The innovators and their cash-rich ideas

TORONTO — Fifty-five on-farm innovators received cash awards from the province for being gosh-darn creative.

• 20 Bees Wines - 19 Niagara Region grape growers and one wine maker got together to make 100 per cent Ontario VQA wines, now available at the LCBO.

• Animal-Pro Products Inc.— David Craig, of Wellington County, researched and manufactures a natural feed additive for animals to treat digestive upsets.

• Avon Swine Inc.— This Waterloo Region inventor created a precast concrete, hot water heated pad in the farrowing barn. It controls temperature in the barn and makes for healthier pigs.

• Beef Improvement Ontario—This Wellington County DNA consortium provides the agri-food industry with access to genetic information, product differentiation, risk management and market access.

• Enviro Mushroom Farm Inc. — Ben Park, Halton Region, developed a technology that implements biosecurity and environmental controls to fight mushroom disease.

• Everdale Organic Farm & Environmental Learning Centre— A Wellington County Future Farming Internships and Collaborative Regional Alliance for farmer training programs to train young people in organic farming.

• Foodlink Waterloo Region — A non-profit organization that provided marketing services to farms in the area.

• Kraayenbrink Farms — Jake Kraayenbrink, of Wellington County, created a new way to transport pigs with a lower risk of contamination. He outfitted his truck so no part would touch the ground or foreign objects.

• Kurtz Orchards— This Niagara Region business went from producing jams and fresh fruits, to producing and selling a wide variety of goods.

• Mapleton’s Organic Dairy (Triangle Farm)— An on farm store in Wellington County sells all organic products grown and produced on the farm.

• Northend Floral Inc.—Linda Bouw, of Niagra Region, introduced the EARTHready line of products in 2004 to her store. The plant pots are made of Canadian sphagnum peat moss and wood pulp.

• Persall Naturals Ltd.— A Norfolk Region company began producing edible oils in 2000. They use a European cold pressure method to create highly flavored soybean and canola oil.

• P. & S. Van Berlo Limited— This Norfolk Region company is the largest grower of sweet potatoes in Canada. The operation started on 30-acres and is now on 400-acres.

• Abercrombie & Associates/Stephan Coulthard Farm Ltd. — Scott Abercrombie and Stephan Coulthard, of Perth County, turned wood fuels petals and sawdust into alternative fuel pellets.

• AMCO Farms — Fausto Amicone, of Essex County, installed a biomass combustion system to power his greenhouse establishment. He hopes to commercialize the system to help other growers.

• Ausable Produce— Stan Kwarciak, of Lambton County, came up with an innovative packing option for onions. The new bag has a tighter mesh and new fastening system.

• Benner Farms Limited o/a Heritage Line Herbs — Elgin County’s Deb Benner converted her Tobacco farm into a herb operation. She plans to produces essential oils and is pursuing organic certification.

• Hungry Hollow Organics Inc. Ike and Beatrice Enter, of Middlesex County, expanded their organic farm allowing them to use all parts of the carcass. They now produce products such as chili and shepherds pie.

• Kerr Farms Sales Ltd. — Robert Kerr, of Chatham, brought more stability to the beef market. He differentiated his products by adding no hormones, antibiotics or animal byproducts.

• London Dairy Farms — Dan Cornwell, of Middlesex County, developed a retractable roof for his feed shed, which provides more shelter and less wastage.

• Minten Family Farms Ltd. — Frank Minten and his family, of Lambton County, expanded their farm and realized that with more livestock meant more deadstock. He found that a compressing system was effective and environmentally friendly.

• Munro Honey— Davis and John Bryans, of Lambton County, operate a honey producing facility. They now sell honey along with bee keeping equipment and bees.

• Murgo Farms Ltd. — James Hammerton, of Oxford County, runs an agriculture tree trimming service. He adapted machinery to safely and efficiently trim trees.

• Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers— This Essex County business introduced Healthy Hearts, Health Minds to schools in 2004 to improve eating habits by providing healthy alternatives to cafeterias.

• Sunshine Farms— John Jaques, of Chatham-Kent County, developed a pickled product line. The line includes a number of organic pickled products.

• Viticultural Roundtable of Southwestern Ontario— A group of grape growers in southwestern Ontario created a sustainable protocol for their operations. Insuring clients of sustainable grapes.

