LANCASTER, Ontario – The Township of South Glengarry is pleased to announce that the Old 4th Hop Yard, a local business owned by Ron Brennan and Stephanie Jaworski, has received a Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.
Ron and Stephanie accepted the award at a ceremony held in Casselman on Friday, December 8th, 2017. The award recognizes the innovative contributions of producers, processors, agri-food organizations and rural communities in Ontario.
As Certified Organic hop producers, Ron and Stephanie understand the importance of keeping detailed records. Their operation, Old 4th Hop Yard, located just outside the village of Williamstown, achieved its Organic Certification in 2013; and, with that, came the requirement of thoroughly documenting all activities occurring in the hop yard. The struggle of keeping paperwork up-to-date during the busy growing season lead Brennan, a former Senior Software Quality Assurance Analyst, to search out a digital tool to assist him. As no current farm log met the needs of Certified Organic production, Brennan developed “Hop Logger” – a mobile application designed to efficiently track his field activities. Instead of using pen and paper, Brennan can now use his smartphone to collect data directly from the field. Whether it’s logging soil and water test results, uploading photos from the field or analyzing historical data to better plan for the upcoming season, the time-saving app is a simple, all-in-one data depository. Designed for all hop producers, regardless of size, Brennan is currently expanding the application to cover the needs of all Certified Organic crop and livestock producers.
“On behalf of Council, I would like to extend our congratulations to Ron and Stephanie,” stated Mayor Ian McLeod, “We are thrilled that the province has recognized their achievements in the agricultural community and are proud that they have chosen to both live and locate their business in South Glengarry.”
Bryan Brown, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), added, “Entrepreneurs like Ron and Stephanie are perfect examples of how business owners in South Glengarry embrace a challenge and turn it into a successful venture.”
For more information, please contact Bryan Brown, CAO at (613) 347-1166 ext. 227 or bryan@southglengarry.com.
