Congratulations go out to Laurent (Woody) and Catherine Van Arkel for being the 2020 winners of Kent Soil & Crop Improvement Association’s Outstanding Farmers of the Year!  Laurent and Catherine have been farming near Dresden for 30 years after taking over the family farm from Laurent’s parents. They have grown a variety of crops typical of the Dresden area including corn, soy beans, wheat, tomatoes, and sugar beets. Interested in expanding their crop rotation, they grew their first crop of sunflowers in 2020.

Their interest in soil sustainability has led to their use of and experimentation with cover crops and reduced tillage, along with partnerships with the University of Guelph, OMAFRA, and Ag Canada. It also led Laurent to co-found the Ontario Soil Network (OSN) and he is now chair of its board of directors. Catherine has also volunteered time with OSN and was casually employed by the organization.

Laurent is a past director of the Kent Federation of Agriculture (KFA), past director and past president of the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO), and is a farmer representative of the Mid-West Cover Crops Council (MCCC).