Province Recognizes On-Farm Innovation

13 Regional Award Winners Honoured For Their Achievements

GLENCOE - Local agricultural innovators are the recipients of the first Premier's Awards for Agri-Food Innovation, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Leona Dombrowsky announced today. The Minister was joined by Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Maria Van Bommel, and Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Steve Peters, in making the presentations today at Glencoe Arena Auditorium.

"Innovation creates jobs, helps the economy and builds new markets for Ontario's businesses," said Dombrowsky. "By recognizing and encouraging innovation on the farm, we are helping Ontario's agri-food sector be more competitive."

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.

The $100,000 Premier's Award of Excellence for Agri-Food Innovation and the $50,000 Minister's Award were presented earlier this month at the Premier's Summit on Agri-Food. Each regional winner receives $5,000. Regional winners presented with their award today were:

Chatham-Kent Region:
Kerr Farm Sales (Chatham) Ltd.
Sunshine Farms

Middlesex County:
Hungry Hollow Organics Inc.
London Dairy Farms

Elgin County:
Benner Farms Limited

Lambton County:
Ausable Produce
Minten Family Farms Ltd.
Munro Honey

Essex County:
AMCO Farms Inc.
Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers
Viticultural Roundtable of Southwestern Ontario

Oxford County:
Murgo Farms Ltd.

Perth County:
Abercrombie & Associates/Stephen
Coulthard Farms Ltd.

"I am pleased to recognize our local farmers with these awards," said Van Bommel. "Their hard work and innovative ideas are what makes our rural communities strong."

"Recognizing and encouraging innovation on the farm will help Ontario's agri-food sector get ahead in a challenging marketplace," said Peters.

Other McGuinty government initiatives in support of farm families in rural Ontario include:

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Contacts:
Kelly Synnott
Minister's Office
(416) 326-6439

Brent Ross
Communications Branch
(416) 326-9342

Backgrounder

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.

Fifty-five regional awards, valued at $5,000 each, will be presented. The recipients of the Premier's Award, of $100,000, and the Minister's Award, of $50,000 were selected from the regional winners, and were recognized at the Premier's 2007 Agri-Food Summit.

Individuals and/or groups representing agri-food businesses and organizations were eligible to submit applications. The innovation had to 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 were reviewed by an independent panel comprising a cross-section of Ontario's agri-food industry. Four broad criteria were used:

1. uniqueness and originality,
2. stage of development,
3. the impact or benefits of the innovation, and
4. adoption and/or commercialization.

The following applicants from southwestern Ontario received $5,000 regional Premier's Awards for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence:

Abercrombie & Associates/Stephen Coulthard Farms Ltd.
Perth County
Energy to burn - that's the result of a partnership between a farmer and an aggregate company. Scott Abercrombie, of Abercrombie & Associates, and Stephen Coulthard, of Stephen Coulthard Farms Ltd., recognized that Ontario's limited supply of wood fuel pellets and sawdust could be turned into an opportunity. They began looking for alternative materials to turn into fuel pellets. After extensive research and testing they have proven that crop residues are a great resource. The partners now collect corn cobs, soybean straw and corn stover, and process these materials into heat-generating fuel pellets.

AMCO Farms Inc.
Essex County
Energy costs are a large part of every greenhouse grower's expenditures … unless that grower is Fausto Amicone, of AMCO Farms Inc. Amicone installed a Biomass Combuster System, adapted to meet the needs of his operation, to offset energy requirements. With an investment of almost $6 million, some time and more effort, the combuster was retro-fitted to work efficiently, and at capacity, for the size of the greenhouse operation. AMCO is now looking to commercialize the system, to help the greenhouse sector meet its green energy needs.

Ausable Produce
Huron County
Ausable Produce took an existing technology and improved upon it to better meet the needs of the marketplace. Stan Kwarciak came up with an innovative packing option for onions. A better bag - with tighter mesh, a new fastening system - a plastic tag called "Kwik Lok", and a more attractive label add up to success for Kwarciark, Ausable Produce and Ontario's consumers. The Kwik Lok tag can have information relating to lot, date and producer, printed on it.

