Criteria

Nominees may be an individual, couple or managing partner/shareholder of a farm group. Nominees may be two partners in a farming operation (i.e. siblings) who meet all the criteria requirements.

The nominee must be responsible for the majority of management decisions in operating the farm.  They must derive a minimum of two-thirds of their gross revenue from farming, have an ownership stake in the business, and not have reached the age of 40 as of January 1 in the year of competition.

A letter of support (on formal letterhead) from a third party must accompany the application form at the regional level.


To qualify for the National Recognition Awards Program the nominees must be winners of the Regional Awards Program and must:

  1. Be aged 18 through 39; not becoming 40 prior to January 1 of the year of competition.
  2. Be farm operators, have an investment stake in the business, and derive a minimum of two-thirds of their gross income from their farming operation.
  3. All financial information including financial statements must be complete for the National Competition. Financial records will be held in strict confidence.
  4. Photographs are required for display and publication purposes. The PowerPoint presentation should depict the story of your farm’s achievements, the people involved, contributions to improve lifestyle and family.

The judging criteria of Outstanding Young Farmers will be:

  1. Progress in agriculture career (25 points).
  2. Environmental stewardship (25 points).
  3. Production history (25 points).
  4. Financial and management practices (25 points).
  5. Contributions to the well-being of the community, province and nation (25 points).
  6. Other information.
  7. Financial progress (15 points).
  8. Oral interviews (35 points).
  9. National event PowerPoint presentation (25 points).

Nomination Form

Anyone can nominate a young farmer/farm couple for the regional recognition award and title of Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmer as long as the young farmer meets the program eligibility requirements.  Deadline to nominate a young farmer for the next Ontario Region competition is January 31st , 2020   THE REGIONAL NOMINATION FORM IS HERE.

Deadline for the nominees to fill in their forms and send them to the Ontario Regional Chair is March 30, 2020.  The nominees should remember to fill in everything that they do in their farming business. Feel free to contact Ontario OYF alumni with any questions. They will be happy to help with both the nomination and the application process.

Completed application forms are sent to a preliminary judging panel, consisting of past OOYF winners who select the top three candidates.

You can download the National nomination form here

FAQ

National Nomination Form