Ag youth leaders travel with Cooper on Ontario GROWMARK System tour

The FS Ontario System hosted for 4-H Ambassadors, GROWMARK Summer Interns and Co-operative Young Leader representatives was accompanied by a special traveller from the Ontario Co-operative Association.

Travelling Cooper has become well known as one of the International Year of Co-operative legacy projects that involves a cuddly stuffed bear called Cooper who moves around from co-op to co-op making many connections within the co-operative family network. He is highly visible on many co-op social media sites where he is seen posing for different events, locations and activities.

Adorned with ribbons and buttons from a variety of his visits, Cooper now proudly wears additional co-op medals collected from the various locations on the GROWMARK System tour held this week.

The one-day tour consisted of a visit to UPI Energy’s bulk fuel plant in Guelph, an FS PARTNERS agronomy and Great Lakes Grain facility in Ayr, GROWMARK's Ontario Distribution Centre in Kitchener, North Wellington Co-operative’s retail store and lawn and garden centre in Harriston, and a 24-hour remotely-monitored cardlock FAST STOP® fueling station in Alma.

Where's Cooper....................

 

John Canjar, UPI Energy director, sales, marketing & development poses with 2013 4-H Ambassadors.

 (L-R) Kaitlyn Bell of Prince Edward County, Brendan McDougall of Niagara, Luke Ward of Oxford,

Rebecca Posthumus and Brianna Dracup both from Hastings County.





From (L-R) Standing outside North Wellington Co-operative's (NWC) Harriston FS lawn and garden/hardware store are: GROWMARK Intern Stephanie Campbell (AGRIS Co-op), Co-operative Young Leader (sponsored by AGRIS) and this year's GROWMARK Annual Meeting Ontario youth speaker Ryan McGeachy, Interns Janson Pronk (FS PARTNERS) and Robert Bos (Lucknow Co-op), 4-H Ambassadors Luke Ward, Brendan McDougall, Kaitlyn Bell, Brianna Dracup and Rebecca Posthumus, North Wellington Co-operative Services general manager Kelly Boyle and Jeff McCallum, marketing & communication assistant. Backdrop is a 1942 Ford Stake truck purchased by NWC in anticipation of its 70th anniversary in 2014. 



A most fitting occasion for North Wellington Co-op and 4-H!



A young 4-H member seen here “peeling out” the
 legs of a dairy cow. When clipping Dairy
cattle the only place that doesn’t
get buzzed is the belly and topline.



Learning to use clippers to groom a cow can be somewhat intimidating for most of us, but giving a nine year-old the opportunity, could be downright nerve-racking.

Well, that didn’t stop Mary Lynn Lawrence, of North Wellington Co-operative, when she decided to hold a 4-H community cow fitting event at the community park located right next door to the FS branch she works at in Mt. Forest, earlier this month.

Lawrence pledged to her manager early this year that she wanted to plan a community event that supported 4-H. She recalls that in her youth there used to be a large 4-H club in Mt. Forest and she wanted to see some renewed interest in the area.

She was right on both counts.... Mary Lynn expected to attract about 25 young people, but in fact, with a little creative advertizing, 55 kids from the ages of nine to 21 turned out from local communities of Paisley, Dundalk, West Luther, Listowel and Durham to get some hands-on practice in grooming techniques from experienced 4-H dairy and beef cattle fitters who also volunteered their time.

“Kids don’t get much chance to clip because not everyone is eager to allow their show animals to be practiced on,” says Lawrence. “The 4-H motto is learn to do by doing, so allowing the kids to get interactive with this activity was a bonus,” she adds.

North Wellington Co-operative has been a long-time supporter of local 4-H clubs and Mary Lynn has been involved with 4-H as a young member, and now as an adult, she and her brother volunteer as 4-H leaders for the Durham Beef Club along with her sister leading the 4-H Dairy club. The sisters provided the cows for this event, bringing with them four beefers and five dairy heifers from their own family farms.





Everyone was treated to a bbq lunch provided by North Wellington Co-operative and local media came out to support and capture the event. Lawrence is hoping to be able to keep this going at the co-op each year as an annual tradition

.

