MINTO – By the time Dustin “Dusty” Connell was informed he had even been nominated for a Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Customer Spotlight Award, he had already been named Ontario’s recipient of the honour for 2023.
Connell, 32, operates a 300-acre beef cattle operation between Palmerston and Harriston, near the boundary with Howick Township.
The married father of three is a fourth-generation farmer in his family, and was told he was to receive the award in Ottawa by his FCC advisor, Lisa Neves, who nominated him.
“She said some very nice words. Honestly, it was all her that really got me involved with this,” said Connell of Neves.
“I was in the middle of cleaning out a barn, being smelly and all that. She showed up and walked right in the barn and told me. I couldn’t believe it; I didn’t even know I had been entered. It’s rare, she’s never had any customer win out of her office.”
The Customer Spotlight Award is presented to FCC-supported businesses “that have overcome significant challenges on their road to success, or have become industry game changers through trailblazing innovation,” according to online information.
After losing his father in his early 20s, Connell said he struggled with mental health while the family farm endured financial troubles, before once again becoming the strong enterprise it is today.
Connell was accompanied to the FCC-hosted Ottawa conference in mid-February by his wife, Megan, along with Neves.
The FCC selects one recipient from each province for its annual Customer Spotlight awards.
“I had a hard time sleeping the next couple nights,” said Connell after hearing the news. “It was very nice to have that opportunity.
“I was honoured and very humbled.”