2009 / 2008 / 2007 / 2006

Cornelissen Farms Inc. - Lambton County

(Left to right: Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Maria Van Bommel; Carolyn and George Cornelissen)

George Cornelissen knows how to keep his chickens cozy. He developed a geothermal broiler barn, where the water used for heating the building is preheated in piping located underground in an adjacent field. This innovation is environmentally friendly and has reduced the farm's energy costs by 30 per cent. It has also improved production since the farm is able to monitor and fine-tune heat flow, with temperatures controlled at bird level. The farm is one of the first in Ontario to apply an innovative heating system on a large agricultural scale.