On Co-op is a winner in Nashville!

Just this week, the Ontario Co-operative Association’s “From Beards to Eternity” presentation took first place (presentations category) at the Co-operative Communicators Association Annual Awards Banquet in Nashville, Tennessee.

From Beards to Eternity is a lighthearted educational tool that provides an introduction to co-operatives and their colourful history.

Judges of this category commented that the overall presentation was smartly written, with relatable topics and a strong message. "The added humour throughout keeps the history lesson funny and the music analogy is a good way to use current pop culture to relate to the subject," said one judge.

Kerr Smith, award-winning education manager with On Co-op and creater of the presentation, has travelled across the province to share the 90-minute presentation with various groups. His next presentation (via webinar) will take place on July 17, as part of On Co-ops 2013-2014 Speakers’ Series.

To register, visit: http://www.ontario.coop/programs_services/engagement_and_awareness/speaker_series)

........................................................................................................

The Ontario Co-operative Association has been in existance for 12 years as a resource and common voice for Ontario credit unions and co-operatives.The Ontario co-operative movement is composed of more than 1300 co-ops, with 1900 locations in 400 communities.

Founded 60 years ago, the Co-operative Communicators Association is an organization of approximately 350 professionals throughout the United States and Ontario who provide communications for co-operatives recognizing the differences in the markets co-ops serve and in the audiences they must reach.  

GROWMARK Summer Internship program well under way

2013 GROWMARK Summer Interns
at GROWMARK corporate headquaters.

In the fifty-fourth year of the program, a record breaking number of college and university students are exploring career opportunities as GROWMARK summer interns. They are working at either a GROWMARK facility or FS Co-operative throughout North America.



Chaperoned by Barry Hannah, Ontario Human Resources manager, four Ontario summer interns recently joined 57 others from the United States for orientation at GROWMARK’s corporate office in Bloomington IL. “It is always impressive to see the high calibre of interns each year as well as the broad reach and impact the program has with recruits from 16 universities and colleges System wide,” says Hannah.

The interns are exposed to accounting, marketing, communications, and product and service-related activities. Each intern will complete a special project and deliver a presentation on that project to other interns and GROWMARK executives later this summer.

“This year, we have our largest intern class ever,” said Ashley McClintock, GROWMARK university relations manager. “They will gain hands-on experience in their chosen field, and have the opportunity to clarify career goals.” The GROWMARK intern program began in 1959 with three interns. Since then, 892 students have been involved in the program.

From the University of Guelph, GROWMARK Ontario summer interns travel via

GROWMARK corporate jet to Bloomington IL to meet up with U.S. interns at orientation weekend on May 19.

From (L-R): Stephanie Campbell, of Chatham is majoring in food, agriculture and resource economics and working for AGRIS Co-operative, Ltd.- (GPS aerial crop scouting); Laura Price, of Minesing, is majoring in honours agriculture and working for FS PARTNERS- (Customer service analysis); Jason Pronk, of Arthur is majoring in agriculture business and working for FS PARTNERS- (crop scouting customer-needs analysis); and Robert Bos, of Goderich, is majoring in agriculture business working for Lucknow District Co-operative, Inc.- (energy).

To learn more about the GROWMARK Summer Internship Program, visit: http://www.growmark.com/OurCareers/Pages/Internships.aspx

Youth speakers at GROWMARK AGM contribute to Agriculture More Than Ever communications

Young leaders speak out on the future of agriculture, is the lead in a recent blog post by Agriculture More Than Ever.

GROWMARK is one of 170 partners of AMTE that all have the same objective of spreading positive and insightful messages about Canadian agriculture.

If you haven't visited this growing social media site lately, now is the time to start by clicking on the link below to read about GROWMARK’s Annual Meeting youth speakers from Ontario and view two past speeches from Nicole Atkins and Will Heeman on their views on the future of agriculture.

http://www.agriculturemorethanever.ca/young-leaders-speak-on-the-future-of-agriculture/

A youth's passionate perspective on feeding the world!

