GLG Crop Assessment tour now bigger than ever!

The Great Lakes Grain gang is making headlines and gaining more attention each year from ag media and farmers with respect to the good work they are doing with their annual Crop Assessment Tours. The tours have been conducted in and around south western and central Ontario for the past four years sending large groups of FS crop specialists and grain staff on crop scouting blitzes, capturing new field data to analyse and share with producers.

Fran Downey of AGRIS Co-operative
begins soybean yield checks just
outside Muirkirk, ON.

The GLG Crop Assessment tour has evolved over the past four years and this year FS crop specialists from all over Ontario   participated from Lucknow Co-op, Huron Bay Co-op, North WellingtonCo-op, Sunderland Co-op, Wanstead Farmers Co-op, FS PARTNERS and AGRISCo-operative.

More than 1000 yield assessments were compiled and analyzed in thirteen zones. A total of 577 corn and 519 soybean sites were observed this year throughout the Great Lakes Grain trading area amounting to approximately 35,000 acres of corn and 31,000 of soybeans.

Dale Cowan, senior sales agronomist with Southern Co-operative Services tells Ontario Farmer News that every year he expects to talk about variability. “However the biggest surprise this year was the amount of variability...not only from field to field, but even within fields.”  

Don Kabbes, Great Lakes Grain market development manager was on hand at Canada’sOutdoor Farm Show to present the full tour results. You can view the details of the tour report at http://www.greatlakesgrain.com/index.cfm?show=10&mid=293 or by either visiting Great Lakes Grain, AGRIS or FS PARTNERS sites.

(L-R) Don Kabbes, Great Lakes Grain market development manager, Mark Kerry, DEKALB eastern Canada sales manager and Dale Cowan, Southern Co-operative Services senior agronomist at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show presenting
2013 Crop Assessment Tour results.

Setting the Table with Top 5 Improvement Awards

Congratulations to Thunder Bay Co-operative Farm Supplies and Sunderland Co-operative for being recognized as two of five Top Performance Improvement achievers for the FS System in North America during GROWMARK's Annual Meeting in Chicago.

GROWMARK measures the improvement in the performance of member co-operatives based on return on invested capital. Over a five-year time frame, each co-operative's return on invested capital improvement is measured in comparison to other co-operatives in the System. From this measurement, the Performance Improvement Award was developed.

Blain Thompson, general manager
Sunderland Co-operative Inc.

Sunderland Co-operative Inc. serves parts of Durham/York Regions, and the county of Victoria. It has a membership of 1,800 farmers or rural-residents and more than 60 years of successful operation returning patronage to its members each and every year. It is a full service agricultural co-operative providing products and services in feed, agronomy, grain marketing, energy products and services and has a retail store on site that provides hardware products, pet supplies and work wear.        

Ben Postuma, general manager
Thunder Bay Farm
Supplies Co-operative

Thunder Bay Co-operative Farm Supplies is the FS System’s most north-westerly located co-operative in the GROWMARK System. The Co-op was established just over 60 years ago and has just over 120 member-owners. The co-operative provides local farmers with quality agriculture related products such as feed, seed, fertilizer and other necessary supplies like fencing, metal roofing and siding, livestock equipment and tractor implements. For the home, the co-operative provides lawn seed, pet products and hardware for local residents and farmers.

Setting the Table in Chicago with youth leadership

Ryan McGeachy of Chatham, Ontario, recently attended the 2013 GROWMARK Annual Meeting in Chicago as this year’s youth speaker where he spoke in front of more than 1000 attendees about his views on how co-operatives can help build a better world. 

McGeachy was one of three young people chosen to take part in the travel opportunity sponsored by GROWMARK, Inc. Also travelling to Chicago was 4-H Ontario Ambassador Brianna Dracup of Stirling, and director of fund development for Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario Sara Jibb of Sunderland. Jibb is also an employee of Sunderland Co-operative.

Attending the 2013 GROWMARK AGM
as youth delegates are Ryan McGeachy (CYL),
Sara Jibb (JFAO) and Brianna Dracup (4-H Ontario). 

Ryan McGeachy is attending the University of Guelph majoring in agriculture business. He was chosen for this opportunity through his involvement with the Ontario Co-operative Association’s Co-operativeYoung Leaders Program sponsored by AGRIS Co-operative Ltd. McGeachy also represents Junior Achievement as a Canadian Ambassador.

In his opening remarks in Chicago, McGeachy said that, “A business cannot run effectively without a well-guided system and for co-ops, it is the seven co-operative principals that characterize a co-operative’s vision and ultimately defines how co-operatives can help build a better world.”

Each year GROWMARK provides travel opportunities to youth who have shown dedication to leadership development. They travel to Chicago to learn more about GROWMARK and network with business people and other young leaders. As part of their experience, they took part in the annual meeting’s grand opening ceremonies with young leaders from Future Farmers of America and had the opportunity to visit the Chicago Board of Trade. 

Young leaders from Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Ontario take part in the
"Grand Entry of Colours" Ceremony at GROWMARK AGM at the Hilton Chicago. 

Setting the table in Chicago-Part II

Ontario zone directors named at GROWMARK AGM

Newly elected to the GROWMARK Board of Directors representing Ontario is Warren Jibb. Jibb is also serving as president of Sunderland Co-operative Board and operates a 750 acre dairy and crop farm with his brother and family members near Sunderland, Ontario.

Returning director Kim Fysh was elected to the GROWMARK Board in 2011. He has served on the AGRIS Co-operative Board as president from 1996 to 2006. Kim and his wife Merry, along with Kim’s brother, operate an 1100-acre cash crop and vegetable farm outside Thamseville, Ontario.

Denis Bourdeau, who has served as a director on the GROWMARK Board since 2007, retired from the board this year. He and his wife Hélène own a fifth-generation family farm, including dairy and cash crops, as well as operating a bed and breakfast. Denis also serves on the Board of La Co-opérative Agricole d’Embrun.

Setting the Table in Chicago

"Setting the Table" was the theme
for the GROWMARK 2013
Annual General Meeting

Solid volume growth in GROWMARK business units produced record sales for the co-operative for the 2013 fiscal year, ending August 31.

Jeff Solberg, chief executive officer, reported unaudited, estimated sales of $10.3 billion for FY 2013 at the co-operative’s Annual General Meeting in Chicago IL. Pretax income is estimated at $220 million, one of the best years in company history. An estimated $135 million in patronage refunds will be returned to GROWMARK member co-operatives and farmer-owners.

“We began this year coming off a severe drought, but the strength of the FS System pulled us through to a very good 2013 fiscal year,” Solberg said. “Our business is built around our mission to improve the long-term profitability of our member owners. Our sales will allow us to return significant patronage to our owners.”

John Reifsteck, Champaign, Ill., was elected chairman of the GROWMARK Board of Directors. He replaces Dan Kelley, Normal, Ill., who retired. Reifsteck has served on the GROWMARK Board since 1993, and was one of two vice chairmen. He and his wife, Nancy, operate a corn and soybean farm in Champaign County.