September 12, 2005

The 2005 Canadian Agri-Food Awards of Excellence

Canadian agriculture has earned an international reputation for providing safe, high-quality foods to Canadian and international consumers. In addition, Canadian innovation and research has led to new products and new uses for familiar commodities. The Canadian reputation for excellence is built on a tradition of achievement at all levels -- from rural communities to city grocery stores, from farms to high-tech laboratories, from fields and waters to processors and exporters.

The Canadian Agri-Food Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding achievement in five areas that are key to the continued success of the sector: environmental stewardship, innovation, export performance, agricultural awareness and education, and agricultural voluntarism.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair sponsor the awards, and will notify winners in advance. Awards will be presented in November 2005 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. You can celebrate the diversity of Canadian agriculture and its contributions to the Canadian economy by nominating someone who has made outstanding contributions in one of these areas.

Award of Excellence for Environmental Stewardship
Objective
To recognize an exemplary individual, group, organization or corporation that has demonstrated consistently responsible environmental practices and/or undertaken specific projects, research or activities that enhance or preserve the natural environment of rural Canada.

Eligibility

  - Open to any individual who is a resident of Canada.
- Open to Canadian-based groups, organizations or businesses.

Criteria
Nominations will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  - How was the nominee instrumental in identifying, reducing, solving or avoiding an environmental problem?
- Has the nominee demonstrated environmental management practices that were consistently responsible?
- Were the nominee's activities unique or original? What specific environmental objectives/goals were met, and how have they resulted in net benefit to the environment?
- How were the nominee's activities a proactive approach to a particular environmental problem or challenge facing farming, rural communities or the agri-food industry?
- Were the nominee's activities voluntary? (Actions must not contravene any municipal, provincial or federal environmental laws or statutes.)
- How have the nominee's activities promoted public awareness and understanding and shown active concern for the enhancement and protection of the environment?

2004 Environmental Stewardship Award Recipient:
Club-Conseils agroenvironnemental du Nord-ouest, Edmundston, New Brunswick

Award of Excellence for Innovation in Agriculture and Agri-Food
Objective
To recognize an individual, organization or business that made an innovative contribution to the agri-food sector resulting in a new technology, product, or service, a new use for an existing product, and/or increased productivity, profitability or client service.

Eligibility

  - Open to all individuals who are residents of Canada, as well as Canadian-based firms and organizations.
- The innovative research, technology, end product or service must contain a majority of Canadian content.
- The innovation has been introduced to the industry or market within the last three years.

Criteria
Nominations will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  - Is the innovation original?
- What economic or social benefits have resulted from the innovation?
- How do the benefits of the innovation go beyond the nominee and contribute to the industry or sector at large?
- What new product and/or service has resulted from this innovation?
- How has the research, innovation or technology advanced the capability of the sector?
- Has the innovation resulted from, created or enhanced existing partnerships?
- Is the innovation commercially successful? Does it have the potential to be commercially successful?

2004 Innovation Award Recipient:
Trafalgar Brewing Company Ltd., Oakville, Ontario


Award of Excellence for Agri-Food Export
Objective
To recognize excellence of achievement by small- and medium-sized enterprises, alliances and organizations in Canada in securing new export markets. This success makes a valuable contribution to the agri-food industry or the rural community, improving the quality of life for Canadians.

Eligibility

  - Open to small- and medium-sized enterprises, alliances and organizations in Canada with annual sales of no more than $50 million.
- Open to companies based in Canada and exporting agri-food products grown, produced or processed in Canada.
- The nominee must have been in business at least two fiscal years.
- The nominee is currently exporting to one or more countries and has export sales that are at least 15 per cent of total sales.

Criteria
Nominations will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  - What are the unique qualities or characteristics of the exported item?
- Has the nominee demonstrated success in introducing new agri-food products, services or technology in the international market?
- Has the nominee been successful in maintaining or increasing export market share over a two-year period?
- What is the value of the nominee's aggregate export sales to date?
- What is/are the approximate volume and/or value of the agricultural commodities used to generate these revenues?
- What were some of the challenges the nominee faced in exporting the new product, service or technology, and how were these challenges overcome?
- Has the nominee been successful in developing unique export alliances with domestic or international partners to secure new international markets for products or services?

2004 Agri-Food Export Award Recipients:
Saxby Foods Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta & Destination Products International, Mississauga, Ontario

Award of Excellence for Agricultural Awareness and Education
Objective
To recognize an individual, group or organization that has made significant contributions in promoting public awareness and understanding of the agriculture and agri-food sector through outreach activities, events and/or projects.

Eligibility

  - Open to any individual who is a resident of Canada.
- Open to Canadian-based organizations or groups.
- The project must have been undertaken in the past three years.

Criteria
Nominations will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  - Is the nominee's concept, project, event or activity unique or original?
- What partnerships were involved or created?
- What outreach objectives/goals were established for this activity, and how were the results measured?
- Who was the intended audience?
- Did the nominee project a confident and positive image for the sector and demonstrate knowledge of the sector?
- What was the core message of the outreach activity, event or project, and was it appropriate for the intended audience?
- Did the nominee's efforts result in improved image, increased understanding or more extensive or in-depth knowledge of the sector?
- Did the activity create awareness in a new or under-reached audience?

2004 Agricultural Awareness and Education Award Recipient:
Rural Ramble Farm Tour, Northumberland County, Ontario


Award of Excellence for Voluntarism
Objective
To recognize excellence of achievement by an individual or organization that, through actions, commitment, dedication, enthusiasm and generosity of spirit, makes a valuable ongoing contribution to the agri-food industry and/or the rural community, improving the quality of life for rural Canadians.

Eligibility

  - Open to all residents of Canada and to agricultural and rural organizations active in the Canadian agri-food/rural volunteer sector.
- The work done by the individual volunteer or organization must be unpaid.
- The volunteer activity has been initiated within the last three years.

Criteria
Nominations will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  - Does the nominee demonstrate a high degree of commitment, beyond personal benefit, to the agri-food sector and the rural community?
- Have the initiatives undertaken by the nominee generated tangible and measurable benefits to agri-food sector and/or the rural community?
- Is the nominee a role model for others, attracting others to volunteering?
- Does the nominee lead by example in the community?
- Is the nominee engaged in volunteer activities that address rural community concerns and/or challenges for the agriculture and agri-food industry?

2004 Voluntarism Award Recipients:
Carl and Evelyn Palmer, Aylesford, Nova Scotia


Nominators should clearly and succinctly outline in 400 words or less how the candidate meets the criteria for the award. The nomination should include NOT MORE THAN five supporting documents, including visual documentation (i.e., VHS-video, photographs), impact statements or letters of support, financial statements, etc.

All submissions become the property of the Canadian Agri-Food Awards of Excellence. Materials submitted will not be returned. Nomination forms available at: http://www.agr.gc.ca/cb/awards-prix/index_e.php?page=ag_awards

Please submit five copies of the completed nomination package to:
Canadian Agri-Food Awards of Excellence
c/o Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
174 Stone Road West , Guelph , ON N1G 4S9
N1G 4S9
Att: Heather Rand

The deadline for receiving applications is September 23, 2005. The selection committee for each category will be composed of leaders in the agriculture and agri-food and/or rural, environmental, or volunteer sectors, as applicable. When evaluating nominations, the committee will be guided by, but not limited to, the criteria as listed above.

For additional information about the awards call Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at (519) 837-5842 or (519) 837-5867. You can also contact the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair at (416) 263-3406, or visit the Fair’s Web site at www.royalfair.org.