Feeding the world's growing population is top-of-mind for pretty much everyone who is associated with agriculture these days.

On this topic, a passionate Bruce Sargent speaks about how farmers, consumers and the education system can make a difference. Sargent is a University of Guelph student and a long-time member of the Durham West 4-H Association who has been chosen along with 120 other young people from around the world to gather at the Youth Ag Summit in Calgary this summer to discuss ideas on how to feed the world's growing population.   

Sargent, a young video production entrepreneur and owner of Farm Boy Productions submitted his application via video. Take a look.......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2KacuXVUt8

The Youth Ag Summit is a new initiative by 4-H Canada in honour of its 100th anniversary and Bayer celebrating 150 Years of "Science for a better life".



Recognizing Canada's 13.3 million volunteers!

This week was recognized as Canada's 71st National Volunteer Week and for co-operative businesses, volunteers play a significant role.

With the seventh co-operative principle being "Concern for community" it is no wonder why the co-op sector relies on the power of more than 49,000 volunteers, and of that 10,000 members volunteer for their co-operative's board of directors.

In honour of National Volunteer Week, The Canadian Co-operative Association has posted a blog that features personal stories and photos of 11 CCA volunteers that have made a difference at: I volunteer because....

Each year, GROWMARK and FS Co-operative employees give thousands of hours either on their own or through the GROWMARK Volunteer Network to assist with local community programs and organizations.

Thank you to all who have made a difference!

Don McLean named ABD for Ontario FS System

Effective April 29, Don McLean of FS PARTNERS will move into a new role with GROWMARK as  Agronomy Business Director for the Ontario Region. In this new role, McLean will serve as the key contact and interface for all agronomy business for GROWMARK and the FS System in Ontario.

 

Don McLean
 GROWMARK Ontario Agronomy Business Director

McLean has been a key contributor to the agriculture co-op sector since 1999 where he began his career at North Wellington Co-operative Services as a crop specialist/agronomist. In 2009, he moved to FS PARTNERS, a division of GROWMARK, as agronomist and most recently served as agronomy sales manager.

McLean is a University of Guelph graduate with a B.Sc. in Agriculture and has held a Certified Crops Advisor designation since 2000.

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Don in his new role.

A new look and feel for CYL 2013!

This summer, the Co-operative Young Leaders Program is in its 47th year of growth and evolvment. It has a new look that goes along with an enhanced program.

CYL is developing a new year-round engagement program, that will involve ongoing leadership activities and accountability for participants throughout the year after they finish their summer sessions. These expectations may include various events or projects that will be about promoting and educating others about co-operatives and acting in a leadership role. Some ideas may include volunteerism, speaking at a sponsor's annual meeting, writing a blog, creating a promo video or even giving a Co-ops 101 presentation to high school students.

Registration for summer 2013 is now open. To learn more about CYL visit The Ontario Co-operative Association. See below for this year's schedule and sponsors: 

• July 6-13 Junior A - Sponsored by Alterna Savings / On Co-op
• July 13-20 Junior B - Sponsored by Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd.
• July 20-27 Intermediate A Sponsored by The CUMIS Group
• July 27-Aug 3 Intermediate B Sponsored by CHF Canada
• Aug 3-10 Senior A Sponsored by GROWMARK Inc.
• Aug 10-17 Senior B Sponsor United Communities Credit Union. 

If you have seen first-hand how CYL has impacted a young person and would like to share your story, we would love to hear from you in the comments section of this post.

Congratulations to our newest FS Certified Crop Specialists!



Dave Curry -FS PARTNERS



FS crop specialists Dave Curry with FS PARTNERS (Harmony), Bob Konert of Sunderland Co-operative and Jason Migchels of Wanstead Farmers Co-operative have all recently completed the requirements necessary to hold credentials as a Certified Crop Specialist (CCS) in the FS Co-operative System. All three are already Certified Crop Advisors in Ontario and this latest achievement of earning CCS status within the GROWMARK System is the next level up in their extensive agricultural training.



