The Rural Voice, 2002-04, Page 70People
Greg couple wins 2002 TESA award
For the second year in a row The
Environmental Stewardship Award
of the Ontario Cattlemen's
Association has gone to a Grey
County farm operation.
In fact Chris and Carrie Knott,
who received the 2002 TESA award
at the OCA's Annual Meeting on
February 20, live at Ravenna, near
last year's winners James and Joan
McKinlay.
The Knotts were nominated for the
award by the Grey County
Cattlemen's Association and by Ray
Robertson, manager of the Grey
County Agricultural Service Centre,
who called the couple "excellent
ambassadors for the agricultural
industry."
Both Chris and Carrie Knott were
raised in Grey County and bought
their farm nine years ago. They have
two sons, Brandon, 5, and Trevor, 2
and a commercial cow/calf herd of
about 40 pairs. In all they farm about
600 acres with much of the land
rented.
The couple's interest in making
environmental improvements to their
property began in 1998. Since then
they've fenced cattle from all water
courses, installed concrete water
crossings, have dug a shore well to
provide an alternative watering
source, erected concrete walls around
their manure storage and some of
their yard and have increased the size
of the concrete pad under their
manure storage.
In 1999 Chris completed an
Environmental Farm Plan and said
the process really opened his eyes to
improvements that could be made to
their property. He'd still like to
improve his manure storage system
— ideally by erecting a covered
structure — but like many other
producers, he says his projects are
completed as time and money allow.
They've been helped in their
efforts with grants from the Beaver
River Water Quality Improvement
Project and urge others to take
advantage of similar project.
With their farm located in the
Beaver Valley of the Blue Mountain
tourist area where throngs of cottage
owners arrive each summer and
skiers keep the area busy in winter,
"I'm always conscious of what
people driving by are thinking of my
farm," Chris told Ontario Beef
magazine.
The environmental efforts are
starting to pay off. A creek running
through the property runs much
longer into the summer now that
cattle have been fenced out of it.
Vegetation has begun to come back
along the stream banks.
The Knotts also practice
conservation tillage, using a no -till
drill for the past eight years and
noticing a reduction in erosion as
well as enjoying a reduction in labour
to crop the same land. °
Fran Farrell named
Kincardine Chamber
citizen of the year
She's been known for years for
her efforts in the rural community
but Fran Farrell admitted to being
"a little surprised" when she was
named winner of the Kincardine
and District Chamber of
Commerce's Bruce Power Citizen
of the Year Award.
Farrell, also a 1997 winner of
the Tommy Cooper Award for
contribution to agriculture in Grey
and Bruce Counties, has been
deeply involved in activities in her
own community as well as the
wider agricultural scene. While
farming with her husband Jim on a
Ripley -area dairy farm and raising
four children, Christina and
Carmen, now at University of
Guelph and Jamie and Glen at
home, she has managed to find
time to serve with the Purple Grove
Women's Institute and at the
district and area levels, currently
being vice-president of the Grey -
Bruce Women's Institute and a
board director for the Western
Region. She's always been
involved in 4-H and in the past year
was a leader in five different clubs.
She's past president of both
Ripley's St. Andrew's United
Church Women and the Ripley and
District Horticultural Society.
She also served as chair of
Roots of Bruce°
Grand Bend grower's lifetime achievement honoured
A lifetime of achievement by Grand Bend -area vegetable
grower Charlie Srokosz was honoured with the 2002
OFVGA Award of Merit at the 143rd annual convention of
the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.
In presenting the award, Ontario's Deputy Minister of
Agriculture, Dr. Frank Ingratta, called Srokosz an icon of
leadership for the industry and someone who had affected
him personally.
Srokosz immigrated to Canada and first was involved in
farming in the Erieau area but soon moved to the Grand
Bend area where he was known as Canada's largest onion
grower in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1963 and 1964 he became one of the loudest
supporters of orderly marketing for onions while watching
other commodities enjoy the benefits of marketing boards.
In 1967 he achieved his dream with marketing legislation.
In 1969 he was president of the OFVGA.
"Never in all my life did I think the tables would be
turned and this would happen to me," he said in accepting
the award, given annually to recognize the efforts and
contributions of individuals on behalf of the fruit and
vegetable industry. "It makes you wonder whether in life
you had to do something special ... I think you just have
to do something that you like. I fell in love with agriculture
from the start."
Making this a very special moment was the fact one of
the presenters was the current outgoing OFVGA president,
Charlie's son Mark.
"I never once considered it a hindrance, having a father
like that," he told the industry newspaper The Grower.
"Whenever I introduce myself to people, they always want
to know if I know Charlie and I have always been proud to
say I'm his son — I am very proud of that."0