Steve and Lisa Cooper have been farming since 1993. Together they run a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) venture, take part in five farmers’ markets, and operate an on-farm store and roadside stand. Their farm is in Zephyr in Durham Region, northeast of Newmarket.

Read about how the Coopers have found their niche in direct marketing, and continue to grow and diversify their products and customer experience.

Jason Verkaik is the fourth generation in his family to farm in Ontario. In 1934, Jason’s grandfather and his two brothers moved to the Holland Marsh to clear land and begin farming in the area. Thirty years later, each of the three brothers decided to create their own family business. Jason’s grandfather started Carron Farms in 1964, naming his new company after their two main crops: carrots and onions.

Read about how a fourth generation family farm drives innovation through re-branding and new product offerings to meet customer interest.

Several farms profiled in this series have cited working with others as instrumental to their business success, but none have pursued that approach more successfully than the Carnaghans. The sharing of ideas, equipment, and knowledge with neighbouring, like-minded peers is not pursued for the sake of profit as much as it is a community philosophy. Their lamb enterprise employs a unique three party ownership and operational arrangement. In partnering with other lamb producers and an abattoir in a value chain, they have leveraged their collaborative efforts to their collective benefit

Read about how the Carnaghans have expanded from its own herd of 150 ewes to an impressive 700 ewe operation

I've been working on environmental protection since 1988, creeping up to almost 30 years now. In that time, there have been a lot of international agreements. I vividly remember the Montreal Protocol created to phase out and eliminate ozone depleting substances, and the 1988 Climate Conference in Toronto. I participated in pre-consultations and agenda development for the 1992 Earth Summit in Brazil, and I was thrilled to hear about the establishment of the Kyoto Protocol. 

 Photos (L-R) by Peter Granka, Peter Kelly, Barbara Phillips

Grantee Spotlight is a blog series highlighting the experiences and successes of the Foundation’s grantees, as they work with communities and other Greenbelt partners to keep our province’s farmlands, forests, and wetlands safe and sustainable for future generations.

The Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System: Innovative partnerships, permanent protection and a natural legacy 

Guest post from Peter Kelly, Coordinator, Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System

Nestled in Ontario’s Greenbelt, between the western shores of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment, there sits a remarkable collection of natural lands known as the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System.

It’s a special place, an area within the Greenbelt where a World Biosphere Reserve, Provincially Significant Wetlands, and nationally significant habitats all intersect within close proximity to the growing cities of Burlington and Hamilton. The EcoPark System is a biodiversity hotspot - home to almost 1,600 species of flora and fauna, over fifty of which are identified as “Species at Risk”. 

As my oldest daughter Zoë contemplates her post-secondary education, the next few months will be busy ones, as she applies to various universities. She’s keen to follow in her dad’s footsteps, hoping to study Environmental Studies and English in either Ontario or British Columbia. So my radar for youth and the environment was particularly alert when I came across a young boy in Niagara who wants to save a woodlot from being paved over by an unneeded road. 

This blog post below about the Greenbelt Fund was originally posted on greenbeltfund.ca on December 10, 2015. 

As a grant-making organization, we’re fortunate. We get to work with really smart people, and we get to insert ourselves in great new projects that make change. Since 2010, we’ve seen a return of $112 million in increased Ontario sales with our work. This proves that the Fund has been nothing short of a monumental success. 

Recognizing the True Value of the Greenbelt
David Suzuki Foundation
$35,000  (1 year)
davidsuzuki.org

The project will educate the public about the benefits of the Greenbelt through online and media activities, with a focus on DSF's natural capital research and the Coordinated Land Use Planning Review.

Engaging Hamiltonians in the 2015 Review
Environment Hamilton
$9,200  (1 year)
environmenthamilton.org

Environment Hamilton will educate and engage Hamilton residents about the Greenbelt and smart growth to ensure a successful outcome for the Coordinated Land Use Planning Review.

Supporting Niagara’s Local Food Culture
Greening Niagara
$6,100  (1 year)
climateactionniagara.ca

Greening Niagara will hold a series of Greenbelt-themed walks to engage local residents in the Coordinated Land Use Planning Review and build support for local food and farmland preservation.