Owners of Brenn-B Farms Ltd. on 5th Concession Road West, the Brenns operate a third-generation vegetable farm, cultivating potatoes, broccoli, turnips, herbs, cash crops and a 200-head cow/calf operation over 1,300 acres.

The couple was recognized last month at the Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) national event in Calgary. They are the third recipients of the organization’s highest award, named after Dr. Motherwell whose leadership in Canadian agriculture spanned more than 50 years.

David and Wendy were first introduced to the OYF in the late 1980s when the couple was named Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers. Since then, the Brenns have held numerous positions with the organization and continue to support the OYF group.

According to Wendy, the family was nominated for the W. R. Motherwell Award by the Ontario OYF Committee. They were surprised to receive the call that they would be receiving the award.

“It is an honour in the Outstanding Young Farmers for sure,” she said of the award.

“It recognizes all the time that we’ve put in to the program and agriculture itself,” added David.

But the Brenns haven’t just dedicated countless hours to the organization; the couple has also invested many resources to their rural business and the products it produces.

With the recent mention of food safety issues, David and Wendy have upgraded their operations to make Brenn-B Farms Ltd. as traceable as possible.

Following the purchase of a new software system, the integration of GPS systems and other technologies, the pair is able to trace its products from the field to the consumer.

By means of inputting data into the computer system, Brenn-B Farms Ltd. has the resources available to track its products every step of the way.

“Every action and activity that happens is traceable,” said Wendy. “From planting the seed, to planting the fertilizer, to cultivating it,” she explained.

The Brenns only introduced this revolutionary system this year, using it with its Ontario potatoes.

“We are just getting that system to get integrated with our vegetables,” noted Wendy.

However, traceability for cattle operations through tagging was made mandatory for farmers long ago, she said.

New technology

“When you hear food recalls, we can prove where our stuff came from,” said Wendy. “We have the date, the operator and how long it actually took (to complete the various tasks),” added David.

The new technology was kick started following the farm’s enrolment in an Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) pilot project, where 11 processors and nine farmers across the province were provided with $20,000 if they spent $30,000 to formulate a tracking model for their products.

While the farm hasn’t seen any real monetary return as of yet for their investment in updating their traceability, David and Wendy have seen many individuals interested in learning more about their tracking model.