By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) - the province’s largest commodity group that represents 28,000 corn, soybean and wheat farmers, officially unveiled its new headquarters at 679 Southgate Drive in Guelph, Ont. on Tuesday.
To celebrate the occasion, GFO hosted an open house style event where they invited various members of the agricultural community, including end-users of grain, associations and government officials (members of provincial parliament), and media. More than 100 people attended the event. “We sincerely appreciate the support from everyone who attended,” Meghan Burke communications manager for GFO said in an emailed statement.
Previously, GFO’s office was located at the Ontario Agri-Centre at 100 Stone Road West in Guelph, Ont. The organization had been there since the merger of the legacy organizations in 2005. Legacy organizations include the Ontario Corn Producers Association, the Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board, and the Ontario Soybean Growers.
According to Burke, the move was a process that was initiated back in 2011 when GFO “delegates passed a motion that we investigate purchasing our own office space in Guelph,” she said. “This is now the permanent home of Grain Farmers of Ontario.”
The organization currently has 30 staff and has grown over the years by investing in several areas, including sustainability, market development and public outreach. The new office site provides GFO with the flexibility to add new roles as they see fit, and not have to worry about the constraints of office space, which proved to be the case at its former location.
“We are proud of our new, permanent home of Grain Farmers of Ontario and we have designed the office space with the future in mind, allowing room to grow,” Burke noted. “This was an important milestone for us and the next step in the evolution of our organization.”
In June of this year, GFO retired its popular Farmers Feed Cities campaign and launched a new public outreach initiative called Good in Every Grain, aimed at sharing a message about “the good values farmers represent, the good work they do for the environment and communities, and the good crops they grow.” A table was set up at the grand opening of GFO’s new office, which displayed promotional material, including t-shirts, magnets and literature.
A photo album of the event can be viewed at OntAg.Farms.com.