CFWF conference – ECFWA

ECFWA wins big at 2026 CFWF awards!

Brianne Curtis — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:14:14 +0000

ECFWA members showed up in full force for the CFWF Award Banquet at the 2026 CFWF Conference in London on September 19. Congratulations to our colleagues that took home an award this year! Looking for the full list of CFWF Award Winners? Check out the full list.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Lorne McClinton

Electronic Media – Audio

The Tom Leach Award

Gold: Hugh Maynard, Sarah Rennie & Callan Forrester

Communication – Short

The Alice Switzer Award

Silver: Rebecca Hannam

Communication – Long

The Henry Heald Award

Silver: Maggie Van Camp
Bronze: Rebecca Hannam & Jeanine Moyer

Current Affairs Feature

The Dick Beamish Award

Gold: Mary Feldskov

Silver: Karen Davidson

Bronze: Melanie Epp

Technical Feature

The Peter Lewington Award

Gold: Jane Robinson

People Feature

The Jack Cram Award

Bronze: Jeanine Moyer

Feature of the Year

Mary Feldskov

Technical Reporting

The O.R. Evans Award

Silver: Karen Davidson

Current Affairs Reporting

The Q.H. Martinson Award

Silver: Melanie Epp

Production Photograph

The John Phillips Award

Bronze: Anne Howden Thompson

Landscape Photograph

Gold: Sharon Grose

Silver: Lauren Miller

#CFWF2026 Highlights

Brianne Curtis — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:03:03 +0000

For those that missed it, the Canadian Farm Writers Federation’s 2026 conference took place September 17 to 19 in London, Ontario, and it was nothing short of a “Crowning Agchievement.” From a beautiful day of tours around Southwestern Ontario, a highly engaging day of professional development to a most deserving celebration of excellence in agricultural journalism and communications, #CFWF 2026 offered enough new experiences—and lasting memories—to keep society talking well beyond the final farewell.

About 20 eager attendees arrived ahead of the main group for Thursday’s pre-tour of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show. You might think a 100-acre site would take a while to reveal its highlights, but within just a few feet, the group had already found its first culinary temptation: Vodkow, a vodka made from milk. It wasn’t even properly mid-morning yet, but no one seemed particularly concerned about the timing. When someone offers you a sample, after all, it’s probably best to be polite.

There was plenty to see beyond the food and drink. New tractors lined the grounds, crop varieties were planted in neat plots, and just about every kind of modern technology considered essential to today’s farm was on display. But for those paying attention, it quickly became clear that the show had just as much to offer in the food department. Popcorn, donuts, chips, corn on the cob and even space ice cream kept everyone fueled up and ensured that no travel-weary writer had to face the afternoon on an empty stomach.

When the day’s exploring started to catch up with everyone, guests made their way to the COFS pond, where a glass of wine and some sunshine provided a well-earned break. Despite forecasts calling for overcast skies, the sun stuck around for much of the day—an unexpected bonus for anyone who had checked the weather before leaving home.

Eventually, the rain did arrive in the late afternoon, signalling that it was probably time to call it a day. The group headed back to the hotel, with thanks to Glacier Farm Media for making sure everyone—and their full stomachs—got there safely.

The conference officially got underway Thursday evening with the opening reception, where old acquaintances were happily reunited and plenty of new connections were made. For many farm writers, London was their first CFWF conference, and they were welcomed into the group with plenty of warmth. As the evening carried on, guests eventually made their way to the hospitality suite to swap stories and recap the day’s adventures—a tradition that, this author is reliably informed, continued each night of the conference. With Pioneer serving as host, there was little reason to call it an early night, especially with good spirits and even better company on hand.

With London and the surrounding counties offering no shortage of agricultural attractions, conference organizers put together four bus tours in an ambitious attempt to showcase just how much agriculture can be found within a day’s drive. This was no small task, particularly when Ontario produces more than 200 agricultural commodities. Tour itineraries took guests through grain fields and orchards, ginseng and berry farms, and even a Brussels sprouts farm—a first for a CFWF tour. Farm writers met dairy cows, sheep and llamas, while more than a few discovered an unexpected appreciation for goats. And then there was the group that was quite literally blown away during a visit to a research facility where scientists test the wind resistance of buildings and cargo ships.

