Farmers honoured for developing fresh agri-business ideas

Three Alberta farmers have been recognized for their innovative ideas to grow their businesses and strengthen the province's agriculture industry. At the AgChoices 2007 conference in Red Deer, George Groeneveld, Alberta's Minister of Agriculture and Food, announced the winners of the Best Practices Renewal Award: Victor Chrapko of Brosseau; Gwendolyn Simpson of Carvel; and Jim Hugo of Three Hills. "Albertans are doing incredible things to grow their businesses and our industry-greatly contributing to our government's priority to build a stronger Alberta," said Groeneveld. "Good things are happening on Alberta farms to foster a thriving, sustainable agriculture and food industry."
Each of the winners demonstrated a strong commitment to developing an innovative product or plan for expansion or adding value to their existing farm operation. The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board sent his congratulations to the three Best Practices Renewal Award winners. “Through this and other Renewal programs, producers are accessing the information, skills, knowledge and services they need to help them succeed in achieving their goals, while ensuring a strong, prosperous future for Canada’s agriculture sector,” he said. Victor Chrapko’s organic fruits and wines are in demand throughout North America and as far away as China. He plans to add value to his Orchard Palace Organic U-Pick and winery by growing his product line and inviting customers to tour his operation. Gwen Simpson is in her third year of business with her natural herbs, unique edible and cut flowers and gourmet pre-mixed salad products. She plans to expand her farm in three stages and this year, she is adding nutritional labels to her products and experimenting with new crop techniques to lengthen the growing season. Jim Hugo’s Stone Ground Flour products are famous for their flavour and high quality. He plans to add value to his business by expanding his farm to 2500 acres and growing targeted crop products for the pharmaceutical, nutritional and industrial sectors. The Best Practices Renewal Award is part of the Agricultural Policy Framework, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative that aims to make Canada the leader in food safety, innovation and environmentally-responsible agricultural production.

Farmers honoured for developing fresh agri-business ideas

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