For immediate release: 25 August 2006

MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT HELPING FARMERS CREATE NEW PRODUCTS
AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Premier's Award Of Excellence Recognizes Innovation On The Farm

QUEEN'S PARK - The McGuinty government is recognizing innovation in the province's agriculture sector by launching the Premier's Awards for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence, Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said today.

"By fostering innovation that starts on the farm, the McGuinty government is helping Ontario's farmers prosper through new products and new markets," said Dombrowsky. "This program recognizes the innovation that farmers have always shown in running their businesses."

The ministry is now accepting applications for the program. As many as 55 regional awards, valued at $5,000 each, will be presented. The recipients of the Premier's Award (up to $100,000) and the Minister's Award (up to $50,000) will be selected from the regional winners.

"An investment in innovation is an investment in Ontario," said Premier and Minister of Research and Innovation Dalton McGuinty. "One idea can generate new products, new jobs and new opportunities. That's why we're recognizing and honouring the spirit of innovation that thrives on our farms, by creating the five-year $2.5-million Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence."

Farm-level innovation can assist the agri-food industry to meet the challenges facing the sector by, among other things, enhancing profitability in the marketplace, meeting evolving consumer demands and better managing the effects of farming on the environment.

Four broad criteria will be used to identify the winning innovations; uniqueness and originality, stage of development, the impact or benefits of the innovation, and adoption and/or commercialization. Applications must be received by November 30, 2006, and will be reviewed by an independent panel from across Ontario's agri-food industry.

Other initiatives that show that the McGuinty government is on the side of farmers and families in rural Ontario include:

• Investing more than $32 million in capital grants and up to $60 million in annual operating grants to help build a successful ethanol industry in Ontario
• Investing $15 million to encourage economic diversification in those communities where the tobacco industry has been the primary source of economic activity
• Investing more than $22 million in rural communities through the Rural Economic Development program.
  

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Contacts:
Christopher Flavelle
Minister's Office
416-326-3072

Dave McLeod
Communications Branch
519-826-3198

PREMIER'S AWARD FOR AGRI-FOOD INNOVATION EXCELLENCE

The five-year, $2.5-million Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence, announced as part of the 2006 provincial Budget, recognizes that farmers have always been innovative in the running of their businesses and will foster even greater innovation across the province's agri-food sector.

As many as 55 regional awards, valued at $5,000 each, will be presented. The recipients of the Premier's Award, of up to $100,000, and the Minister's Award, of up to $50,000 will be selected from the regional winners. The Premier's Award and the Minister's Award will be presented at the Premier's 2007 Agri-Food Summit.

Individuals and/or groups representing agri-food businesses and organizations can submit applications. To be eligible, at least one of the applicants must be a farmer (eligible to obtain an Ontario Farm Business Registration Number). The innovation must have been developed and used on an Ontario farm, must have the potential for use on a broader basis and for having a positive effect on the agriculture industry.

Applications must be received by November 30, 2006 and will be reviewed by an independent panel comprising a cross-section of Ontario's agri-food industry.

Four broad criteria will be used to identify the winning innovations; uniqueness and originality, stage of development, the impact or benefits of the innovation, and adoption and/or commercialization.

Contacts:
Christopher Flavelle
Minister's Office
416-326-3072

Dave McLeod
Communications Branch
519-826-3198