Overview

The Excellence in Agriculture program recognizes excellence in the agriculture and food industry. Its purpose is to:

  • recognize and encourage outstanding efforts and innovations that are driving the agriculture and food sector forward
  • raise awareness of the importance of the agri-food sector and its impact on the Ontario economy

Recipients receive engraved glass awards for their efforts, while honourable mentions receive certificates. Both gain access to a wordmark that can be used for promotional purposes.

Minister’s Award

Award recipient: Conestoga Food Research and Innovation Lab (CFRIL) – Waterloo Region

CFRIL is an applied research centre at Conestoga College. CFRIL is partnering with start-up, small and medium sized food businesses to solve technical challenges, de-risk equipment and provide lab testing opportunities, technical skills and production support from their 8,000 ft2 pilot plant.

Agri-Food Promotional Excellence

This award is given to an applicant that demonstrates innovation in promotion that encourages consumers to buy Ontario grown and made agri-food products.

Award recipient: Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN) – Sault Ste. Marie

RAIN is a non-profit organization dedicated to the needs of the agri-food sector in Northern Ontario. Their Buy Algoma, Buy Local program is a membership-based market enhancement initiative used to promote farmers and food businesses through a series of products including printed guides, websites and marketing campaigns. The program is aimed at creating a platform where individuals, businesses, communities and others in the agri-food sector can connect and grow the sector.

Award recipient: Eat Local Huron – Huron County

Eat Local Huron is a non-profit online farmer's market with home delivery across Huron County. Customers can see online which farm they are ordering from, helping local producers become household names and ultimately assist in building their brand.

Honourable mention: Tanya Hammond, Write Time – Leeds and Grenville

Tanya Hammond created an online Leeds and Grenville Farm Directory and writes a weekly column, "Notes from the Farmer's Daughter," to share inspirational, educational and entertaining stories.

Excellence in Agri-Food Education

This award is given to an applicant that demonstrates efforts to increase industry awareness, innovation, training and/or skill development that supports growth within Ontario’s agri-food sector.

Award recipient: Vineland Research and Innovation Centre – Niagara Region

Vineland Research and Innovation Centre strives to improve the economic viability, sustainability and competitiveness of the horticulture sector in Canada. Dr. Rose Buitenhuis is a researcher/educator at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre who has demonstrated excellence as an agri-food educator. Dr. Buitenhuis is recognized for her strong communication skills and making research results understandable for use in the agriculture sector. Her research includes a chrysanthemum cutting dip to control pests, along with many other accomplishments.

Award recipient: Progressive Dairy Operators – Guelph

Progressive Dairy Operators is diligent about researching, organizing and offering high quality educational tours and peer-to-peer learning events targeted at producers and youth in Ontario’s dairy sector. Progressive Dairy Operators has been instrumental in growing the adoption of innovative technologies, alternative stewardship practices, succession planning and new dairy management practices. Their work over the past 20 years has helped make Ontario a leading jurisdiction in North America for efficient dairy farming.

Honourable mention: Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology – Toronto Urban Farmer Training Program

Seneca College of Applied Arts Technology developed and delivered the Toronto Urban Farmer Training, a business creation-focused program that supports urban farming.

Excellence in Agri-Food Talent Recruitment

This award is given to an applicant that demonstrates innovation in agri-food sector labour force recruitment.

Award recipient: Jennefer Griffith, Food Processing Skills Canada – Ottawa

Food Processing Skills Canada has developed micro-credential courses that have made it simple and effective to drive employee retention and attraction within the food processing sector. Many companies are using the training and upskilling their labour force through the online courses. Companies have seen a benefit and direct impact to employee attraction and retention as a result of this organization and its executive director, Jennefer Griffith.

Honourable mention: Kathryn Doan, AgCareers.com Canada – Guelph

Kathryn Doan, a director at AgCareers.com and CareersinFood.com, is leading a team responsible for recruitment in the agricultural sector in North America.

Excellence in Food Processing

This award is given to an applicant that demonstrates how innovation has supported the efficiency and/or effectiveness of the Ontario agri-food processing sector.

Award recipient: The County Bounty Artisanal Soda – Napanee

The County Bounty Artisanal Soda is a family run business that creates craft sodas in a farm to table operation. The sodas offer an alternative, healthy, low-sugar soda option that uses Ontario-grown fruit. The business has helped communities, reduced waste and supported local farmers and businesses.

Honourable mention: Port Pop – Cambridge

Port Pop produces high quality snacks including popcorns, chips and breakfast cereals using local products.

Excellence in Research and Innovation

This award is given to an applicant that demonstrates how innovation has supported efficiency and/or effectiveness of Ontario’s primary production or processing/manufacturing agri-food sectors.

Award recipient: CFRIL – Waterloo Region

CFRIL is an applied research centre at Conestoga College. CFRIL is partnering with start-up, small and medium sized food businesses to solve technical challenges, de-risk equipment and provide lab testing opportunities, technical skills and production support from their 8,000  ft2 pilot plant.

Honourable mention: Bioenterprise Canada – Guelph

Bioenterprise Canada has nurtured innovation, connecting small and medium-sized agri-food businesses with over 2,500 supported companies, $285nbsp;million in follow-on investment and a commitment to sustainability and inclusion.

Honourable mention: Healthy Hydroponics InnoTech – Waterloo

Healthy Hydroponics InnoTech specializes in microbiome analysis and pathogen surveillance in hydroponic growing systems, assisting producers in their efforts to grow more sustainably.

