Excellence in Agriculture Awards (Canada)

Purpose

• The purpose of the Excellence in Agriculture Awards is to:
  • recognize and encourage outstanding efforts that drive the agriculture and food sector forward
  • raise awareness of Ontario’s agriculture and food sector and its impact on the provincial economy
• All eligible individuals and businesses can apply or be nominated for an award.

Award Categories

• Research and innovation excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate excellence in research and innovation and identify how those efforts are supporting the efficiency and/or effectiveness of Ontario’s primary production or processing/manufacturing agriculture and food sector.
• Food processing excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate excellence in food processing and identify how those efforts are supporting the efficiency and/or effectiveness of the Ontario agriculture and food processing sector.
• Education excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate excellence in awareness building, innovation, training and/or skill development and identify how those efforts are supporting growth within Ontario’s agriculture and food sector.
• Promotional excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate excellence in promotion and identify how those efforts are encouraging consumers to buy Ontario grown and made agriculture and food products.
• Supply chain excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate excellence in managing the journey from farm to fork and identify how those efforts strengthen and provide improved stability to Ontario’s agriculture and food supply chain.
• Workforce excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate excellence in workforce attraction, growth and retention and identify how those efforts are supporting the growth and development of Ontario’s agriculture and food sector workforce.
• Urban agriculture excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate excellence in bringing the farm to the city and identify how those efforts are adapting agriculture technology to an urban setting, increasing access to local food and increasing urban participation and support for Ontario’s agriculture and food sector.
• Northern business excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate leadership and excellence and identify how those efforts are supporting the growth and development of Ontario’s agriculture and food sector. The business must be located in the geographic area set out in the northern processor boundaries map.
• Indigenous, Metis or Inuit-owned business or community excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate leadership and excellence and identify how those efforts are supporting the growth and development of Ontario’s agriculture and food sector.
• Women’s excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate leadership and/or excellence and identify how those efforts are supporting the growth and development of Ontario’s agriculture and food sector.
• Youth excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate leadership and/or excellence and identify how those efforts are supporting the growth and development of Ontario’s agriculture and food sector. The applicant/nominee must be 28 years old and younger.
• Farm family excellence: Applicants and nominees must demonstrate leadership and excellence and identify how those efforts are supporting the growth and development of Ontario’s agriculture and food sector. Regional awards will be distributed based on geographical location within the province.

Award Information

• Top award recipients receive:
  • a plaque in recognition of their achievement
  • an Excellence in Agriculture wordmark to be used for marketing and promotional purposes
• Honourable mention recipients receive:
  • a certificate in recognition of their achievement
  • an Excellence in Agriculture wordmark to be used for marketing and promotional purposes

Outcomes

• Applicants and nominees must demonstrate how they have met at least 1 of the priority agriculture excellence outcomes:
  • strengthening Ontario’s agriculture and food supply chain
  • attracting, growing and retaining Ontario’s agriculture and food workforce
  • enhancing food safety, traceability and/or stewardship practices in the Ontario agriculture and food sector
  • increasing or maintaining access to high-quality, local and nutritious food
  • supporting agriculture and food market development and trade (intra-provincial and international trade)
  • increasing public engagement and support for agriculture, local food and knowledge of Ontario’s agriculture and food sector
  • building leadership capacity and increased involvement of women and youth in the agriculture and food sector

Eligibility Criteria

• To meet the eligibility criteria, applicants and nominees must:
  • be an eligible applicant
  • demonstrate how they’ve met at least 1 of the priority outcomes
• Eligible applicants
  • Primary producer
    • A farm business that is a legal entity and produces agricultural commodities in Ontario under a valid Farm Business Registration Number (FBRN), or an allowable exemption.
    • The farm business operator/producer must:
      • reside in Ontario
      • be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
  • Processor
    • A processor business that is a legal entity that handles agricultural commodities, food, beverages or agriculture-based products in Ontario and is operated by a wholly Canadian-owned company.
  • Agriculture and food organization
    • An agriculture and food organization that is a not-for-profit and Ontario-based (that is, located in Ontario and, where applicable, has a membership composed primarily of Ontario residents/businesses/organizations) with a direct relationship or mandate to the agriculture and food sector.
  • Educational institution
    • An educational institution that is an Ontario-based high school or accredited Ontario university or college.
    • The institution must demonstrate excellence, awareness-building, innovation training and/or skill development directly related to the Ontario agriculture and food sector.
  • Agriculture and food innovator
    • An agriculture and food innovator that is an individual or agriculture and food business that is not a processor or farm business. They must also be:
      • a resident of Ontario
      • demonstrate a direct relationship to the agriculture and food sector
      • a citizen or permanent resident of Canada
      • if an agriculture and food business, the primary business must be a Canadian-owned company located in Ontario with fewer than 100 permanentfull-time salaried and non-salaried employees (if applicable)
  • Indigenous, Métis or Inuit-owned business or community
    • An Indigenous, Métis or Inuit community includes groups associated with one or more of these communities.
    • An Indigenous, Métis or Inuit business must be wholly owned and operated by Indigenous, Métis or Inuit peoples.
    • Businesses and communities must demonstrate a direct relationship to the agriculture and food sector.

For more information, visit Ontario.