Grain Farmers of Ontario 2024 Legacy Scholarship Recipients Awarded

Guelph, ON – Grain Farmers of Ontario, the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers, is pleased to announce the 10 recipients of the 2024 Grain Farmers of Ontario Legacy Scholarship. The students will receive $5,000 to support their studies at accredited post-secondary institutions.

Now in its third year, the Legacy Scholarship encourages the pursuit of higher education, supporting students in any area of study that will benefit the Ontario grain sector or agri-food industry. Past recipients have studied in a variety of programs across the country, including Communications, Engineering, Sciences, Equipment Repair, Economics, and Agriculture.

“Grain Farmers of Ontario is dedicated to championing the success of our agricultural community members, extending our support to students looking to make a difference in Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food industries,” says Jeff Harrison, chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario. “We were amazed by the exceptional quality of the applications we received and know that the students selected could make significant contributions to the industry.”

Members of the Grain Farmers of Ontario Board of Directors reviewed 118 applications. The Board has awarded scholarships to the following students:

• Taylor Legge, University of Guelph, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, major in Crop Science
• Riley McConachie, University of Guelph, Master of Science in Plant Agriculture, Breeding and Genetics
• Marielle Zouein, University of Ottawa, Master of Science in Biology
• Ethan Ringelberg, Conestoga College, Motive power Technician, Heavy Duty Equipment/Farm Equipment
• Colin Ormiston, University of Guelph, Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics (FARE)
• Lauren Court, Western University, Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering option
• Branden Adamo, Conestoga College, Motive Power Technician, Heavy Duty Equipment
• Melanie McMaster, Trent University, Honours Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Communications
• Brett Nagel, Carleton University, Bachelor of Economics, concentration in Finance
• Anibal Castillo, University of Guelph, Ph. D in Integrative Biology

The Grain Farmers of Ontario Legacy Scholarship will open for applications in the summer of 2025. 

What is the Legacy Fund?

The Grain Farmers of Ontario Legacy Fund provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the organization to reimagine and reinvest in the sector. When the Grain Farmers of Ontario Wheat Marketing was eliminated, changes in regulations allowed for the transition of the wheat marketing fund into the Grain Farmers of Ontario Legacy Fund. The original wheat marketing fund was formed using contributions from existing assets from the three founding organizations (Ontario Wheat Producers’ Marketing Board, Ontario Corn Producers’ Association, and Ontario Soybean Growers).