The March Classic with Grain Farmers of Ontario #GFOClassic

I was born and raised in the city, loved it! Then had children and moved to the country, rural living was more our pace. It has been many years that I have lived surrounded by farmland but there is still so much to learn. I know farmers and visit farms, but to be honest I knew very little about their business. It was great to be able to attend The March Classic yesterday in London Ontario with Grain Farmers of Ontario. Many myths were put to rest and so much information was consumed. The farming community s truly an amazing  and much needed resource for not only our province and country, but the world. After all, Farmers feed cities 🙂

The day was filled with speakers and farmers, displays and slideshows as well as booths from BMO, John Deer, BUNGE  and other Industry leaders and supporters.

The two speaker that were there were very passionate about Grain Farming and debunking the myths many hear of. For me as a mom and consumer I admit I knew very little about GMOs and Gluten. Listening to them talk really opened my eyes and they had the statistics to back up what they were telling us. The speakers were Dr. Joe Schwarcz and Dr. Julie Jones.

Dr. Joe Schwarcz is Director of McGill University’s “Office for Science and Society” which is dedicated to demystifying science and separating sense from nonsense.

• Author of 14 best sellers including Is that a fact? (2014)
• Dr. Joe Schwarcz adressed Agricultural Myths and Facts
• Dr. Schwarcz is well known for interpreting science for the greater public, allowing for a better understanding of complicated topics
• We learned the true facts on common agricultural myths and take away a better understanding on the industry and the food you eat

Conclusion slide from his presentation 

Julie Jones, a board Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Food Scientist, and Licensed Nutritionist (MN), received her B.S. degree from Iowa State University and her Ph.D. in Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Minnesota. Currently, she is a Professor Emerita and Distinguished Scholar at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN. She speaks worldwide on many nutrition topics such as whole grains and dietary fiber, carbohydrates, sugars, the glycemic index, gluten and gluten free, and food safety issues and healthy diet patterns such as DASH or the Mediterranean diet, and facts and fables in nutrition.

• Scientific advisor for the Joint Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition of the US Food and Drug Administration
• She has received a number of awards and has authored many papers and several books
• Ms. Jones will address the recent claims made by popular books and blogs that state grains and whole grains as the root cause of obesity and chronic conditions including dementia
• She debunked the theory that “modern wheat” has changed by referring to several peer-reviewed academic resources and research projects
• Ms. Miller Jones will also address conditions such as wheat allergies and celiac disease and discuss why few Canadians need to concern themselves with these condition

Slide from her presentation 

About Grain Farmers of Ontario 

Grain Farmers of Ontario represents Ontario’s 28,000 growers of corn, soybean and wheat. Our farmers’ crops cover 5 million acres of farm land across the province, and are a major economic driver for Canada. Ontario-grown corn, soybean and wheat crops generate over $2.5 billion in farm gate receipts, result in over $9 billion in economic output, and are responsible for over 40,000 jobs in the province. See more at www.goodineverygrain.ca

About The March Classic

The March Classic is the largest grain-focused conference in Eastern Canada drawing upwards of 650 attendees from farms across Ontario, government, and industry – with record attendance of 850 at the 2014 conference. The 2015 event will continue to build on the success of past conferences. Centred around the theme of ‘Ontario Grains: Growing Stronger Together’, our guest speakers will provide attendees with a fresh perspective on promoting grains with consumers, the role of science within agriculture, and the influence of public perception and politics on agriculture. More information can be found here

Some images from the event

Lunch- Made sure to get my grains

BUNGE (Soybeans) booth

BUNGE is a leading domestic supplier and exporter.  They process canola and soybeans and produce value-added products at facilities through the country, and export grains through their port terminal in Quebec. They were handing out bottles of soybean oil and very kind at answering questions.

Alpine fertilizer booth

Everyone who attended received a bag to bring home. These were the goodies inside

My takeaway from the event– Everyone everywhere is touched by grains in some way. Grains are a part of a healthy diet and part of our modern life. Many products are made up of grains, so many you just would not know. There are a lot of myths surrounding the grain industry and you owe it to yourself and your family to ask questions and get the facts.

• Did you know that less than 5% of women in Canada meet their daily fibre requirements?
• Every 3.5 seconds someones dies from not having enough food.
• Farmers are not in the business of killing their consumers. They eat what they grow. It is the dose that makes the poison (Dr Schwarcz)
• When in doubt do not follow fads, ask a nutritionist for more information.

Thank you to Grain Farmers of Ontario for this fun and informative opportunity!

Follow the conversation on social media and see highlights from the event using the #GFOClassic hashtag

Their website for more info www.goodineverygrain.ca You can also find yummy recipes and shop for some branded gear there!

You can read more about Dr Joe Schwarcz and the facts and myths about GMOs and other important topics in his book “Is that a fact?”

Hopefully you too were able to learn something! If you have any questions, let me know and we will get you the answers!

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