News Releases

MITCHELL, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 20, 2013) - BMO Bank of Montreal and the Ontario Plowmen's Association will honour 10 Ontario families as recipients of the 2013 BMO Ontario Farm Family Awards at the 100^th International Plowing Match & Rural Expo in Mitchell, Ontario on Saturday, September 21, 2013.

The bank also announced the introduction of BMO Kids' Day, a special day at the Plowing Match that will be dedicated to learning, fun and entertainment for children under the age of 16.

The BMO Ontario Farm Family Awards are dedicated to recognizing the tremendous contributions made by farmers across the province. These ten families have combined the ideals and traditions of the past with advanced agri-business practices to grow and sustain their successful family farm businesses. The families will be treated to day of Plowing Match events, including a plaque presentation, lunch and a family photograph session.

"BMO has a long and proud history of supporting Canada's Agricultural Community," said Susan Brown, Senior Vice-President, Ontario Regional Division, BMO Bank of Montreal. "We're extremely pleased to honour these ten Ontario families for the important role they play in the health and sustainability of our farming communities.

"We also look forward to seeing so many young faces at BMO Kids' Day," added Ms. Brown. "This new event provides a great opportunity to reinforce important values and have kids learn about the agriculture industry in a fun and interactive way."

2013 BMO Ontario Farm Family Award Recipients

Farm Name	Family	Area
McIntosh	The McIntosh Family	Bruce County
Altona Lea Farms	The Barkey Family	Durham Region
E.E. Bennett & Sons Farms Ltd.	The Bennett Family	Frontenac County
Weblyn Farms	The Weber Family	Grey County - Normanby
Heather Holme Holsteins	The McNeil Family	Huron County
Burnham Family Farm Market	The Burnham Family	Northumberland County
Brander Farms	The Brander Family	Peel Dufferin County
CMcB Holsteins	The McBride Family	Renfrew County
Fennema Holsteins	The Ringelberg Family	Hamilton Wentworth (North)
Cranston Farms	The Cranston Family	Hamilton Wentworth (South)

2013 BMO Ontario Farm Family Awards Presentation

Who:	Susan Brown, Senior Vice-President, Ontario Regional Division, BMO Bank of Montreal
	Cathy Lasby, Executive Director, Ontario Plowmen's Association
What:	2013 BMO Ontario Farm Family Award Ceremony
When:	BMO Ontario Farm Family meet and greet from 10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
	Plaque presentation on main stage from 11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
	BMO Ontario Farm Family Lunch from 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
	Family pictures from 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Where:	4165 Road 160, Mitchell, ON
	BMO Tent and CKNX Main Stage

BMO Introduces BMO Kids' Day

For the first time in its 100 year history, the International Plowing Match will dedicate an entire day of events and activities focused exclusively on kids. Borrowing from the success and the popularity of the program at the Calgary Stampede, BMO, in partnership with the Ontario Plowmen's Association, will launch BMO Kids' Day at the International Plowing Match on Saturday, September 21^st.

As part of the program, children 16 years and under arriving between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. will receive free admission to the grounds and will be treated to a free pancake breakfast.

BMO and the International Plowing Match

BMO has been a supporter of the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo since 2007. The sponsorship has since evolved into a five-year partnership, announced in 2011, whereby BMO will be a Presenting Partner from 2012 to 2016 inclusive. As part of the partnership, BMO introduced the inaugural Farm Family Awards in Ontario in 2012. Recognizing farm families is a further demonstration of BMO's commitment to agriculture. BMO also recognizes farm families in southern Alberta annually at the Calgary Stampede.

About BMO Bank of Montreal

BMO's roots in the Canadian agricultural sector date back to 1817, when it first began working with farmers. Today, BMO enjoys a well-founded reputation for providing customized loan and deposit solutions to Canada's agri-business owners, the single largest core commercial sector that the bank serves. BMO Bank of Montreal offers programs and products including a specialized farm-equipment line of credit, flexible farm mortgages, BMO's Agri ReadiLine and loans under the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act.