Local Agri-Food Innovators Celebrated

Innovative ideas grown by Ontario farmers were celebrated today at a ceremony in Niagara-on-the-Lake, honouring local winners of the province’s regional awards for innovation excellence. These fresh ideas are contributing to the local economy, boosting the agri-food industry and giving consumers more choice.

The Premier’s Agri-Food Innovation Excellence awards are part of a $2.5-million, five-year program (now in its third year) established to recognize innovators who contribute to the success of Ontario’s agri-food sector.  

Local events across the province are recognizing 55 regional award winners, who are receiving $5,000 each for their innovations.  Niagara Region winners presented with their awards today are:

• Featherstone Vineyard (Vineland)
• Howell Family Pumpkin Farm (Fonthill)
• Palatine Fruit & Roses (Niagara-on-the-Lake) 
• Vandermeer Greenhouses Ltd. (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
• Vinifera for Life Canada/Southbrook Wineries (Jordan)

Winners of the $100,000 Premier’s Award and the $50,000 Minister’s Award were presented in April at the Premier’s Summit on Agri-Food.

QUOTES

“Innovative farming practices are the key to strengthening our local agri-food sector, which is such an important contributor to Ontario’s and particularly Niagara’s economy. The Niagara region is the most productive agricultural region in Canada. I am pleased to recognize the achievements of these local innovators who are keeping it that way with these awards for Innovation and Excellence in farming their land.”
- Kim Craitor, MPP for Niagara Falls.

QUICK FACTS

• In its first three years, the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence has attracted more than 550 applications highlighting on-farm innovations.  
  
• Ontario’s agri-food sector is one of the province’s leading industries, contributing more than $33 billion to the economy every year.

LEARN MORE

Learn more about this year’s award winning innovations and discover the variety of previous award-winning on-farm innovations.  

Learn more about other government programs supporting innovation in Ontario by visiting the Ministry of Research and Innovation website.

Backgrounder

Regional Innovations Awarded In Niagara Region 

The following are Regional Award winners of the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence:

NIAGARA REGION:

Featherstone Vineyard – Vineland

Featherstone Vineyard deserves a feather in its cap for using nature’s balances to safeguard its grape crop. Louise Engel is the first vineyard owner in Ontario to use birds of prey to protect the 23-acre vineyard from the ravages that small birds can inflict on the grape crop. It’s an environmentally sound way of deterring nuisance birds from valuable, high-density crops such as grapes, blueberries, raspberries and cherries. One raptor is capable of controlling up to 50 acres. Engel underwent a required two-year apprenticeship program to become a licensed falconer — an investment of time that is paying dividends in terms of crop protection.

Howell Family Pumpkin Farm – Fonthill

You could call Jerry Howell the Walt Disney of his community. Howell has spent more than 30 years pursuing his childhood dream of growing the best pumpkins, while innovating and marketing agri-tourism that includes both education and a fun farm experience.  Visitors delight in animal petting areas and an array of animated shows and displays. The farm’s ‘Rex, the pumpkin eating dinosaur’ is one of the unique innovations that has been adopted by others, and the farm’s ‘singing chickens’ have been commercialized and sold to more than 30 farm-based attractions in Canada. Howell Family Pumpkin Farm employs four full-time and 76 seasonal employees who help give families an entertaining and educational experience on the farm.

Palatine Fruit & Roses  –  Niagara on the Lake

A rose is a rose by any other name – unless it is a special, pest-resistant rose adapted to Ontario conditions.  The “Kordes” rose was meticulously tested and propagated by Rene and Eva Schmitz of Palatine Fruit and Roses.  They recognized that there was a gap in the local market for roses that would be more resistant to pests. With the ban on cosmetic-use pesticide put in place by the province, the rose is sure to be in demand for public and private gardens. 

Vandermeer Greenhouses Ltd. –  Niagara on the Lake

Flowers are set to bloom under grape power at Vandermeer Greenhouses Ltd. These innovative growers will be the first in Ontario to fill their anaerobic digester with grape pomace, the waste material left over from winemaking. The growers have also adapted a corn silage storage system to house the pomace before it goes into the digester. They anticipate that this free, organic waste material will power their entire greenhouse, and produce excess power that can be sold to the grid. By using grape pomace, this grower is squeezing the most out of an opportunity to save thousands of dollars in heating costs — and generate green power that benefits the environment.

Vinifera for Life Canada/Southbrook Wineries – Jordan

Mark Walpole is squeezing every ounce of profit out of his grapes and more, with a patented process that takes the usually wasted grape skins and pulp from winemaking and makes them into healthy food supplements and skin care ingredients. The Vinifera powders have so much nutritional and flavour value that both Novus International (an animal feed company) and L'Oreal Paris Cosmetics have shown interest in incorporating it into their products.  To top it all off, the process significantly reduces disposal costs and protects the environment.

ABOUT THE AWARDS PROGRAM

Awards - The five-year, $2.5 million Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence is now in its third year. The Premier’s Award can be up to $100,000; the Minister’s award can be up to $50,000. There are up to 55 regional awards, valued at $5,000 each.  

Who is eligible? - A farmer, primary producer, groups of farmers, combination of agri-food businesses or an agri-food related organization are all eligible for recognition under this initiative. A farmer must be one of the applicants of any group. This program is not intended for the research community as there are other government recognition programs available to this sector.       Applicant/nominees must reside in Ontario and be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada. Ontario public service staff and immediate family are not eligible to apply for this program. 

Types of eligible innovations - Examples of innovations for this program include (but are not limited to) improved farm practices, responding to consumer demands, environmental stewardship, health and safety on the farm, energy innovations, education and marketing of agriculture to society, and promoting local food.

For more information, contact:

Sherry Persaud, Minister's Office, 416-326-6439
Brent Ross, Communications Branch, 416-326-9342