For Immediate Release
April 27, 2007
PROVINCE RECOGNIZES ON-FARM INNOVATION
Three Regional Award Winners Honoured For Their Achievements
THUNDER BAY - Local agricultural innovators are
the recipients of the Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.
Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro made the presentations today.
"I am pleased to recognize our local farmers with these awards,"
said Mauro. "Their hard work and innovative ideas are what
makes our rural communities strong."
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 awards today were:
Thunder Bay District:
Thunder Oak Cheese Farm
Rainy River District:
Pine River Ranch
Rainy River Elk Company
"I am proud of the accomplishments of these award winners,"
said Mauro. "Recognizing and encouraging innovation on the
farm will help Ontario's agri-food sector get ahead in a challenging
marketplace."
Other McGuinty government initiatives in support of farm families
in rural Ontario include:
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Investing in rural communities through the Rural
Economic Development Program. Since October 2003, 94 projects
have been approved with a total provincial commitment of approximately
$28.2 million.
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Investing $520 million over 12 years in the Ontario
Ethanol Growth Fund to expand ethanol production and use in Ontario,
and to advance Ontario's research and innovation efforts in alternative
renewable fuels.
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Enhancing the educational experience of rural
students by providing specialized programming utilizing community
and local resources, a new farming and rural major within the
Specialist High Skills Major, and new rural and agricultural related
cooperative education courses.
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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 and have
the potential for use on a broader basis, benefiting 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 northern Ontario received $5,000
regional Premier's Awards for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence:
Pine River Ranch
Rainy River District
At Pine River Ranch, environmental stewardship and green energy
are getting results. Careful, intensive pasture management means
high-quality grazing for the operation's 600 beef cows. Today, there
is a riparian zone along the ranch's waterways. This means that
the manure is composted and runoff eliminated, the land has been
set aside under the Greencover Canada program and fences have been
reconstructed and trees planted in a bid to evaluate the potential
for a shelter belt. The ranch owners are also using solar energy
to power remote water systems for their cattle.
Rainy River Elk Company
Rainy River District
Before BSE hit, this company relied on the U.S. market for 80 per
cent of its revenues. When the border closed, the operators developed
and implemented new ways to get their products into local markets.
Thanks to product differentiation, and working with others to expand
its reach through farmers markets, the Rainy River Elk Company continues
to thrive today.
Thunder Oak Cheese Farm
Thunder Bay District
Jacob Schep, owner of the Thunder Oak Cheese Farm, expanded his
dairy farm to add a Gouda cheese processing plant. The plant is
the only Gouda cheese plant in northern Ontario and has an educational
component - the public are invited to watch the process. This innovative
approach is providing a product and service to Northern Ontario
residents and encouraging artisan cheese making in Ontario.
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Contacts:
Kelly Synnott
Minister's Office
(416) 326-6439
Brent Ross
Communications Branch
(416) 326-9342
For more information:
Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300
Local: (519) 826-4047
E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
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