10 Farm Families Win BMO Farm Family Award
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
Ten Ontario farm families are being honoured for their contribution to the province’s agricultural sector and their farming communities by the Ontario Plowmen’s Association (OPA) and the Bank of Montreal (BMO), to receive the 2013 BMO Farm Family Award.
Award recipients will be treated to a day at the 100th anniversary of the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM) in Mitchell, Ontario. Families will receive a complimentary lunch, professional photography session and have the opportunity to take in a number of IPM related events. The recognition program will take place on the final day of the IPM – Sat. Sept, 21.
Each plowmen association branch, had the opportunity to select a recipient to be in the running for the award. There were 35 families nominated and an OPA committee chose 10 winners. A full list of the 35 nominees can be found on OPA’s website.
"The BMO Ontario Farm Family Awards are dedicated to recognizing the tremendous contributions made by farmers across the province, and these 10 families wonderfully demonstrate how the ideals and traditions of the past are combined with today's advanced agri-business practices,” said Susan Brown, Senior Vice-President, Ontario Regional Division, BMO Bank of Montreal.
This is the second year of the BMO Family Farm Award, but BMO has been supporting the IPM since 2007. BMO has a similar award, which is given out to Southern Alberta families annually at the Calgary Stampede. BMO is a signed featured sponsor of the IPM until 2016.
2013 BMO Ontario Farm Family Award winners:
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Farm Name Family Area
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McIntosh The McIntosh Family Bruce County
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Altona Lea Farms The Barkey Family Durham Region
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E.E. Bennett & Sons Farms Ltd. The Bennett Family Frontenac County
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Weblyn Farms The Weber Family Grey County - Normanby
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Heather Holme Holsteins The McNeil Family Huron County
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Burnham Family Farm Market The Burnham Family Northumberland County
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Brander Farms The Brander Family Peel Dufferin County
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CMcB Holsteins The McBride Family Renfrew County
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Fennema Holsteins The Ringelberg Family Hamilton Wentworth (North)
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Cranston Farms The Cranston Family Hamilton Wentworth (South)
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