Jason Migchels-Wanstead
Farmers Co-operative



Bob Konert-Sunderland
Co-operative



To earn the prestigious title of Certified Crop Specialist, candidates must have their CCA designation to enrol and are required to successfully complete a series of comprehensive written and verbal exams designed to establish base standards of knowledge on the topics of nutrient management practices, integrated pest management, soil erosion and water quality. Among the skill sets assessed are technical knowledge; the ability to discover, identify and analyze yield-limiting factors from a grower’s field records; identify common pest problems and recommend economic treatment measures; discuss and analyze the economic aspects of crop production; and understand the need-identification process. 



The GROWMARK System prides itself in its commitment to provide employees with on-going training to ensure its farmer-customers are recieving the best technical expertise and recommendations to help them maximize yields and increase profits.

Curry, Migchels and Konert have now joined the ranks of 15 other FS Certified Crop Specialists throughout central and southwestern Ontario:
AGRIS Co-operative--Chris Snip (Cottam), Kent Wolfe (Dutton), Mark McKerrall (Tupperville), John Couwenberg (Brigden), Graham McLean (Glencoe) and Jeremy Tanner (Muirkirk).

FS PARTNERS--Stefan Dewaele (Delhi), Dave VanCasteren (Elmvale), Nathan Saarloos (Mitchell), Quentin Hopcraft (Drayton) and Tony Tennant (Ayr).

Sunderland Co-operative's Adam Bent and Brian Colville; Brent Troyer of North Wellington Co-operative (Mt. Forest) and Mike Parker of Wanstead Farmers Co-operative (Alvinston).

 

Great Lakes Grain On-Line Offer Centre from a customer's perspective

Grain handling and marketing has always been important to the GROWMARK System, and its importance continues to grow as demand for North American grain increases around the world. Perhaps nowhere in the System is the grain business booming more than in Ontario, where Great Lakes Grain has seen incredible success in serving farmers in the central and southwestern part of the province.

With Internet marketing on the rise, Great Lakes Grain's On-Line Offer Centre, a tool that has taken off along with an electronic payment function continues to get positive feed back from customers. See what this customer has to say about it....

This year, more than 10 million bushels of grain transactions occurred through the grain portal site.

Most recently, a mobile site was introduced for farmers, giving them more freedom to access the On-Line Offer Centre and keep track of bids while working in their fields.

A rewarding night for all at OYF Awards Banquet

 

Last night, listening to presentations from the six Outstanding Young Farmer finalists was truly an enlightening night for me and my husband who had the privilege of attending the annual Ontario Awards banquet at the Delta Hotel in Guelph.

Compelling stories of honest determination, true grit, community outreach, sorrow and loss were all revealed but what stood out most was the tremendous passion for agriculture as their livelihood and overall lifestyle.

 

Winner’s Dana and Adam Thatcher of Thatcher Farms in Rockwood took home the provincial trophy with Mark and Sandi Brock of Shepherd Creek Farms (crops and poultry) from Staffa took second place.

 

The Thatcher’s farm operation specializes in livestock and a butcher and bakery shop. The couple started out their farming venture in the pig industry but later transitioned to become a sheep farm in 2007. A year later they built a country store that features their own naturally raised meats, including lamb, beef, pork and chicken as well as summer sausage and Omega 3 eggs. They also harvest their own honey, feature local maple syrup and Dana’s home baked meat pies and fruit jams that keep customers coming back for more. 

 

Other nominees recognized last night were:

• Curtis and Heidi Fielding- Fielding Estates Winery in Beamsville
• Ian and Deb McGregor-McGregor’s Produce (farm market) in Braeside
• Collin and Tanya Walker-Walkhavern Farms (dairy and crops) in Stayner
• Chris and Brianne Brown-Beslea Farms (dairy) in Yarker

 

OYF couples (From L-R): Collin and Tanya Walker, Ian and Deb McGregor, Curtis and Heidi Fielding, Adam and Dana Thatcher (finalists), Mark and Sandi Brock (runners up) and Chris and Brianna Brown with sponsors representatives from Pioneer DuPont and Janice Johnson of GROWMARK, Inc.