Saturday’s professional development sessions turned the focus toward some of the issues facing Ontario farmers, including land development, trade concerns and the ever-increasing cost of production. From there, the conversation looked ahead to the future, with sessions on emerging technologies and the challenge—and opportunity—of engaging the next generation of farmers.

The afternoon workshops offered plenty for writers to take back to their desks. Attendees explored how to protect and strengthen their craft in the age of AI, photographers worked on developing a more discerning eye, and those with an appetite for digging deeper learned how to uncover the statistical truths that can provide important context for a story.

Of course, no conference would be complete without a proper finale. Saturday evening’s banquet, made possible through the generous support of BASF, brought everyone together one last time, with entertainment from the GMOs providing the soundtrack for the evening. The drinks flowed, glasses were raised, and the crowd celebrated the conference’s well-deserving award recipients.

Leaving such good company is never easy, but there is at least one consolation: the next invitation is already on the calendar. Next September, CFWF will head west to Kelowna, where the British Columbia Farm Writers’ Association will have the honour of welcoming the group. If this year was any indication, there will be no shortage of good stories, good company and, presumably, a few late nights along the way. And, as promised from the BCFWA attendees – a lot of good tasting wine!

Check out these great images from CFWF 2026! Got a few images of your own to share, or want to see more? Upload your images and check out everyone else’s on CFWF 2026 Google Photos.

CFWF2026 Google Photos

2026 CFWF Conference Bursary Winners!

Brianne Curtis — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:35:09 +0000

ECFWA offered two $1,000 CFWF conference bursaries for members to attend the CFWF national conference in London, Ontario this upcoming September 17-19, 2026.

Interested individuals were encouraged to submit an application detailing their involvement in ECFWA and/or CFWF, and what they expect to do with the knowledge gained from the conference.

Two successful applicants, Karen Dallimore (Orton, Ontario) and Carla Hanisch (Singhampton, Ontario) were awarded the bursaries ahead of their planning for the CFWF Conference, Crowning Agchievements. Congratulations!

For more details about the national conference, including registration details, agenda, tour details, and accommodation links, please visit the conference webpage.

CFWF Conference Webpage

Congratulations to ECFWA winners at the CFWF awards

Mary Feldskov — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 00:20:52 +0000

The Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation (CFWF) announced the winners of its annual writing and photography awards on Oct. 5 during a special awards ceremony and banquet at the CFWF annual conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Read the full news release.

CFWF presented gold, silver and bronze awards in 12 writing categories as well as awards for Communicator of the Year, Feature of the Year, Story of the Year and Farm Writer of the Year. It also awarded gold, silver and bronze in three photography categories and an award for Photographer of the Year.

ECFWA winners include:

Electronic Media – Video

Jack McPherson Awards

Robert Irwin and Don Stoneman receive Lifetime Achievement Awards

Mary Feldskov — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:44:04 +0000

At the annual conference of the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation (CFWF) in Halifax on Saturday, Ontario agricultural journalists Robert Irwin of Vankleek Hill and Don Stoneman of Bancroft were presented with CFWF Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The pair’s careers, achievements, and contributions to Canadian agricultural journalism have been intertwined since they met as colleagues working at Farm & Country magazine in the late 1980s. When that publication folded in 1999, a group of its employees quickly regrouped, producing the first edition of Better Farming magazine only four months later, Irwin and Stoneman developed a reputation for leading a team of strong investigative journalists that covered stories across the spectrum, including farm animal welfare, stray voltage and its effects on livestock, the Ontario government’s decision to end the Slots at Racetrack program, the role of women in farming, neonicotinoids, sewage spills and bypasses from urban sources and more. They also covered farmers’ mental health issues years before they were given prominence in mainstream farm discussions. Among the magazine’s best-known pieces was a series on Lyme disease that won both national and international awards.

In 2007, they broke the story that later became known as the ‘Pigeon King’ scheme, with coverage containing more than 50 stories as the issue was first publicized, charges laid and through the court case. In years since, it has been used as the basis for both a play and a feature on CBC’s Farm Crime series. Former colleague Mary Baxter said, “They worked hard to uphold the principles of good, investigative journalism, and they gave their staff the chance to dig deep into really important issues.”

Kelly Daynard, Bernard Tobin, and John Muggeridge, all members of the Eastern Canada Farm Writers’ Association, submitted the nomination, and Baxter and other agricultural journalists and communications professionals from across the country submitted letters of support. Kelly Daynard and CFWF president Allison Finnamore co-presented the award to the recipients.