Farm Family Excellence

This award is given to an applicant that demonstrates agri-food leadership and/or innovation and how those efforts are supporting the growth and development of Ontario’s agri-food sector.

Award recipient: Snyder’s Family Farm – Oxford County

Snyder’s Family Farm is an agriculture tourism destination, hosting 60,000 guests at their pumpkin and Christmas tree farm annually. The Snyder family operates both Snyder’s Farm, a daytime pumpkin patch, and Fear Farm, a nighttime haunted farm experience. Snyder’s Family Farm provides mentorship to new agritourism farms and is an anchor tourism attraction in Oxford County.

Award recipient: Everlily Maples Farm – Bancroft

Everlily Maples Farm is a family farm producing high quality, local, nutritious food. With a passion for sustainable farming, Kristen Holyoake, Jon Faulknor and their 3 children have established a mixed-use farm that provides vegetables, pork, beef and maple syrup to the local community at the Bancroft Farmers’ Market, CSA boxes, farm gate and to local restaurants. Everlily Maples Farm also promotes agriculture through workshops and educational farm tours, sharing their love of farming with the community.

Indigenous Owned Business or Community Excellence

This award is given to an applicant that demonstrates agri-food leadership and/or innovation and how those efforts are supporting the growth and development of Ontario’s agri-food sector. An Indigenous business must be wholly owned and operated by Indigenous peoples and demonstrate a direct relationship to the agri-food sector.

Award recipient: Moose Cree First Nation – James Bay

Moose Cree First Nation, located on the west side of James Bay, partnered with the University of Ottawa and Lakehead University to address food sovereignty and food security with the reintroduction of gardening. Their Community Garden project and Gardening at Home project have supported over 40 families in growing their own gardens. They anticipate the establishment of a semi-permanent green house at one of the schools in 2024. Moose Cree First Nation is sharing their approach with many other First Nation communities across Canada striving to achieve the same goal.

Honourable mention: Annette Peltier-Flamand, Wiikwemkoong Agriculture Management Program – Manitoulin Island

Annette Peltier-Flamand is a tireless advocate for agriculture development, jobs, education and locally produced food for the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory.

Northern Business Excellence

This award is given to an applicant that demonstrates agri-food leadership and/or innovation and how those efforts are supporting the growth and development of Ontario’s agri-food sector. The business must be located in the geographic area set out in the northern processor boundaries map.

Award recipient: AgriTech North – Dryden

AgriTech North is a small vertical farm and local food distribution business. This social enterprise contributes to the resolution of food insecurity throughout Northwestern Ontario.

Honourable mention: Walkabout Farm – Thunder Bay District

Walkabout Farm is an established primary sheep and pig producer. In 2020, owners Robert and Janice Groenheide and their children constructed a milk processing plant on their farm that produces cheeses and ice cream products. Walkabout Farm supplies several local stores and chefs and sells direct to local consumers.

Honourable mention: Penokean Hills Farms – Algoma District

Penokean Hills Farms improved access to abattoir services with a new, larger facility and improved equipment and technologies, strengthening the Northern Ontario agri-food market.

Supply Chain Excellence

This award is given to an applicant that implements innovative solutions to strengthen and provide improved stability to Ontario’s agri-food supply chain.

Award recipient: Chicken Farmers of Ontario – Burlington

Chicken Farmers of Ontario created a program called “CFO Cares: Chicken Farmers to Food Banks” to make it possible for Ontario broiler chicken farmers to support food banks by donating fresh, locally grown chicken. This program has contributed to over 8 million meals since it started in 2015. The program has a longstanding partnership with Feed Ontario – where products, timing and logistics are carefully forecasted each year to ensure the food bank chicken protein supply chain remains strong.

Honourable mention: Appleflats – Wellesley

Appleflats is a commercial grower of Dolgo crab-apples, processing them into jellies and mixers. Appleflats has developed a fully decentralized orchard and urban harvest model, diverting more than 125 million pounds of food waste to date.

Women’s Excellence

This award is given to an applicant that demonstrates agri-food leadership and/or innovation and how those efforts are supporting the growth and development of Ontario’s agri-food sector.

Award recipient: Loft 32 – Crystal Mackay, Mary Thornley, Brenda Trask – Niagara Falls

Loft 32 co-founders Crystal Mackay, Mary Thornley and Brenda Trask created an event called Grow Our People to promote connection in the agri-food sector. The 2022 summit featured workshops, field trips, key speakers and an opportunity to network with others who have a similar passion for the agri-food sector. A second summit is being planned for May 2024.

Honourable mention: Leela Ramachandran, Bluegrass Farm – Leeds and Grenville

Local agri-food sector advocate and farmer Leela Ramachandran is a partner in Bluegrass Farm. Leela helped start and run the Just Food Start-Up program, a farmer-run marketing co-operative Farmhouse Food and recently became project manager of the Agri-Food Youth Entrepreneurship Pilot at the Kemptville Campus Education and Community Centre.

Youth Excellence

This award is given to an applicant that is under 29 years old and demonstrates agri-food leadership and/or innovation and how those efforts are supporting the growth and development of Ontario’s agri-food sector.

Award recipient: Arthur Lin, Lavender Polo Farm – East Gwillimbury

Arthur Lin is 22 years old and operates Lavender Polo Farm. Lavender Polo Farm grows high quality English lavender and is one of the biggest lavender farms in Ontario, with 100,000 plants in 4 varieties. The farm participates in co-op and internships programs for agricultural undergraduates and encourages youth in agriculture and agri-business.

Contact us

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at excellenceinagriculture@ontario.ca.