Grain Farmers of Ontario awards 10 scholarships to Ontario students

Grain Farmers of Ontario, the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario‘s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers, has awarded 10 scholarships to Ontario students through the Grain Farmers of Ontario Legacy Fund Scholarship program.  

The Grain Farmers of Ontario Legacy Scholarship encourages the pursuit of higher education in any area of study that will benefit agriculture or agri-food and supports the development of future leaders in these areas. In this inaugural year, Grain Farmers of Ontario set out to award up to 10 scholarships of $5,000 to support the individual’s studies and the cost of school.

“Grain Farmers of Ontario is committed to supporting our agricultural community members to allow them to prosper, and that includes students who hope to take an active role in the future of the agriculture or agri-food industries in Ontario,” says Brendan Byrne, chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario. “The quality of applications we received was phenomenal, and we look forward to great things from the 10 selected students.”

The Legacy Scholarship received 106 applications that were judged (with names removed) by members of the Board of Directors. Congratulations to the following recipients:

• Connor Dawson (Lanark), studying Precision Agriculture – Techgronomy Diploma at Olds College, Alberta

• Elizabeth Drake (Stratford), studying Economics – Management Option at Wilfrid Laurier University

• Jesse Fay (New Hamburg), studying Aerospace Engineering at Carleton University

• Brendan Gill (Puslinch), studying Food and Agricultural Business at the University of Guelph

• Jack Heintz, (Ayr), studying Computer Science at Toronto Metropolitan University

• Jake Littlejohn (Lakeside), studying Biology and Biotechnology at Carleton University

• Jillian Ohm (Monkton), studying Agriculture at the University of Guelph

• Joe Rastapkevicius (West Lorne), studying  Agriculture at the University of Guelph

• Anuja Shrestha (Guelph), studying Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph

• Katie Voskamp (Tiverton), studying Commerce at the University of Guelph

The Grain Farmers of Ontario Legacy Scholarship will open again for applications in Summer 2023. 

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).