To read more about the Outstanding Young Farmers program, you can visit the OYF website.

2013 4-H Ambassadors begin their reign

Having successfully passed through interviews by a panel of three judges, five new ambassadors were selected to represent 4-H Ontario across the province for the year.

This is the ninth year of the program sponsored by GROWMARK, Inc., and UPI Energy LP.

Ambassadors will work to promote 4-H in Ontario provincially, regionally, locally and at some national events. During their reign they will receive training in several areas, such as interview skills, public relations, communication, writing reports and press releases, public speaking, agricultural and 4-H awareness and etiquette. They will also be able to take advantage of the many networking opportunities and exposure to new experiences.

This ad will appear in Better Farming Magazine (April edition).

We encourage FS member co-operatives to invite an ambassador to your local functions to take part in your activities and speak to your audiences about the importance of supporting 4-H. Contact Janice Johnson, at the GROWMARK Ontario office at 519-895-4251 if you want to book an ambassador.

4-H Ontario's annual fund raiser golf tournaments will take place on June 20 at Victoria Park East Golf Club in Guelph, and on June 6 at Anderson Links Golf & Country Club in Ottawa. Golfers will be able to meet some of the Ambassadors that will be managing the FS Co-operative sponsored putting contest. If you would like to attend, please visit 4-H Ontario to register.  

Growing attention given to growing vegetables for FS Crop Specialists

Learning more about the latest on vegetable production was the focus at last week's GROWMARK Ontario System horticulture meeting held for FS crop specialists working with customers in this niche market.

The four main crop protection companies each took time to talk about their horticultural portfolio bringing staff up-to-date on the latest products and what insects and diseases to lookout for this spring.

FS Crop specialists attended from Ontario's prime vegetable grower regions such as the Leamington/Chatham area, Delhi/Hamilton region, Alliston, Dundalk and Lucknow.

FS joins the conversation “Agriculture More Than Ever”

Agriculture More Than Ever is a multi-year industry initiative to improve perceptions of agriculture in order to assist the industry to reach its full potential and ensure its long-term viability and GROWMARK has become one of its many new partners willing to share in the positive messaging.

Agriculture is one of Canada’s largest employers and a contributor of more than $130 billion dollars to our national economy. We can’t ignore challenges, but when we discuss agriculture, we can choose to focus on the optimism and positive side of the industry.

Agriculture More Than Ever asks those involved in the industry to champion agriculture by engaging in more frequent discussion regarding what’s going well within the industry – filling in information gaps, responding to misguided perceptions and telling the success stories about the industry, online and offline.

To view and share current positive stories about the industry, visit the Agriculture More Than Ever website. There is also a variety of promotional items available for purchase. You can also visit AMTE on Twitter and Facebook.

4-H Ontario high school students-essay contest opportunity!

The theme for the second GROWMARK Ontario Essay Contest is: "Fighting Domestic and Global Hunger." The contest is open to all high school students who are members of 4-H in Ontario. Students who write essays will learn how agricultural co-operatives help combat domestic and world hunger.

Essays should be approximately 500 words, typed and double-spaced. The postmarked entry deadline for Ontario 4-H members is May 15. The Ontario provincial winner earns a $500 award and the winner’s 4-H Association receives a $300 award. Four runners-up each win $125.

The essay contest has been in place in the US for 20 years, sponsored by the GROWMARK System and FS member co-operatives, in conjunction with US state FFA leaders, to help young people develop their writing skills, learn about current issues affecting agriculture, and understand the unique role of co-operatives. This year, students will focus on four questions: What agricultural technologies and practices will increase food production? How do local agricultural co-operatives help farmers combat domestic and world hunger? What kind of partnerships can help fight hunger worldwide? What can you personally do to impact world hunger?

Additional program details can be viewed on the GROWMARK website or at 4-H Ontario.

