Saskatoon (December 5, 2021)- Outstanding Young Farmer (OYF) alumni from Saskatoon, SK, Shelley Meadows, was honoured as recipient of the 2021 W.R. Motherwell Award by Canada’s OYF program. The award was presented to Shelley at the virtual national event last week.
After a major sponsor backed out of coordination of the Saskatchewan Regional Event, Shelly Meadows took on the Vice Chair position for SK OYF from 2000-2006. As an executive member, she found sponsors, secured venues, vetting nominees, prepared invitations and anything else that was needed to make the SK OYF regional event a success during that time.
Shelley held the National Event Coordinator position for Canada’s OYF from 2012-2016. Her experience as co-chair of the 2006 national event held in Saskatoon, allowed her to be a visionary for the current across Canada national event format that follows the “National Event Bible” she developed at the time. This “bible” has become the template for all COYF national events since. Shelley has brought extensive experience and exuberance as well as tempered wisdom and foresight in all her OYF event planning.
Shelley and her husband Kelvin were SK Outstanding Young Farmers in 1998 while running a seed farm at Marquis. They have since sold the farm and went on to run a successful oat processing plant in Regina for a number of years. In their retirement, they took on crop inspecting. It worked well for them as they could work hard all summer and travel all winter.
Shelley has also provided unwavering assistance to her husband in his agriculture positions as Chair of SK Canola Development Commission, President of Nuffield Canada, and later Nuffield International while being the supportive mother and coach of numerous sports teams for their two children. All Shelley’s contributions have been done selflessly and for the betterment of country.
Danny Penner, Canada OYF West Vice President, and Barb Stefanshyn-Cote, a fellow OYF member, presented the award and included these comments, “With a strong sense of community and pay it forward attitude, Shelley Meadows was instrumental in crafting the OYF National event into the successful and highly anticipated event that it is every year. Her work has helped elevate the OYF reputation and awareness throughout the country.”
Dr. Motherwell, the namesake of the W.R. Motherwell Award, was born near Perth, Ontario in 1860. His leadership in Canadian agriculture spanned more than 50 years and he is regarded by many as the “grand old man of Canadian agriculture.” His career highlights include minister of agriculture in Saskatchewan’s first provincial government, and minister of agriculture for Canada in the 1920s. Having attended agricultural college in Guelph, Ontario, his move to Saskatchewan resulted in his instrumental role in establishing the agriculture facility at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Motherwell died in 1943 at the age of 83.
On the 25th anniversary of the OYF program, the W.R. Motherwell Award was established. The award is presented annually, on behalf of OYF alumni across Canada, to an individual or couple who has demonstrated excellence in leadership and dedication to both the OYF program and Canadian agriculture.
More information about the OYF W.R. Motherwell Award is available at www.oyfcanada.com under Nominations. The deadline for nominations for the 2022 award is March 31, 2022.
Celebrating 41 years, Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers’ program is an annual competition to recognize farmers that exemplify excellence in their profession and promote the tremendous contribution of agriculture. Open to participants 18 to 39 years of age, making the majority of income from on-farm sources, participants are selected from seven regions across Canada, with two national winners chosen each year. The program is sponsored nationally by CIBC, John Deere, Bayer, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Sollio Agriculture and CN; our media partners, Glacier FarmMedia and WS and supported nationally by BDO
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For more information on this event please contact:
Carla Kaeding, Program Manager, Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers
306.896.7833 ·kaedingc@hotmail.com · www.oyfcanada.com