4 The Business of Ontario Agriculture Better Farming | January 2025 INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE LETTER FROM THE EDITOR OFA’S LEADERSHIP; OSCIA DEEP DIVE One statement that stuck with me following the OFA’s recent AGM in Toronto came from a former Board member. “There’s a real sense of confidence here this year, and a feeling that our work is important,” she said. “What we are doing has meaning.” Indeed, through all the policy debates, information updates, and informal discussions at the AGM, there was a strong theme of business management and professional development. No doubt this comes from the top down. Dairy and crop farmer Drew Spoelstra was re-elected to a second one-year term as president at the meeting, while Sara Wood was re- elected to a second three-year term as a director-at-large. The broiler chicken and crop farmer will serve a second year as vice-president. Dairy farmer Ethan Wallace, who previously held the executive member position, was elected as vice-president. And Paul Maurice joins the executive committee as executive member for the year ahead. “Food and farming touches all Ontarians in many different ways,” said Spoelstra after the election. “It’s a major pillar of the provincial economy so it’s important for Ontario agriculture’s voice to be heard by decision-makers and we will continue to make that a priority in the year to come.” Former OFA Board member Eleanor Renaud dropped by at the AGM to chat about the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association’s own AGM, coming up on Feb. 4 and 5 in Kingston. Day 1 will feature various OSCIA updates, learning sessions, lunch and dinner, and awards presentations. The second day is going to be a MicroSmart Deep Dive. “The key will be education,” said OSCIA first vice-president Renaud. “And it’s all one topic; we’re going to get real insight into the role that micronutrients play in soil health. We’ll really be learning.” Details at ontariosoilcrop.org. “My father listened to my ideas and was willing to move forward with new ideas and methods. He always said, ‘Don’t be the first to try the new, and don’t be last to give up the past.’” - Geoff, Bruce County, Page 10 “Farmers need to put that focus on the weed and disease management perspective to maximize the quality of the beans. It will ultimately end up benefiting them, and they’ll produce a crop they’ll get paid well for.” - Matt Underwood, Page 19 “The thing that triggered me the most was getting a call from the media asking us, ‘What does it feel like being responsible for the death of seven people?’ When, in fact, that wasn’t true.” - David Biesenthal, Page 23 “Just because they couldn’t bear weight on all four legs doesn’t mean they were garbage animals meant for deadstock. The rules and regulations around animals that couldn’t be butchered was what got us into this business.” - Karson Hennick, Page 24 1-888-248-4893 90 Woodlawn Road West Guelph, ON N1H 1B2 PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR PAUL NOLAN ext 202 Paul.Nolan@Farms.com ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR LESLIE STEWART ext 265 Leslie.Stewart@Farms.com AGRICULTURAL JOURNALISTS MARY LOGGAN EMILY MCKINLAY CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION MOE AGOSTINO CAMPBELL CORK DALE COWAN ABHINESH GOPAL PAUL HERMANS PATRICK LYNCH MARIANNE STEIN RALPH WINFIELD ADVERTISING TEAM GLENN RUEGG JEFF McKEE JENNY LONGSTREET SCOTT FARHOOD SAMANTHA RENAUD JOAN SPIEGELBERG DESIGN & PRODUCTION TEAM TANYA MYERS GREG MARLOW SHAUN CLARK ANDREA WILLIAMS www.BetterFarming.com Better Farming magazine is mailed as a member-benefit to all farmer members of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. If you are not an OFA member, subscribe at: 1-888-248-4893 ext 281 Subscriptions@BetterFarming.com ISSN 1498-9344 (Printed) Canadian one-year subscriptions: $41 (11 issues; includes $4.72 HST). Two-year: $74 ($8.51 HST). U.S. subscriptions: $72 annually. International: $121. Single-copy back issues are $12. GST Registration #868959347RT0001 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to AgMedia Inc., 90 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph, ON N1H 1B2. Publications Mail Registration #1156. Publications Mail Agreement #40037298. Copyright ©2025 by AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any content without written permission of the publisher is forbidden. Acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, its products or services, nor do Better Farming, AgMedia or Farms.com endorse any advertiser claims. The publisher shall have no liability for the omission of any scheduled advertising. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. Follow us on @BetterFarmingON Cover: Scott Biesenthal photo, Kristen Edwards photo
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