 

 

FS PARTNERS develops new TV advertising

During the month of February, check out the new TV ads produced for FS PARTNERS seen on CTV  in Barrie and Kitchener at prime time 6:00 pm news slots and the CTV News at Noon Farm Report in Kitchener. View below:

For more new video releases from FS PARTNERS visit them on YouTube

Congratulations to new CMC graduates!

Students of the third (CMC) Co-operative Management Certificate Program  graduated on Dec. 1st. Among the graduating class is GROWMARK procurement and distribution manager Steve Rongits and Paul Emerick, controller for AGRIS Co-operative.


This year, eighteen students, most of who are currently involved with the co-op sector, celebrated the end of their six-month course with a ceremony held at the Executive Learning Centre of the Schulich School of Business at York University. Rongits says this course gave him the opportunity to learn more about the diversity of the co-op sector. "I know that the knowledge I gained and the network of other co-operators that I met will help me in my career with GROWMARK and I have a broader perspective of the co-operative model and sector.”

  The Co-operative Management Certificate Program was designed to be an affordable, practical and accessible learning solution for those in Ontario’s diverse co-operative sectors. The Program was developed by the Ontario Co-operative Association in partnership with the Schulich School of Business. Students represented co-op sectors including renewable energy, housing, financial services, agriculture, organics, transportation and worker co-ops. Some students are from outside the co-op sector, but take the program to learn more about applying the co-op enterprise model to a future business. Almost 60 students have graduated from the program thus far.
 

Recent CMC graduate, Steve Rongits of GROWMARK with Mark Ventry, Ontario Co-operative Association Executive Director (L) and J.J. McMurtry Associate Professor, Business & Society, York University, and 

Program Director of the Co-operative Management Certificate Program.



Recent CMC graduate, Paul Emerick of AGRIS Co-operative with Mark Ventry and J.J. McMurtry.

The fourth cohort of the Co-operative Management Certificate Program begins March 2013. Visit the Ontario Co-operative Association website to learn more about the Co-operative Management Program or call On Co-op at 1.888.745.5521.

Leading employees to safety at GROWMARK's annual Health & Safety Day

What do pigs and health and safety have to do with each other?

In this case, Lester Zmolek, senior safety specialist of GROWMARK took a unique approach with an ice-breaker for more than 30 FS member co-operative employees who attended the annual GROWMARK Health and Safety Day on Dec. 4 at the Holiday Inn in Kitchener when he asked everyone to draw a picture of a pig!


Apparently, many factors of a person’s personality can be exposed by analyzing their individual pig portraits. These key personality traits may have an impact on how we conduct ourselves in regards to health and safety by our ability to respond quickly, focus attentively or whether we are more of a risk taker or approach things cautiously. These are just a few of the personality traits exposed by one's quick pig sketch.

Lester Zmolek of GROWMARK interacts with particpants
quizzing them on some Health and Safety statistics.

Zmolek says that once all safety measures are taken, then usually, the three main reasons accidents occur are that the employee is complacent and has done the task many times before, or he or she is not concentrating on the task or just simply not aware of proper actions.

MTO officer Bud Kneller

“We can follow all the health and safety regulations in the world, but if the correct state of mind and focus is absent at the scene, then a near-miss or accident is likely to occur,” says Zmolek. “You can lead a horse to water......and we must lead our employees to safety.”

Participants then broke off into groups to discuss several different incident scenarios and determine what measures they would take to avoid the same incident in the future. Next on the agenda was Ministry of Transportation Officer Bud Kneller, who covered a variety of topics such as cargo securement, and trip inspections. The group took part in a lively Q&A session and was able to pin-point specifics in regards to best practices in protecting themselves against MTO fines and transportation safety regulations.

The afternoon consisted of an update on Ontario’s health and safety legislations by Erin Aldred, GROWMARK Ontario Health & Safety specialist, and a session on life of an accident. Pete Trotter, legal council for GROWMARK and Ian Campbell, senior partner with Hicks Morley were joined by Bob Dobson, operator from FS PARTNERS Beeton location and Erin Aldred for a panel discussion on a true case accident that occurred in 2010.

