2026 Awards & Scholarships

Recognizing our members is essential to building a strong, engaged community, and we encourage nominations from every district.

Ontario Sheep Farmers is accepting nominations for the 2026 awards and scholarships, to be presented at the Ontario Sheep Annual Banquet in Cambridge on October 29, 2026. 

 

Please find the list of awards and scholarships below, along with the corresponding application and nomination forms.

*Applications are open until September 7th, 2026. 

EMERGING LEADER AWARD


The Ontario Sheep Farmers (OSF) Emerging Leader Award celebrates and recognizes distinguished younger members of Ontario Sheep Farmers who are socially responsible leaders and innovators, currently making notable contributions to the Ontario sheep industry with significant impact.


Past Recipients

Quinton McEwen              Jeff DeJong 
Courtney Vriens                Jason Emke
Andrew Pearson

 

 

 

OUTSTANDING SHEPHERD AWARD

 


Awarded to an Ontario shepherd who has made significant contributions to the advancement of the Ontario sheep industry. This award is presented to an Ontario shepherd who exemplifies the values of leadership and responsible sheep husbandry.

Past Recipients

Fred Baker               Mels van der Laan 
Bill McCutcheon      Marc & Helen Carere
Sandi Brock             Ted & Joanne Skinner 
Dick Kuiperij            John & Eadie Steele
Mark Ritchie & Cherry Allen
Luke & Jenny Carnaghan
Robert Fleguel & Erin Roughan   

 

INDUSTRY LEADER AWARD

Funds for this award have come from donations made in memoriam of Ontario sheep industry leaders. This fund was started with donations that have been made in memory of the late Bob Irvine, an Ontario sheep farmer who was a strong supporter of continuous learning. He was a dedicated member of the industry, with a focus on sheep genetics and was a mentor to many. This  award is open to applicants who are wanting to further their leadership development in Ontario's sheep industry. This award can be used by the successful applicant to participate in postgraduate or industry education opportunities and leadership courses. Individual registered Ontario sheep farmers or those who are involved in the Ontario sheep industry (i.e. veterinarian students) are eligible to apply for this award.


Past Recipients
Heather Melinyshyn              Evelin Rejman
Valerie Higginson                  Madeleine Cullen
Diana Lucarelli

LONG SERVICE AWARD

 

Awarded in acknowledgment and appreciation of long-standing contributions to the Ontario sheep industry. Recipients of this award have demonstrated outstanding dedication, leadership, and an innovative spirit. This award is presented to an Ontario shepherd or industry service provider in recognition of their significant contributions to the advancement of the Ontario sheep industry over many years of service.

Past Recipients

Bob & Gail Irvine         John Campbell

Chris Kennedy             Douglas Kennedy
Peter Kudelka              Jenn MacTavish
John Hancock              John Hemsted
Sarel Smit                    Jim Johnston
Laurie Maus                 Len Hilderly

Dwayne & Laura Acres
Bill & Lynne Duffield
Wayne & Sharon Small
Murray & Gail Morrison

 

UNDERGRAD SCHOLARSHIP

 

This $500 cash scholarship is open to applicants who are enrolled in their first or second year at an accredited university, college or apprenticeship program (shearing schools and programs qualify). Applicants do not have to be enrolled in an agriculture program to be eligible for the award. 

 

Applicants must be one of the following:

  • A registered sheep producer as of April 30, 2025;
  • Have a parent/guardian registered as a sheep producer as of April 30, 2025; or
  • A member of a 4-H Ontario sheep club.

In addition to completing the application form, applicants must submit either a written article (minimum 500 words) or a two to three-minute video on one of the following topics:

  • What strategy or strategies do you think the sheep industry should employ to address public trust?
  • If you were going to produce sheep, what management style - annual lambing, accelerated lambing or a combination of the two - would you choose and why?
  • Give a detailed description of the biosecurity setup and explain why this is important to the individual sheep farmer and the industry.
  • What do you feel is the sheep industry's greatest weakness, and therefore greatest challenge? How would you address that if you could?

Past Recipients

Margaret Vincent               Bethany Brown     
Robyn Baxter                     Graham Finlay
Chelsea Steele                   Anna Lennox
Kaitlyn Stein                       Mitchell Bazinet
Allison Brown                     Josiah Van Ewyk
Rayleen DeJong                 Chloe Pyke
Rachel Gras                       Jessalyn Hendriks 
Lauren Cowan

DLF PASTURE AWARD

The DLF Pasture Award (formerly the Mapleseed Pasture Award) is sponsored in part by OSF, DLF and the Ontario Forage Council. It recognizes individual sheep farmers who are doing an outstanding job of pasture management. The DLF Pasture Award is a way of encouraging sheep farmers to implement pasture management strategies to maximize production per acre. The winner of the award receives a cash prize of $250.


Past Recipients

Phil & Liz Smith                 Bill McCutcheon
Albert Botha                      Rodney Jones
Mike Swidersky                 Steve Ernewein
Chris Moore
Brian & Anita DeJong
Brad & Karen Davis
Todd & Jennifer Payne
Wand Family Livestock
Carrie Wooley & Brett Schuyler
Matthew Fleguel & Liz Johnston
Gayla Bonham-Carter & Scott Bade