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OFVGA re-elects board chair, vice-chair

The leadership of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Assocation remains unchanged for 2025. Shawn Brenn was re-elected as the organization’s chair and Mike Chromczak was re-elected as vice chair at a board meeting following the organization’s annual general meeting in Niagara Falls, February 18.

“It’s my honour to lead this organization for another year and I appreciate the support from the OFVGA’s strong board and staff team in this role,” says Brenn. “Issues around trade, grower profitability, labour and regulatory burden will remain priority files for the OFVGA this year and we will continue to work hard to put grower needs and concerns in front of provincial decision-makers as well as support local and national advocacy efforts.”

Brenn is president of Brenn-B Farms Ltd near Waterdown, where the fourth-generation family business grows potatoes, onions, cilantro and dill, and corn, soybeans and wheat as rotation crops. He represents the potato sector on the OFVGA board and is also chair of the Ontario Potato Board. Brenn has led the OFVGA since 2023, after a one-year term as vice chair. 

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Trending Video

Supplemental Nitrogen on Soybeans: Can Early Nitrogen Increase Yield?

Video: Supplemental Nitrogen on Soybeans: Can Early Nitrogen Increase Yield?

Can supplemental nitrogen help soybeans reach higher yield potential? Technical Agronomist Tim Sickman walks through an ongoing trial at the Nutrien Innovation Farm in Owensboro, Kentucky, exploring whether a modest amount of nitrogen applied at planting can support higher-yielding soybean environments.

The trial compares 30 pounds of supplemental nitrogen across both 15- and 30-inch rows, along with treatments that include sulfur and micronutrients. Similar trials conducted in 2024 and 2025 delivered a six- to seven-bushel yield response, prompting the team to expand the research this season.

Early observations show that treated soybeans are slightly taller and averaging about two additional nodes on the main stem. These added nodes could create more opportunities for blooms and pods, but the true results will come at harvest when the team evaluates pod development, seed fill and final yield.

In This Video:

Why high-yield soybeans may need supplemental nitrogen

Results from the 2024 and 2025 trials

Nitrogen treatments in 15- and 30-inch rows

Fertilizer placement and application methods

Differences in plant height and node counts

Potential effects on pod development and yield