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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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