The following individuals, including farmers, research scientists and graduate students, have received recognition by their peers for outstanding achievement. They are all involved in organic agriculture, and we congratulate them on their accomplishments!!

A. Organic Farmers

• Elmer Laird inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame More information (PDF, 42 kb)
• Don and Marie Ruzicka of Sunrise Farm received the "Growing Alberta" Environmental Stewardship Award for 2007. More information
• Alex & Robert Galarneau who operate Prairie Heritage Seeds Organics won the Golden Sheaf Award. This award is for contributions to agriculture and for their citizenship in the community.
• Don J. Bailey and Beaulah Bailey were awarded the North American Kamut Grand Champion for 2008, in Regina on January 18th. This award recognizes outstanding crop quality 2007 season crop quality.
• Victor and Elizabeth Chrapko's En Santé Winery won an Alberta Best Practices Renewal Award 2007
• The Boulangers of Hartney - 2007 Manitoba Farm Family of the Year! Chosen by the Red River Exhibition Association. The Boulangers are the first organic farm family to win this award!
• Marc Loiselle, Vonda, Saskatchewan
  • Organic Crop Improvement Association Research and Education (OCIA -RnE)'s Outstanding Organic Farmer of 2007
  • See news article
• Raymond Loo, Springwillow Farm, Breadalbane, Prince Edward Island
  • Received Honourable Mention in the Outstanding Organic Farmer of the Year contest held by OCIA RnE (Organic Crop Improvement Association Research and Education)
  • See news article
• Organic Pioneer Awards
  • Elmer Laird: Pioneer Organic Visionary
• Elmer and Gladys Laird
  • Awarded 2006 Saskatchewan Environmental Champions Award
• Keith & Beverly Everts of Stillridge Ranch, Gladstone Valley, Alberta
• Awarded a 2005 Stampede Country Farm Family Award for "thriving in their business and growing from them, becoming pillars in their community and their industry."
• Gerritt Loo Memorial Achievement Award from ACORN (Atlantic Canada Organic Regional Network)
  • Raymond Loo, PEI - 2007
  • Neil Van Nostrand, NS - 2006
  • Susan Tyler and Clark Phillips - 2005
  • Daphne Davey - 2004
  • Sian Newman Smith - 2003
  • David Cozac and Debbie Russell - 2002
  • Stu Fleischhaker - 2001
• Ferme Halde, St-Mathias, Québec - dairy, grain and medicinal herbs
  • Awarded a prize at the Annual Meeting of the Federation of organic agriculture in Québec, February 11, 2005 for their contribution to the development of organic agriculture.
• Ferme Louis D'Or, Ste-Élisabeth-de-Warwick, Québec - dairy
  • Awarded a prize at the Annual Meeting of the Federation of organic agriculture in Québec, February 11, 2005 for their contribution to the development of organic agriculture.
• Ferdinand Besner, Mont St-Hilaire, Québec - vegetables
  • Awarded a prize at the Annual Meeting of the Federation of organic agriculture in Québec, February 11, 2005 for their contribution to the development of organic agriculture.
• Bette and Alex Scott, Virden, Manitoba
  • inducted into the Manitoba Agriculture Hall of Fame, 2004
  • Organic Fixation, a tribute to the Scotts by John Hollinger
• Steve Snider, New Norway, Alberta
  • Winner of the 2003 Outstanding Young Farmer Award for Alberta
• Stillridge Ranch: Keith, Bev, Eliza, Marie and Will Everts, Gladstone Valley, Alberta - members of Diamond Willow Range Beef Ltd
  • Winners of the Calgary Stampede Farm Family 2003 award

B. Researchers

• Organic Connections Conference 2006 - Research Poster Winners' Abstracts

  First Prize: Is organic spring wheat breeding necessary?
  Second Prize: Can Annual Intercrops Help Control Weeds and Improve Productivity?
  Third Prize: Can cultivar choice and seeding rate increase competitive ability in organic spring cereals?

• Dr. Andy Hammermeister, Research Associate for the OACC
  • Andy received an award for best oral presentation for his paper on organic potato and barley response to wild radish, at the Canadian Society of Agronomy (CSA) Conference in Halifax, N.S., August 2006.
• Dr. Ralph Martin, Director of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC)
  • Ralph received an award for most thought-provoking presentation for his paper on the role of organic systems in reinventing ag. research, at the recent Canadian Society of Agronomy (CSA) Conference in Halifax, N.S., August 2006.
• Dr. Derek Lynch, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, NS
  • Dr. Lynch was awarded the position of Canada Research Chair in Organic Agriculture by the Honourable David L. Emerson, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Canada Research Chairs Program, on June 3, 2005
• Dr. Ralph Martin, Director of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC)
  • Dr. Martin received the Faculty Research Excellence Award at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, May 2005.

