Hardy Northern cherries

Apparently cherries can withstand the harsh Northwestern Ontario climate.

James Sovereign, whose family has operated Mountain Fresh Farms in Kakabeka for more than a century, has perfected a rugged dwarf sour cherry ideal for use in juices because of its surprising sweetness.

The genetic engineering won Sovereign recognition from the province in the form of a $5,000 regional award as part of the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.

Emo’s $2-million non-profit Rainy River District Regional Abattoir Inc. was also honoured for the construction and management of a facility capable of processing beef, pork, sheep, elk and bison.

In each case farmers have been able to make an immediate impact on their carbon footprint, reducing the need for food to be shipped into or out of Northwestern Ontario.

That in itself is reason enough to applaud their efforts, said MPP Bill Mauro (Lib., Thunder Bay-Atikokan).

"We’re hearing often now that in this time of a global economy and climate change to buy local," Mauro said. "They’re lowering their carbon footprint."

Steve Loshaw is the president of the Rainy River District Regional Abattoir and said the group of forward-thinking farmers who came together to establish the slaughterhouse, which opened last January, have eliminated the need to transport livestock six hours or more for processing.

It marked the first time in nearly 15 years that the service was available locally, at the commercial level.

"It provides a local facility, it provides an opportunity for producers to market their livestock in a different manner. It provides an opportunity for communities to access local products," Loshaw said.

With the slow-food movement picking up steam, local is the new buzz word when it comes to agriculture, said Sovereign.

"We’re a resource to this area," Sovereign said in accepting his award. "If we run into problems with food, we’re here and we’re going to be here. But we’ve got a long way to go."

Raising crops in this part of Canada isn’t easy, he added, particularly ones associated with warmer temperatures.

That’s why farmers have to be so innovative, Sovereign explained.

"The thing about Northern Ontario is it takes probably twice as many resources to produce the same poundage as southern Ontario. So we either have to work twice as hard or twice as smart.

He chose cherries for a variety of reasons, most notably their health benefits.

"According to the British Journal of Medicine, there is an enzyme in sour cherries which is extremely good for cancer, heart disease and arthritis. It’s also good if you’re on a diet," he said. "We also don’t have to spray with chemicals in this area because there aren’t that many bugs that attack cherries."

He’s also got another reason to work the land as he does.

"I’m a grandfather and I’m doing it for the grandchildren. I think that’s what we all have to look at. The same as the oil companies or anybody in the world, they have to start looking at the future of the world. That’s what we’re trying to do in this area."

The Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation is a five-year, $2.5-million program that recognizes up to 55 regional winners a year. It also selects a Ministers’s Award of up to $50,000 and a Premier’s Award of up to $100,000.

Past local regional award winners include Gammondale Farm and Thunder Oak Cheese Farm.