INNISFAIL – A local farmer has been honoured for her contributions to agriculture.
Leona Staples of The Jungle Farm, just north of Innisfail, received the prestigious Scotiabank Agriculture Award at the Women of Excellence awards gala in Red Deer on June 6.
The event was presented by the Red Deer and District Community Foundation.
“It was really great hearing the nominees' own words on what they do and how they think they’ve impacted the area they were nominated in,” said Staples. “I found that really inspiring.”
A total of 51 women were nominated in various categories, including agriculture, arts, culture and heritage, athletics, recreation and fitness, community building, education and training, environment, health and wellness, entrepreneurship and human services.
“There were 51 stories we heard, about what (these women) had done to make a difference in their community,” she said.
Staples shared how agriculture has impacted and shaped her life.
“It’s something I’m passionate about; it’s something I do every day. I’m pretty lucky to be doing what I love doing,” said Staples. “To be recognized for that is really awesome.
“My passion is to connect the farm to families and we’ve created a farm that’s done that. People have supported us to make that happen,” she added, noting it’s a team effort from both staff and visitors that contributes to her farm’s success.
“It’s a real honour to be recognized, but it’s not just me. It takes a village to make these things happen,” she said. “My farm is almost like a little village. We have phenomenal students and staff that work with us and we have all these wonderful families in Central Alberta who support us.”
Staples, a fourth-generation farmer, has owned and operated the family farm with her husband Blaine since 1996. The farm itself has been in Leona’s family since 1897.
“It was traditional cattle and grain at that time and now it has (grown) to be more than that,” she said, noting some of the changes and programs that the farm has created over the years. “Our goal is for people to have that real connection (to their food).
“There’s lots and lots of families that want to be connected to where their food comes from,” she added.
In addition to her work on the family farm, Staples is an executive board member for the Innisfail Growers cooperative, is a founding board executive of the Calgary Farmers' Market and is the current chair of the Olds College Board of Governors, a position she will hold for three years.
“We have lots of college students that come out to visit our farm, learn about horticulture and we have students that work for us in the summertime," said Staples.
“It’s a very exciting time to be a part of Olds College. There’s lots of new and innovative things happening with their smart agriculture projects, which revolves around technology and agriculture,” Staples concluded.
