PROVINCE RECOGNIZES ON-FARM INNOVATION

Six Regional Award Winners Honoured For Their Achievements

ELMWOOD - Local agricultural innovators are the recipients of the first Premier's Awards for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. Huron-Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell made the presentations today at the Elmwood Community Hall.

"I am pleased to recognize our local farmers with these awards," said Mitchell. "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:

Bruce County:
Agri-Business Specialist High Skills Major Chesley District High School
Doug Calhoun Farms/West Grey Premium Beef Inc.
Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative

Grey County:
Global Fruit

Perth County:
BLT Farms Inc.
LMR Inc.

"I am proud of the accomplishments of these award winners," said Mitchell. "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 benefiting the agriculture industry on a broader basis.

Applications were reviewed by an independent panel comprising a cross-section of Ontario's agri-food industry. Four broad criteria were used:

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

Agri-Business Specialist High Skills Major Chesley District High School
Bruce County
The Specialist High Skills Major at Chesley District High School helps students learn the business of agriculture. The initiative began in 2004; an existing barn was updated and renovated, the curriculum was developed, and the pilot was launched in 2006. One of three pilot projects implemented by the Ontario Ministry of Education, the program provides students interested in agriculture with cooperative education experiences, both on the farm and in agri-businesses, such as equipment dealerships, hatcheries, feed supply stores and farm construction. Students must complete four courses directly related to animal science, horticulture and business. Making the program happen was a real team effort involving the local community, agri-business, the school, the municipality and the Ministry of Education.

BLT Farms Inc.
Perth County
Len Jewitt of BLT Farms Inc. uses anaerobic digestion to turn poultry manure and corn silage into energy. With a lot of research and the help of a consultant, Jewitt built an anaerobic digester that turns about 4,000 tonnes of poultry manure (and the same amount of corn silage to dilute the nitrates) into methane gas. The gas is stored and cleaned, the water and sulphur are removed. The methane gas fuels an engine that powers a generator and heats the barn, replacing the previously-used propane heater. The hot water is captured, transported underground through insulated pipes and used as a heat source in various sheds, poultry barns and Jewitt's house. This innovation produces so much energy that Jewitt is investigating the opportunity to feed into the Hydro One grid.

Doug Calhoun Farms/West Grey Premium Beef
Bruce County
Doug Calhoun has brought together three separate business people - a grocery store owner and two beef producers - to buy a small abattoir to add value to their products. From three employees in 2003 to two retail stores and 45 employees today, the business (West Grey Premium Beef) has expanded to slaughtering cattle from other producers, as well as lambs and calves for veal. It has expanded into the Halal meat market in Toronto, and created an innovative branding program to promote the products.

Global Fruit
Grey County
Marius Botden and his company Global Fruit have contributed tremendously to the Ontario apple industry - from developing a rootstock that performs in a high-density orchard in Ontario conditions, to identifying new varieties that meet changing consumer demand, to implementing the most efficient techniques in orchard management. Here, the first orchard with a density of 1,175 apple trees per acre was planted, and new machinery was developed for faster, high-volume tree planting and less handling of ripened fruit.

LMR Inc.
Perth County
Work smarter, not harder. That's what Mary Haugh of LMR Inc. does now thanks to an innovative new tool she developed called the LONGARM (patented). This retractable, lightweight fabric gate means one person can move any number of hogs in a fraction of the time, and with much less effort, than it takes to move pigs using a crowding board. The LONGARM allows producers to move their livestock more effectively, safely and with less stress and force. The swine producer's new tool can also be used with auto sorters, a relatively new introduction to the swine industry. Haugh is now developing a range of accessories to support the use of the LONGARM with the auto sorter.

Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative
Bruce County
The Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative was formed to generate better revenues for individual members. The co-operative processes fluid milk products and brokers milk products to cheese producers. It has strong relationships with buyers to match supply and demand, and promotes the benefits of goat milk to consumers at trade shows and conferences.

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

Brent Ross
Communications Branch
(416) 326-9342