‘The threats to our industry are real’: GFO leadership says trade, Trump remain a concern
- Feb 5
- 3 min read
By Luke Edwards
After another tumultuous year in global geopolitics, leadership with the Grain Farmers of Ontario painted a picture of an industry still very much concerned about the near future, but one that has also experienced a few key wins in the past 12 months.
Farmers from Haldimand, Brant, Hamilton and Niagara gathered last month in Caledonia for the GFO District 6 annual meeting. Presentations from various officials in the morning took place before The Weather Network’s Mark Robinson delivered an afternoon address.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Canada’s rocky relationship with its American neighbours to the south remained top of mind.
“Without a doubt, the most effect we’ve seen is Donald Trump returning to the White House,” said Jeff Harrison, of the GFO.
In response to the tariff threats, Harrison said GFO officials stepped up advocacy, working with government partners on this side of the border, while also reaching out to corresponding groups in the U.S.
“We have a great relationship with our partners to the south,” Harrison said, adding collaboration with American grain industry groups led to a forceful push against trade barriers.
Despite that, Harrison said grain farmers in the province continue to face challenges.
“The threats to our industry are real,” he said.
There were some wins to celebrate, he added. Last year’s announcement of an extra $100 million for the province’s Risk Management Plan is huge, Harrison said. The bump from $150 million to $250 million is being phased in.
“It can’t come quick enough,” Harrison said.
Other wins he highlighted included getting the federal carbon levy removed, as well as the removal of the planned increase to the capital gains tax.
Even the recent deal between Canada and China that will allow for reduced tariffs on Canadian canola should be welcomed by Ontario’s grain growers, even though it will mostly impact farmers in western Canada.
“It’s something we should celebrate too,” Harrison said.
The prospect of increased trade with China could be great news in Ontario, especially for soybean exports. Jeff Barlow, district 6 director, recently returned from an Asian trade mission. He said China has such a robust system where he toured one facility that could easily take all the soybeans Canada exported last year. And while Canadian soybeans might be more expensive, he said they have a reputation for quality.
“Every single one says we have the best soybeans in the world, quality wise,” he said.
Promise of increased trade with China presents opportunity, but rising input costs continue to be a challenge, namely with fertilizer.
“We’ve worked hard to reduce rising input costs,” said Harrison.
However, tariffs and domestic production levels that don’t meet the needs of eastern Canada means farmers will continue to face challenges when it comes to securing fertilizer, Harrison said.
A LOT OF VARIABILITY FOR YIELDS IN 2025
As part of a presentation from Agricorp’s Mark Neufeld, crop yields from last year were shared. Overall, local areas were relatively close to their respective averages for soybeans, winter wheat and corn, though Neufeld said for individual farmers it depended a lot on when they got the rain.
“Here in Niagara the yields were so variable,” he said.
The western half of the province fared better than eastern Ontario, Neufeld added, with almost every producer in eastern Ontario being in a claim scenario.
GOVERNANCE CHANGES
Farmers learned of a few governance changes taking place with GFO.
The organization joined the Grain Growers of Canada, which Harrison said will give them a stronger voice. However, he said they’re not going to abandon their current work and that eastern Canada remains unique.
“We see it as an addition to, rather than a subtraction from, what we do,” he said.
The organization’s vice-president of strategic development, Paul Hoekstra, also outlined some changes stemming from a governance review for GFO. The main change will see a new way of distributing delegates, which should see a more spread out distribution.
And while it’s not directly impacting them, Hoekstra said they’re monitoring the situation at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, where officials announced 665 layoffs last month as part of the federal government’s plan to cut back on the size of the public service.
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