Grain Farmers & Friends: Battling Weeds, Building Better Systems

Join us for a practical conversation on weed control in organic grain farming — from cultivation tools and timing to innovative equipment and field-tested strategies. Hear directly from experienced organic grain farmers about what’s working on their farms, the challenges they face each season, and the creative approaches helping them build resilient, sustainable systems.

Meet the lineup:

Greg Dineen is a 41-year-old farmer located near Kenilworth, Ontario, currently in his 12th year farming organically. He farms alongside his wife, two young sons, and parents on 430 acres at the edge of the Dundalk Highlands. Their rotation includes corn, soybeans, wheat, rye, and black beans. A self-described “recovering (relapsed?) engineer,” Greg enjoys machinery design and is currently leading a project with the University of Guelph on ultra-low-cost electric grain drying. His farm trials have included top-dressing cereals with hog manure and digestate, twin-row and swathed soybeans, snow-combined corn, and low-population corn in organic production.

Dean Martin and his two sons operate Harrow Organic Farms in Harrow, Ontario, farming 1,500 acres of certified organic grains and oilseeds across Essex County and Pelee Island. Dean has been cash cropping for over 40 years and began transitioning to organic production in 2005. A University of Guelph graduate (83A), he is a former director of The Seed Corn Growers of Ontario and a past speaker at both the Southwest Agricultural Conference and the Guelph Organic Conference.

Phil Oegema transformed his 1,200-acre family farm to organic production in 2012. Today, Oegema Grains grows organic crops using innovative tools like the Weed Zapper while also operating an organic elevator supporting fellow farmers. As the 2024 President of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Phil champions farmer-led innovation and practical solutions for sustainable agriculture.

The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Erica Shelley, helping guide a lively and insightful conversation on all things organic grain farming.