2014 BMO Family Farm Award Nominees Announced

Jul 22, 2014

The Bank of Montreal (BMO) in partnership with the Ontario Plowmen’s Association (OPA) released a list of 26-farm families who were nominated by their local plowmen’s branch to be in the running for the 2014 Farm Family Awards. A full list of nominees can be found here.

Out of the 26-candidates, 10-families will receive the 2014 BMO Family Farm Award. Winners will be selected by a provincial committee through an application process completed by the families. The paperwork process offers nominees the opportunity to share a little bit about their farming operation and highlight their community involvement. In the past, intergenerational farming operations have proven victorious.

Honourees will be treated to a day at the International Plowing Match (IPM) to be held in Ivey, Ont., (Simcoe County) from September 16 – 20, 2014. Families will receive VIP passes to certain IPM events, enjoy a complimentary lunch, and participate in a professional family photograph session where they will receive a one-of-a-kind farm gate plaque. The 26-nominees will also receive recognition at their local plowing match.

According to a release: “The Farm Family Awards were created to promote renewed urban-rural relationships and recognize outstanding Ontario farm families who best represent the value of the family farmer. The program focuses on recognizing the contributions these families make to enhancing quality of life in their agricultural communities.”

The BMO Family Farm Award program began in 2012, however, BMO has been a sponsor of the IPM since 2007. A similar award is given out to Alberta farm families at the Calgary Stampede, curtesy of BMO.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.