For Immediate Release
April 27, 2007
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:
-
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.
-
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.
-
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 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:
-
uniqueness and originality,
-
stage of development,
-
the impact or benefits of the innovation, and
-
adoption and/or commercialization.
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
For more information:
Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300
Local: (519) 826-4047
E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
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