NPF & VGA Award of Merit

NPF & VGA

AWARD OF MERIT

BY COURTNEY DENARD

Sarah Marshall, manager of Ontario Tender Fruit Growers, is the recipient of the 2021 Industry Award of Merit.

Presented by the Niagara Peninsula Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, the award is handed out annually to an individual who demonstrates ongoing commitment to the agriculture community. Marshall began her career in the fruit sector in 2007 after taking a position with Ontario Apple Growers. Within five years, she made the move to OTFG and then happily accepted the role as manager of that organization in 2012.

“I remember it well. We bloomed ridiculously early that year and everything got frozen out so I had to ramp up pretty quickly there,” Marshall said. Marshall got to work immediately, handling things like promotion, research, price setting and marketing. She also stepped into playing a key role in lobbying the government on behalf of growers. “I am on a lot of committees,” she said. “If you’re not at the table, you won’t know what’s going on and you won’t be able to offer solutions. There needs to be somebody there to say ‘hey, that doesn’t work for my growers.’” Marshall said representation became even more critical over the last two growing seasons as the industry did its best to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and the constantly changing regulations that came with it. In fact, surviving that time as an organization and an industry as a whole is something Marshall said she is quite proud of. The Jupiter Grape is another success Marshall is happy to talk about.

This great flavoured blue grape, which is seedless, is a new variety that the industry has been working on for years and according to Marshall, “it’s getting close and it will get growers into the market earlier.” Marshall is a huge proponent for any kind of advancement or labour reducing technology that can move the industry forward and offer growers some work life balance.

When it comes to winning the Industry Award of Merit, Marshall said she was more than surprised. “I was shocked but very pleased, very happy, it means a lot to me,” she said. If she had to guess, Marshall feels she were chosen out of all of the candidates because of her commitment to growers. “I work hard to always be available to the growers to help them through whatever situation they need help with,” Marshall said.

Looking towards the future, Marshall is excited to continue her work in the industry. Topics like robotics and developing fully compostable packaging remain on her radar.

Photo credit: Glenn Lowson for The Grower