GROWMARK Announces 4-H Ontario Essay Contest Winner

Deanna Ringelberg-Winner of GROWMARK
Ontario Essay Contest

Congratulations goes to Deanna Ringelberg of Troy!

Deanna has been named the Ontario provincial winner of the first GROWMARK Essay Contest for Ontario high school students who are members of a 4-H Ontario Association. The theme of this year’s contest was “Co-operatives in a Global Environment, in honor of 2012, The International Year of Co-operatives named by the United Nations.

In her contest entry, Ringelberg said: “The success of co-ops is one of the best kept secrets. Through the International Year of Co-operatives, hopefully we can spread the word about the benefits to co-operative member-owners, communities and worldwide economic growth.”

Ringelberg is a student at Hamilton District Christian High School and a member of the Hamilton-Wentworth 4-H Association.

As the contest winner, Ringelberg will receive a $500 scholarship from GROWMARK at the Hamilton-Wentworth 4-H Association Awards banquet in December. The Hamilton-Wentworth 4-H Association will also receive a $300 award in honour of her accomplishment to help future students.

Four provincial runners-up each received a $125 scholarship. The runners-up and their 4-H Associations, in alphabetical order are: Vicki Brisson, Russell County 4-H, Embrun, ON; Matthew Gerrits, Middlesex County 4-H, Sarnia, ON; Kate Johnson, Durham West 4-H, Port Perry, ON; Sabrina Van Schyndel, Lanark County 4-H, Carleton Place, ON.

This is the first year for the program in Ontario, but the nineteenth year for the program in the United States, sponsored by the GROWMARK System and FS member co-operatives, in conjunction with state FFA leaders in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. The essay contest was designed to help young people develop their writing skills, learn about current issues in agriculture, and understand the unique role of co-operatives.

More information along with this year's Essay Contest winners are posted on GROWMARK and 4-H Ontario websites.

UPI Energy honours its people in style

UPI Energy’s Rendezvous 2012
Rendezvous is an event that brings UPI Energy employees, gas bar agents/dealers and their spouses together for a fun-filled evening that includes an annual business review, followed by dinner, dancing, entertainment and awards. This year's event was held on Sept. 15 at White Oaks Resort and Conference Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

While employees and guests arrived from across Ontario throughout the afternoon, they were welcomed with the vibrant energetic sounds of UPI’s five-piece house-band inviting guests to join them on the outdoor patio for an interactive jam session. Guests actively took to the opportunity by playing their choice of instrument or singing a hit-song from recent decades.

“Due to popular demand, we decided to include the jam session again this year. It really is a good jump start to the event and puts people in a celebratory mood,” says John Canjar, UPI director, sales marketing & development.

The official opening ceremony kicked-off with a flag procession led by the 2012 4-H Ontario Ambassadors and accompanied by the 48th Highlanders Pipes and Drums. Seen here (L-R) are 4-H Ontario Ambassadors Steven Stockdale of Peterborough with the Canadian flag, Victoria Kyle of Brant with the American flag, Julia Romagnoli of Niagara with the Ontario flag, Dianne Kennedy, UPI manager, customer relations and sales development, holding the UPI flag, 4-H Ontario Ambassadors Samantha Klaver of Perth with the FS flag and Jennifer Pollock of Wellington with the Suncor flag.

Special guests attending the evening’s awards and dinner included Kevin Carroll, GROWMARK’s vice president, Energy, and Shelly Kruse, GROWMARK.’s vice president, Midwest Retail and Acquisitions. In addition, the event was highlighted with a performance by country-music artists Emerson Drive.

During the annual event, a total of 21 long-time service awards were presented to employees ranging from five to 30 years of service. Among them was Robert Sicard, UPI Energy’s President and CEO who was recognized for 20 years of service.

Special congratulations also went to the 2012 President’s Award for Excellence winners:

• Driver of the Year: Norm Ireland
• Retailer of the Year: Mike and Chantal Reynolds
• UPI Energy/CASE ’N DRUM OIL Employee of the Year: Jackie Rodgers

UPI Energy's 2012 Joint Venture Millennium Award was presented at the Co-operative Partners Retreat held at Hockley Valley Resort in Orangeville on Sept.21. This year's Best in Class Award recipient was North Wellington Co-operative Services with a top score of 91 per cent.


