Ontario grain farmers pour millions into research as sector drives $27B in economic activity

Ontario's grain sector covers more than 6 million acres of farmland, generates over $4.1 billion in production value and supports more than 90,000 jobs, according to Grain Farmers of Ontario.

The organization lays out those figures in the February 2026 issue of its magazine, Ontario Grain Farmer, in a column from CEO Crosby Devitt that argues research partnerships are the foundation of the sector's future.

A decade of research investment

Over the past 10 years, Grain Farmers of Ontario has invested more than $16.4 million in 150 research projects. When other funding sources are leveraged, the combined value of that work exceeds $65 million.

The organization has also put $2.5 million into professorships focused on field crop pathology and wheat breeding.

"I'm convinced research partnerships are the way we'll realize the full potential of Ontario's grain sector," Devitt wrote in the column.

He pointed to tangible results from that spending, including Ontario's position as North America's leader in sustainable, regenerative agriculture through practices such as cover cropping and soil conservation. The province has also secured a niche supplying food-grade soybeans to Japan and built one of the strongest biofuel markets on the continent.

Government and university partnerships

Devitt highlighted the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance between the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness and the University of Guelph as a key driver of agri-food research and innovation in the province.

He also noted federal support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and other research organizations in areas such as plant breeding and policy development.

Devitt said he met recently with federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald to discuss the importance of federal investment in agricultural research.

In November, the organization welcomed Alberta MP John Barlow to board member Jeff Barlow's corn operation near Binbrook. Devitt said the visit gave the MP a first-hand look at how research results are applied on a family farm that has been in operation since 1843.

March Classic heads to Niagara Falls

The magazine also promotes the organization's annual March Classic, listed for March 24 at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre, with registration available through Grain Farmers of Ontario's website.

According to the magazine, free professional childcare will be offered during the event, supported by Agriculture Wellness Ontario, with children required to be pre-registered by March 10. A discounted hotel room block at the Niagara Falls Marriott on the Falls was set to close March 1.

Focus on wheat breeding

The February issue's cover story, written by Jeanine Moyer, examines efforts to expand the wheat-breeding pipeline, with researchers aiming to help producers prepare for the sector's future needs around profitability, sustainability and resilience.

Ontario Grain Farmer is published nine times a year by Grain Farmers of Ontario and distributed to the province's barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmer-members.