Agri-food awards
Agriculture Canada and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair are seeking nominations for the fifth annual Canadian Agri-Food Awards of Excellence.
The national awards were launched in 2001 to celebrate outstanding achievement in the Canadian agriculture and agri-food industries. Awards are presented for excellence in innovation, environmental stewardship, export performance, volunteerism and agricultural awareness and education.
Nominations will be accepted until Aug. 26 and forms are available at www.agr.gc.ca/cb/awards-prix. Those without internet access may contact the fair at 416-263-3406 or Agriculture Canada at 519-837-5842.
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The awards will be presented in Toronto on Nov. 7 at the fair.
CGC appointment
Liliane Maisonneuve of Edmonton has been appointed assistant commissioner with the Canadian Grain Commission. She will serve in Alberta for a three-year term.
Maisonneuve was raised in the farming community of Brosseau-Duvernay, Alta., and has owned a grain and oilseed farm near Guy, Alta., in the Peace River area since 1974, which she continues to manage.
As assistant commissioner, Maisonneuve will cover Alberta and parts of northeastern British Columbia.
Assistant commissioners are stationed among producers in grain-growing areas, to deal with inquiries from producers and the grain industry and publicize commission activities. They also present producer concerns in their regions to the commission.
The commission’s four other assistant commissioners are based in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
Fund recipients
The Eston and District Volunteer Fire Department from Eston, Sask., is one of 38 projects that will receive funding this year through Farm Credit Canada’s AgriSpirit Fund.
The department, which will receive $20,000 to help buy a new fire truck, provides protection for farm operators and rural residents in an area of more than 700 sq. miles.
Other communities to receive money through the AgriSpirit Fund will be announced in the next few months.
FCC announced the fund last November. It will contribute $400,000 toward capital projects for rural communities with populations less than 100,000.
Selected projects will receive between $5,000 and $25,000 to create or enhance facilities in their communities. Details regarding the fund’s eligibility criteria and application process will be posted this fall at www.fcc-fac.ca.