• Agri-business SHSM Chesley District High School/Bruce County— The Specialist High Skills Major at the school helps students learn the business of agriculture.

• BLT Farms Inc.— Len Jewitt, of Perth County, created digesters to turn poultry manure and corn silage into energy. The digester creates methane gas, which heats the barn.

• Doug Calhoun Farms/West Grey Premium Beef— Doug Calhoun brought three businesses together in Bruce and Grey County to form West Grey Premium Beef. This facility expanded to slaughtering cattle, lambs and calves.

• Global Fruit— Marius Botden and this Grey County establishment contributed to Ontario’s apple industry from identifying rootstock to identifying new apples.

• LMR Inc. — Mary Haugh, of Perth County, developed the LONGARM. It’s a tool that allows one person to move any number of hogs quickly and safely.

• Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative — This Bruce County establishment was formed to give more revenue to members. They promote the benefits of goat milk products at trade shows.

• Pine River Ranch— This Rainy River district ranch offers a green solution for 600 beef cows. Manure is composted. Runoff is eliminated.

• Rainy River Elk Company— This Rainy River District company was forced to find new ways to operate after BSE hit. They worked with farmers markets to get their products into other local markets.

• Thunder Oaks Cheese Farm— Jacob Schep, of Thunder Bay, expanded his dairy farm to add a Gouda cheese processing plant.

• Algoma Cattleman’s Association— This Algoma District association has capitalized on Internet marketing, directly marketing animals to customers.

• Burt Farm Country Meats— Max Burt, of Manitoulin District, added meat processing and organic sow production to his business. He learnt how to cure and smoke the meat. He turned a workshop into a retail outlet.

• Roche Court Farms— This farm, in Nippissing District, brought a team from John Deer to visit the community to provide service to machines.

• Spring Valley Farms — James Zulak, of Parry Sound District, invented a bumper system to protect animals in trailers. The system was molded out of a polymer called Salflex 562.

• De Leeuw Orchard— John De Leeuw, in Northumberland County, introduced new sprayer technology to Ontario. The sprayer uses ultrasonic sensors to target trees that need to be sprayed.

• Durham Region dairy Producers Committee— This association, in Durham Region, educates consumers about values of introducing dairy in their diets. They do this with a life size interactive fiberglass cow and its realistic udder and teats.

• Mariposa Dairy— The Vandenburgs, of Kawartha Lakes, developed new goat cheese products featuring cinnamon and cranberries. These cheeses can now be found in Loblaws stores.

• Moorcroft Hemp Farms— Grant Moorcroft, of Hastings County, improved his hemp harvest. He modified his equipment and is now running trails on a new fiber extractor and chopper.

• SAVOUR Muskoka—This Muskoka District collection of farmers has two objectives: provide regional and unique products to consumers and promote agribusiness.

• Youngfield Farms Ltd.— Ivan and Brian De Jong, of Durham Region, developed Canada’s first vertical tillage tool, it allows multi-year corn production on a sustainable level.

• Ferme Henrard et Fils— The Henrard family of Prescott-Russell is creating a corn digester that will turn corn into ethanol, it will produce bio-gas, creating heat and electricity.

• Fitzroy Beef Farmers Co-operative Inc.(featured on page 26)— When BSE hit, a group of Ottawa area farmers banded together to sell government inspected frozen beef in local markets. By marketing their beef as a group they realized savings.

• Fulton’s Pancake house and Sugar Bush— This Lanark County establishment adapted a new organizational approach to integrated new features including; maple production, a restaurant and banquet facility and a maple shop.

• Kendu Holsteins— Andrew Kenny, of Renfrew County, designed a water bowl deeper than regular bowls. This invention prevents cows from spilling water and getting their feet wet.

• New Terra Farm (featured on page 10) — Merrickville’s Scott Kelland has a small pesticide- and herbicide-free farm. He has 46 members that buy shares into his operation. His business model: customers pay before the season begins.

• Saunders Farm— As one of Ottawa’s leading agri-tourism destinations the 100-acre farm was Ottawa’s first pick your own strawberry operations. The farm hosts an annual festival that attracts up to 15,000 visitors each year.

• Terryland Farms —Prescott-Russell’s George Heinzle, is working on turning manure into electricity using two methane digesters: one is for his brother eho lives next door.