A Sudbury environmental remediation business and a fifth-generation beef operation in the northwestern Ontario are champions in their field.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness passed out its 2025 Excellence of Agriculture Awards at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto on the weekend.
Among the 12 winners and those seven recipients receiving commendations were Sudbury’s Northern Wildflowers, which snagged the award for Northern Business Excellence, and Cornell Farms in the Rainy River district, which received an honourable mention in the same category.
Northern Wildflowers specializes in native Canadian wildflower and grass seeds for both home gardeners and large -scale industrial projects, including mine rehabilitation, municipal projects and landscaping. Based in the Greater Sudbury community of Whitefish, the company sells seed packets online and in garden centres nation-wide.
Family-owned Cornell Farms raise beef, sell natural beef products and breeding stock outside Devlin, west of Fort Frances. Cornell is also a vendor of pork and artisanal chicken. The business has embraced technology and sells products direct to consumers via an online store, plus regional farmers’ markets, and hosts cultural events like concerts and barn dances. Cornell Farms took home a Premier’s Agri-Food Innovation Excellence Award in 2008.
“Their contributions drive the success of our sector and pave the way for the next generation, ensuring Ontario agriculture continues to thrive,” said Trevor Jones, agriculture, food and agribusiness minister, in a statement.