Nomination Criteria
The OYF program begins each year with the nomination of farmers at the local level. Anyone can nominate a young farmer/farm couple for the regional recognition award and title of Saskatchewan’s Outstanding Young Farmer as long as they meet the following program eligibility requirements:
- Must not have reached the age of 40 as of January 1st in the year of competition
- Be farm operators
- Derive a minimum of two-thirds of their income from farming
- Nominees may be an individual, couple or managing partner/shareholder of a farm group. Nominees may be two partners in a farming operation (i.e. siblings) who meet all the criteria requirements.
- The nominee must be responsible for the majority of management decisions in operating the farm.
A letter of support (on formal letterhead) from a third party must accompany the application form at the regional level.
Nominations for the 2020 Award are due by February 15, 2020.
Step One: Regional Level
If these eligibility requirements are met, a nomination form must be fully completed and returned to the Saskatchewan OYF Coordinator by the deadline in order to be eligible for review. The Coordinator will then contact the nominees and provide them with more details on the program and an application form.
Applications for the 2020 Award are due by March 31, 2020.
The top candidates will be asked to participate in an interview and presentation process at the regional event on June 21 – 22, 2018 where the regional winner will be selected based on the following criteria:
- progress in agriculture career
- extent of soil, water and energy conservation practices
- crop and/or livestock production history
- financial and management practices
- contribution to the well-being of the community, province and nation
Step Two: National Conference
The winner of the Saskatchewan regional competition will represent the region at the National Event to be recognized for their achievements and be judged by a distinguished panel which selects the two honorees to receive Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer Award.
The OYF program is a way to recognize progressive, young producers. The competition is secondary.
To qualify for the National Recognition Awards Program the nominees must be certified winners of a valid Regional Awards Programs and must:
- Be aged 18 through 39; not becoming 40 prior to January 1 of the year of competition.
- Be actual farm operators, deriving a minimum of two-thirds of their gross income from their farming operation.
- All financial information including financial statements must be complete for the National Competition. Financial records will be held in strict confidence.
- Photographs are required for display and publication purposes. The PowerPoint presentation should depict the story of your farm’s achievements, the people involved, contributions to improve lifestyle and family.
The judging criteria of Outstanding Young Farmers will be:
- Progress in agriculture career (25 points).
- Environmental stewardship (25 points).
- Production history (25 points).
- Financial and management practices (25 points).
- Contributions to the well-being of the community, province and nation (25 points).
- Other information.
- Financial progress (15 points).
- Oral interviews (35 points).
- National event PowerPoint presentation (25 points).