The award recognizes UPI's joint venture partners for excellence in energy marketing and operations.

This was the fourth consecutive year that North Wellington Co-op has won the award and their fifth victory in the past six years. Seen here receiving the award from North Wellington Co-op, Kelly Boyle, general manager and Allan Williamson, Energy Division manager. From UPI Energy is (L) Robert Sicard, president and CEO and (R) Tony Silvestro, director, Finance & Member Services.

Stoney Point area producers benefit from increased grain storage and intake capacity

AGRIS Co-operative is pleased to announce the completion of $3 million in upgrades at its Stoney Point site with the addition of a new grain intake and steel storage bin.

Thanksgiving Monday was very busy at the Stoney Point branch with many producers delivering their crop and seeing first-hand the results of the construction that included the new intake, a half million bushel bin storage for soybeans and a half million flat storage for corn.

“Many things have changed in farming since farmers opened up the Stoney Point branch in 1947,” says Jim Campbell, AGRIS Co-operative general manager. “This is just the latest example of how the capacity of the co-operative changes to keep up with how farmers increase the speed at which they harvest their crop,” says Campbell.

With intake capacity increased to approximately 25,000 bushels per hour the first customer of the day, Robert Chauvin said he could not believe he was finished so quickly. "I thought they were just signaling to move ahead for the second wagon,” said Chauvin.

Further improvements for the Stoney Point branch are also underway with the building of a new 1,400 metric ton fertilizer storage shed that will replace the previous older unit. This project is expected to be completed by the end of October.

To see a complete library of photos of the full construction of the new additions visit: http://www.agris.coop/index.cfm?show=65&mid=1079

Great Lakes Grain is a grain marketing partnership between GROWMARK, Inc. and AGRIS Co-operative Ltd. Great Lakes Grain is one of the largest operators of Ontario country elevators representing close to 440,000 MT (17 million bushels) of storage capacity with total marketing in excess of 37 million bushels serving farmers at more than 24 AGRIS Co-operative and FS PARTNERS branded locations from Windsor through to Toronto and north to Georgian Bay.

FS System employee cookbooks are now available!

As part of an International Year of Co-operatives, GROWMARK has published a cookbook with more than 1,000 recipes submitted by employees throughout the FS System. Net proceeds will be donated to Farmers Feeding the World, an initiative that works to bring together North American agriculture to fight global hunger.

There is a limited number still available for order, on a first come-first served basis. They are $20 each, which includes the book, a CD with all the recipes and a code to access the cookbook on a e-reader.

Contact Pat Smale in the GROWMARK Ontario region office at psmale@growmark.com if you're interested in purchasing a book. Supplies are limited.

Congratulations to GROWMARK Ontario scholarship winner, Kim Hooey!

Kim Hooey, Ontario GROWMARK Summer
Intern and Scholarship winner. 

Kim Hooey, one of Ontario's 2012 GROWMARK Summer Interns was also one of 41 college and university students from Ontario, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Pensylvania and Wisconsin to receive a GROWMARK scholarship at the GROWMARK Annual Meeting in Chicago on Aug. 31.

This summer, Hooey worked at Lucknow District Co-operative as a crop intern and was in charge of implementing a new agronomy/accounting software program for the co-operative. 

Kim Hooey is now in her fourth year at the University of Guelph and will graduate this year with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Ag Honours. Kim is also very active in 4-H completing close to 30 projects. She sits on her local 4-H Association and recently completed a term as the Ontario youth representative on the Canadian 4-H Council's Youth Advisory Committee. She is a member of the Bruce County Junior Farmers' Association club and has completed full terms as president, secretary and provincial director.

GROWMARK invests in future talent by providing more than $44,000 in scholarships annually and has been supporting college and university students with scholarships since the early 1960s. Today, they are awarded to students majoring in agriculture or accounting at 16 universities and colleges throughout Ontario and the United States.