Barley and oat farmers in Ontario have voted in favour of being represented by Grain Farmers of Ontario.
“We are pleased to announce that barley and oat production in Ontario is anticipated to be represented by Grain Farmers of Ontario by July 1, 2015,” says Barry Senft, CEO of Grain Farmers of Ontario.
The Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission invited barley and oat farmers to participate in an expression of opinion vote in November, 2014. 77% of voters voted in favour of representation by Grain Farmers of Ontario.
The Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission has begun the process required to make the regulatory changes. This includes a posting on the government regulatory registry for 45 days to allow additional comments on the addition of barley and oats. The intent is to have all regulatory amendments finalized for July 1, 2015. Under the amended regulations, farmers selling barley and oats to licensed elevators or mills will be required to pay a license fee to Grain Farmers of Ontario. Farm fed and farmer to farmer sales of barley and oats will not attract any licence fees, which is consistent with the current treatment of corn, soybeans, and wheat, says GFO.
Barley and oat farmers are encouraged to attend Grain Farmers of Ontario’s annual district grain committee meetings held across the province throughout the month of January. Information about these meetings can be found at www.gfo.ca.
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