Award recognizes OFA president

Monday, March 15, 2010

by PATRICIA GROTENHUIS

Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s president is among five women across Canada who have received this year’s Rosemary Davis award.

“I’m very honoured to be in that list of women who have received the award,” says Bette Jean Crews.

According to a news release issued Monday, Farm Credit Canada created the award to honour women who show leadership and community involvement, make a difference in agriculture, display passion for the industry and have a clear vision for agriculture’s future. The award is named after the Crown corporation’s first female board chair.

Each winner is selected from one of the Crown corporation’s regions: Western Canada, Prairies, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Crews is the recipient in the Ontario region.

More than 200 women have been nominated for the annual award since its 2005 launch.  Regional selection committees of 10 people mark applicants on selection criteria.  The woman with the best overall mark for each region is named a winner.

“Each year I’m always impressed with the winners we receive,” says Eva Larouche, communications consultant with Farm Credit.

Crews is a cash crop farmer with a trucking business and roadside market, and an avid volunteer. Along with her current role of president of the provincial federation, she is a founding member of OnTrace Agri-Food Traceability. She has been involved in a number of other agricultural organizations provincially and nationally.

Other 2010 winners were: Gay Hahn, British Columbia; Jeannie van Dyk, Nova Scotia; Margaret Rempel, Manitoba; and Marie Gosselin, Quebec. BF