Technologist, a member of the Canadian Consulting Agrologists Association and FamilyBusiness.ag, and is active on the Farm Leadership Council and at the Centre for Talent Retention and Human Capital Institute. Painchaud will speak to audience members about the importance of Farm Business Vision.

Attendees will also want to stay for the banquet with evening speaker Jon Montgomery, Gold Medal Olympian and host of Amazing Race Canada. Montgomery’s experience as a representative for Canada on the world stage, both at the Olympics and on television, allow him to speak to the importance of Canada’s international reputation. We also look forward to his unique perspective on the 2014 Olympic Games.

“The speaker line-up at this year’s March Classic will take the audience on a journey from their farm to the rest of the world,” says Meghan Burke, Manager, Communications. “Each speaker brings a unique perspective that is relevant to the agriculture industry and emphasizes the importance and impact of what we do as grain farmers.”

The 2014 March Classic will be held on March 24th at the London Convention Centre. For more information and to register, visit www.gfo.ca/MarchClassic.

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

Henry Van Ankum, Chair – 519-835-4200; henryvanankum@sympatico.ca

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