The best and brightest agricultural journalists, broadcasters, communicators and photographers were honoured at the 2009 Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation (CFWF) awards banquet, held on September 12, 2009 in conjunction with the CFWF annual conference. 

A total of 44 gold, silver and bronze awards were presented in 14 categories at the banquet held at the Delta Edmonton South. Winners were chosen by judges from across Canada and the United States, including journalists, professors and communicators from various agricultural and mainstream publications.

Here are our ECFWA winters, the award categories and sponsors for 2009:   

Television News Reporting
The Jack McPherson Award - Sponsored by Dow AgroSciences
Bronze: Kerri-Sue Lang - www.youtube.com: Pork Safety Explained
  

News Release
The Alice Switzer Award - Sponsored by Farm Business Communications
Gold: Theresa Whalen - TMC News: Farmers’ Markets Sell ‘Community Shopping Experience”
Bronze: Lilian Schaer – AGCare: Gardeners can Learn from Farmers

Technical Feature
The Peter Lewington Award - Sponsored by Syngenta Seeds Canada Inc.
Gold: Ray Ford - Small Farm Canada: Great Soil, Better Farm
Bronze: Tom Button - Country Guide: When Parents Become Bankers

Press Column
The Frank Jacobs Award - Sponsored by fccvision.ca
Silver: Owen Roberts - Guelph Mercury : Candidates face food issues without farmers
Bronze: John Greig - Ontario Hog Farmer: Re-thinking sows
Bronze: Ray Ford - Small Farm Canada: Farm smart: bale graze

Press Editorial
The O.R. Evans Award - Sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited
Silver: Dave Harrison - Greenhouse Canada: Ensuring fair trade in new agreement
  

Press Feature
The Dick Beamish Award - Sponsored by Monsanto Canada Inc.
Silver: Mary Baxter - Better Farming Magazine: Women’s changing role on the farm
Bronze: Andrew Douglas - Country Guide: Venture Cap

Monthly Press Reporting
The Jack Cram Award - Sponsored by Canadian Seed Growers’ Association
Gold: Mary Baxter - Better Farming Magazine: The new ethanol
Bronze: Andrew Douglas - Country Guide: Venture Cap

News Photograph
The John Phillips Award - Sponsored by Better Farming
Bronze: Suzanne Atkinson - Ontario Farmer: Untitled

Congratulations to all our farm writer award winners!

By Karen Dallimore, Words for Hire

What happens when you nod your head and smile at a produce auction? You end up with a carload of pumpkins! Clare Illingworth was one of nine who toured the Elmira Produce Auction Co-operative (EPAC) and enjoyed lunch at the Crossroads Restaurant in Elmira in October. Welcome to those who were attending their first ECFWA event!

EPAC sale manager Noah Gingrich answered our questions after the morning sale. As Noah explained, the produce auction is one-of-a-kind in Canada, modeled after those in the U.S. where 63 such auctions now run; before EPAC there was no real outlet beyond the farm lane for local produce.

The first sale was held in 2004 with 40 consignors and has grown to approximately 90 consignors this year, with auctions running up to three days a week, starting a few weeks before Mother’s Day to target flower sales and continuing through until the end of November. The buyers are typically market operators and some small independent grocers. EPAC is Mennonite owned and welcomes sellers from as far away as Aylmer as well as some more distant specialty crops such as peaches from Niagara.

Noah told us there are still on-going changes every week as the auction evolves. In the first year the challenges included everything from figuring out how to pack and grade the produce to convincing local council to support the initiative. “The township made us jump through hoops,” he said, “they had no faith in us at all.”

The sales were originally held at the Waterloo Market back when the present site was just a grassy field. Council eventually climbed on board and EPAC had no problems with recently expanding their present building.

ECFWA member Jackie Fraser joined Noah to answer questions from the group after the auction. Jackie is the Executive Director with AGCare but she also owns Fraberts Fresh Food in Fergus and frequently buys produce at the auction. While she still needs to go to the food terminal for some produce, she appreciates the ‘one-stop shopping’ of the auction and has never been disappointed with any of her purchases: “I love having this in my backyard!” She’ll display the ‘Buy Local, Buy Fresh’ logo on EPAC produce in her retail store.

As an example of what the auction has meant to local farmers, Jackie pointed out that ten years ago no one was growing tomatoes locally in greenhouses; now there are a couple of dozen growers doing just that. She’s noticed that the quality is continually improving as the growers are learning too and they’ve increased their production because there’s a market now.

The pumpkin purchase was deliberate, by the way - Clare leads a teen group with the Big Sisters of Guelph who will now have 25 pumpkins to carve for Hallowe'en.

Howden Thompson is a freelance writer who writes for such publications as Ontario Farmer and Farm Credit Canada’s Agri Success weekly email newsletter. She has been a member of the ECFWA since 2000 and, in that capacity, has served as an ECFWA board member and as a member of the 2004 CFWF conference planning committee.  Howden Thompson and her family farm near Caledon, Ontario.

In her application, Howden Thompson highlighted her interest in the chance to enhance her professional skills and connections.

Said Howden Thompson, "One of the most important benefits I have personally gained from my professional agricultural journalism career is the opportunity to broaden my thinking “beyond my own farm gate”. She added, “As a delegate within this much larger national forum, I will have the opportunity to dialogue and engage with decision makers, agricultural communicators and farm operators from across Canada. An open mind that has been fed and nourished with new and stimulating experiences will bring a renewed energy and edge to my writing for my clients.

Following her return from this year's conference in Edmonton, Howden Thompson will provide both photos and articles for ECFWA's newsletter and website as well as for her own publications. She will also be blogging from a website that she has developed to share her conference experiences: http://web.me.com/anne_thompson1/CFWF_2009/Welcome.html

More details on the CFWF conference, planned for September 10-12 in Edmonton can be found on the Alberta Farm Writers’ Association at http://www.afwa.ca/

Mark September 10 to 12, 2009 on your calendars for the 2009 Canadian Farm Writers' Federation Annual Conference. The event, hosted by the Alberta Farm Writers' Association, is titled "Shaping the Future Marketplace: The Opportunity Hunters". It will be held at the Edmonton Delta South, Edmonton, Alberta.

More information, including pre-registration, can be found on the conference website afwa.ca .

During the recent ECFWA annual meeting, the membership voted in favour of an electronic receipt for all farm writer payments including membership renewals and professional development seminar fees. This will allow for faster processing of registration at events, reduce workload for the secretary-treasurer and decrease costs for mailing and stationary. The move will come into effect immediately, with electronic receipts being issued for 2008-09 membership renewal payments.

Members also voted in favour of a second motion to phase out the ECFWA membership cards and replace them with the electronic receipt. The annual membership registration receipt would serve as an individual’s membership status confirmation.