C. Educators

• Organic Pioneer Awards
  • Paul Hanley: Pioneer Organic Communicator
  • Gary Smith: Pioneer Organic Educator
  • Wilma Groenen: Pioneer Organic Publisher
• Denis LaFrance, CÉGEP of Victoriaville - instructor in horticulture
  • Awarded a prize at the Annual Meeting of the Federation of organic agriculture in Québec, February 11, 2005 for his contribution to the
    development of organic agriculture.

D. Graduate Students

• Jody Nelson has received three scholarships:
  • $1,000 Merle Cail Memorial Scholarship
  • $2,500 Renée Covill Scholarship
  • $1,000 G.G. Smeltzer Memorial Bursary
• Donald Kerr received the 2007 Dr. Chesley E. Smith Memorial Graduate Scholarship of $500 through the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) for his graduate studies related to seed quality and the applications of organic seed treatments to improve crop establishment.
• Xin Song, Chris Neeser, Manjula Bandara and Karen.K. Tanino won the Canadian Society for Horticultural Science 2007 Best Graduate Student Poster Award for "Using Essential Oils as Sprout Inhibitors and Their Effects on Potato Seed Tubers Performance"
• Karen Nelson won 2nd prize for her poster on 'Soil Health Throughout an Organic Potato Rotation' at the Canadian Society of Soil Science annual conference in St.-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier.
  • Karen's work is jointly funded through the Canada Research Chair program, OACC and the provinces of PEI and NB, and her co-supervisors are Dr. Derek Lynch and Dr. Gilles Boiteau, AAFC Fredericton.
• Karen Larder, NSAC, received the $1,000 Merle Cail Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a senior undergraduate student or a graduate student at NSAC whose course and project work reflect an interest in organic agriculture.
• Nicole Burkhard, NSAC, received best graduate student oral presentation award from the Canadian Society of Hort. Science, for her paper on N dynamics under mulched organic highbush blueberries.
• Kathy Welsh from the University of Manitoba was awarded second place for her presentation on changes in soil P under long term organic management, at the recent Canadian Society of Agronomy (CSA) Conference in Halifax, N.S., August 2006.
• Jacqueline Pridham, University of Manitoba
  2005 OCIA Research and Education Scholarship Winner
  More Information
• Students who have won the Canadian Organic Growers (COG)'s Mary Perlmuttter award:
  • 2007 Julia Ostertag, University of British Columbia
  • 2006 Ian Mauro, University of Manitoba
  • 2005 Shauna MacKinnon, University of Guelph
  • 2004 Alison Nelson, University of Manitoba
  • 2003 Julia Wagner, University of British Columbia
  • 2002 Alida Janmaat, University of British Columbia
  • 2001 Ian Scott of the University of Ottawa

• Melissa Arcand, won 3rd Prize in the Graduate Student Poster competition at the Annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Soil Science(CSSS), May 16-18th, 2005 at Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS
  • See Melissa's poster presentation for the Canadian Society of Soil Science (CSSS), entitled, "Phyto-Extraction of Phosphate Rocks in Organically Managed Soils" (PDF version)
• Heather Mason (Ph.D. Candidate) won the CSA Graduate Student Poster Award at the Plant Canada 2005 Conference, Edmonton, AB, June 15-18, 2005.

E. Companies

• Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) Organics Achievement Award was presented to Dag Falck, Organic Program Manager at Nature’s Path Foods Inc. on April 5th during CHFA Expo West. Nature's Path Foods is North America’s largest organic breakfast cereal manufacturer.
• Katie's Farm Organic Dog Bakery, Clam Harbour, NS: Winner of the 2006 E.D.N. Entrepreneur of the Year Award
• Halifax Chamber of Commerce Gold Award for Best New Business: The Wooden Monkey, where the menu is based on organic, macrobiotic, and locally grown fresh ingredients.
• Robert Beauchemin,Québec
  President of the "Table filière biologique du Québec" and owner of the Meunerie Milanaise.
  • Awarded a prize at the Annual Meeting of the Federation of organic agriculture in Québec, February 11, 2005 for his contribution to the
    development of organic agriculture in Québec.
• Western Ag Innovations, Saskatchewan
  • The company was the 2004 winner of the NSERC Synergy award along with the University of Saskatchewan.