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Leamington grower group wins award

April 21, 2010  By Fruit & Vegetable


NEWS HIGHLIGHT

Leamington grower group wins award

Ontario tomatoes are getting pumped over an innovation that was recently
awarded the Premier’s Award.



April 13, 2010, Toronto,
Ont. – Ontario tomatoes are getting pumped over an innovation that was recently
awarded the Premier’s Award.

The Leamington Area Drip
Irrigation is a group of 13 farmers who wanted to improve water efficiency for
their operations. They spent years consulting with agencies and specialists
across Canada, using that expertise to design and construct a new communal
irrigation system that increases the reliability of supply and quality of water
to local producers. The 36-kilometre pipeline, pump house and filter system can
precisely monitor the amount of water being delivered from Lake Erie to 2,500
acres of tomatoes in the Leamington area. Participating growers have seen a
reduction in energy and input costs and an increase in the quality and yield of
their crops. The fixed structure eliminates the need for much of the annual
set-up associated with traditional drip irrigation and has reduced water costs
in the growing season by 66 per cent.

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For this innovative
project, the group received the agri-food innovation award presented recently
in Toronto. The Leamington Area Drip Irrigation group received the Premier’s
Award
of $100,000

“By continuing to evolve
and innovate, (the agriculture) sector is helping to grow our economy and open
up new opportunities for Ontario,” said Premier Dalton McGuinty.

The winner of the $50,000
Minister’s Award was Tigchelaar Berry Farms of Vineland for their work in
adopting a new production technique to expand its day neutral strawberry.


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