Benner Farms Limited (Heritage Line Herbs)
Elgin County
For Deb Benner, of Benner Farms Limited, one innovation just wasn't enough. In the process of converting her tobacco farm to an herb operation with an emphasis on agri-tourism, she introduced eight innovative practices. The potting shed and greenhouse feature in-floor radiant heating systems, floor heat pads and a corn furnace; the former bulk kilns and bunk house have become a kitchen, a store and washrooms; and an outdoor tea room was created. Benner is also pursuing organic certification for her herb operation and has plans to produce essential oils on the farm, for sale as part of the proposed expansion of agri-tourism activities at Heritage Line Herbs.

Hungry Hollow Organics Inc.
Middlesex County
Hungry Hollow Organics Inc., operated by Ike and Beatrice Enter, is a certified organic family farm. The Enters have expanded production to include value-added prepared food products, which allows them to use more of every carcass. Their organic ground meat products, such as chilli, shepherds pie and lasagne, require more ingredients than Hungry Hollow can supply, providing other primary producers with a ready market. They have developed a brand with professional packaging and marketing materials to support the products at retail.

Kerr Farm Sales (Chatham) Ltd.
Chatham-Kent County
Robert Kerr found a way to bring more stability to the market for high quality beef - by differentiating his products. No hormones, no antibiotics, no feed with animal by-products. Kerr has partnered with beef producers, who are willing to meet those criteria and become part of the vertically integrated supply chain created by Kerr Farm Sales. In return, producers receive a guaranteed base price. Retailers in the supply chain are able to buy at quoted prices. Kerr Farm Sales is now working to develop value-added processed products from trim, which accounts for a large amount of the usable meat of each carcass.

London Dairy Farms
Middlesex County
Dan Cornwell developed a retractable roof for the feed shed. This lowered construction costs, provides more shelter for the feed and results in less wastage, as feed trucks are able to more effectively dump their loads.

Minten Family Farms Ltd.
Lambton County
Three years ago, Minten Family Farms Ltd. expanded its swine operation. More livestock also means more deadstock. Frank Minten wanted an effective and environmentally sound way to handle deadstock. He found it in Manitoba - a composting system consisting of two large vessels. The innovation is in use on the Minten Farm, and was made even more efficient by obtaining provincial approval to transport the operation's deadstock to a single location.

Munro Honey
Lambton County
Davis and John Bryans had a "honey" of an idea when they decided to add value to their farming operation. Munro Honey was a well-established honey production facility. The Bryans wanted more. Now, they don't just produce honey - they sell it…along with beekeeping equipment and bees, including queens, and provide pollination services. Davis and John also established a commercial meadery, which in addition to the specialty honeys, is proving to be a good draw for their new agri-tourism venture.

Murgo Farms Ltd.
Oxford County
Even the busiest farmers have down time. Grain elevator operator James Hammerton, of Murgo Farms Ltd., now spends his down time running an agricultural tree trimming service - keeping himself busy and employed year-round. Hammerton adapted machinery to safely and efficiently trim branches and chip wood.

Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers
Essex County
The Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers earned more than a passing grade for their innovation. They introduced the Healthy Hearts, Healthy Minds school program in 2004, which provides healthy food alternatives for schools. The program also provides producers with the opportunity to educate teachers, students and parents about the nutritional value of Ontario greenhouse vegetables, the benefits of healthy eating and greenhouse vegetable production. The program has been trademarked.

Sunshine Farms
Chatham-Kent County
When processors replaced John Jaques' Ontario-grown asparagus with imported product, the farmer was in a pickle. He responded by creating a new product. At first, the operator of Sunshine Farms looked into freezing and dehydrating, but found these processes to be too expensive. Innovation hit - and Jaques developed a pickled asparagus project to help make the farming operation more sustainable. The pickled product line now includes a number of organic products, including beans, carrots, beets and garlic.

Viticultural Roundtable of Southwestern Ontario
Essex County
A group of grape growers in southwestern Ontario certainly did their homework when developing a sustainable protocol for their operations. Vineyard management decisions are made with the environment in mind these days, so that production practices minimize negative effects on the environment while maximizing grape quality and quantity. The next step is to develop a recognizable seal, or sign, to help consumers choose wines that have been produced from grapes grown in a sustainable manner.

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Contacts:
Kelly Synnott
Minister's Office
(416) 326-6439

Brent Ross
Communications Branch
(416) 326-9342