The Bite of Brant program has been honoured by Ontario Farm and Food Care with its 2019 Champion Award. The program is the product of the Brant County Agricultural Awareness Committee (BCAAC).

The Champion Award was presented at Farm & Food Care Ontario’s annual conference by Bruce Christie and Crispin Colvin, past and current members of FFCO’s board of directors.

The award has been presented annually, since 1999, in recognition of an individual or group’s significant commitment to public outreach, and support for Ontario’s farming community.

For 24 years, Bite of Brant has brought together more than one thousand grade five students, parents, and teachers, from Brantford and Brant County public, Catholic, private and Six Nations schools for a full day of hands-on learning about agriculture in Ontario. This year’s program was held April 10 and 11 at the Burford Fairgrounds.

The goal of this initiative is to have students gain an appreciation for where their food comes from. “It is important for students to gain an appreciation for the high quality of Ontario food and to have some knowledge of how it is produced,” says Sandra Vos, vice president of the Brant County Federation of Agriculture and nominator of BCAAC for the award.  

At the Burford Fairgrounds, 20 stations cover all areas of Ontario’s agri-food industry, from wheat to milk production, to food safety and nutrition, to land stewardship. Activities include pressing apples to make cider, “milking” a life-sized cow model, comparing food costs, and milling wheat to make flour. 

Vos said that Bite of Brant would not be possible without the support of approximately 100 volunteers, including farmers, retired teachers, and others from the agriculture industry.

Source: Farm and Food Care, April 10, 2019 news release