Award nominations
Agriculture Canada is seeking nominations for the 2008 Canadian Agri-Food Awards of Excellence.
The awards honour innovative thinkers and entrepreneurs in the Canadian agriculture sector.
Held in partnership with the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, these national awards celebrate outstanding achievement in youth leadership, innovation, awareness and education, environmental stewardship, export performance and volunteerism.
Nominations will be accepted until Sept. 15.
The awards will be presented Nov. 10 at the Royal Fair. Winners will be notified in advance.
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For more information, visit www.agr.gc.ca/awards, phone Agriculture Canada at 800-410-7104 or e-mail info@agr.gc.ca.
Fair funding
Manitoba Agriculture is offering $94,500 in provincial grants to help the province’s 62 agricultural societies maintain and upgrade agricultural grounds and facilities.
Funding will help pay for infrastructure upgrades and other projects such as equipment upgrades and maintenance, replacement of office equipment, improvements to electrical and sound systems, new washroom facilities and repairs to barns, grandstands and bleachers.
For more information, visit www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/organizations/agsocieties.
Viterra V.P.
Viterra has named Stephen Yu as vice-president and managing director, Asia.
Yu has an extensive background in the market development of grain and oilseeds. Since 1993, he has worked for Archer Daniels Midland, most recently serving as corporate vice-president and managing director for the Asia Pacific region. In that role, he was responsible for establishing and managing commercial activity in the Asian region, which included 25 operations in China.
Yu will work with Viterra’s grain group team to develop and implement international growth in the Asian region.
Forage award
The Saskatchewan Forage Council has presented the Forage Industry Innovation award to Bob and Charlene Siemens of Rosetown, Sask.
The award was developed by the Saskatchewan Forage Council to acknowledge innovation, leadership, service and stewardship in Saskatchewan’s forage industry by producers, land managers, agency staff and researchers.
The Siemenses are forage producers who converted their 1,800 acre grain farm to grass during the early 1990s to develop a more sustainable production system.
They were early adopters of rotational grazing principles and biological monitoring techniques as a way to manage their new resources.
They also operate a bed and breakfast, which allowed them to talk to their guests about the changes they were making on their farm and where their food was coming from.
Bob has also served as councillor for the Rural Municipality of Pleasant Valley, delegate for the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, chair of the Prairie Centre Credit Union and board member of Earth Care Connection.
