Agriculture is one of the foundations of Ontario, and Canada. Without it, our very ways of life would not be as they are today. Agriculture is linked to every aspect of live…after all, there isn't a single item of food you've eaten that hasn't been farmed.

  The Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, along with the Minister of Agriculture, Leona Dombrowsky, has recognized the foundation that agriculture has on Ontario by awarding 55 farmers, out of 350 applicants, with the distinction of the Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation. Agriculture has seen a vast turn around in technology on a small, personal scale, developing from farms all over the world. When a farmer requires something that's not on the market, they improvise and make it themselves.

  The award from the Premier is meant to celebrate and recognize these small inventions that farmers have created to not only make their job a bit easier in the long run, but also to help out their fellow colleagues.

Stephen and Valerie McDonald, and family, from McMaze were one of this year's award recipients. The McDonalds are known for their family owned and operated business, McMaze, that boasts a Family Fun Day in the Country for people of all ages.

McMaze has found a market for pumpkins, and answered that call by planting more then 7 acres of pumpkins in their Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch. The first two years were tough, as all seeds were planted by hand. A mechanical planter for pumpkin seeds was just not possible for the scale the McDonalds required. On the third year, their International Cyclo 400 series air corn planter was modified so that two individuals could manually place seeds into its air tubes while the planter did the rest.

  Stephen then decided to go one step further and modify the drum on the planter so that it would pick up the seeds, and place them in the air lines while spacing out the seeds at an appropriate distance. Getting it to work was a feat in itself, since he was told by the company that it would be impossible.

McMaze continues to grow each year, and the pumpkins certainly keep growing. The McDonalds don't plan on keeping the trick to modifying the planter a secret, but their pumpkin fudge recipe will not be given out any time soon!