News release
Fruit & vegetable growers honour Bill George with Industry Award of Merit
For immediate release
Guelph ON, 18 February 2026 – Long-time agricultural leader and Niagara grape grower Bill George Jr. has been named the 2026 recipient of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) Industry Award of Merit, recognizing his decades of leadership and service to Ontario’s fruit, vegetable, and wine sectors. He was presented with the award at the organization’s annual banquet in Niagara Falls on February 17.
Over the course of his farming career, George has held numerous senior leadership roles across the sector, including chair of OFVGA from 2019 to 2022 and chair of the Grape Growers of Ontario from 2007 to 2016.
“Bill George has been a leader in Ontario’s edible horticulture sector for more than three decades, expertly serving growers in many different capacities with thoughtful, proactive leadership,” says OFVGA Chair Shawn Brenn. “As chair of the OFVGA during the COVID-19 pandemic, he led us through one the most challenging periods facing our industry in recent memory and provided tireless advocacy for the needs of our sector to government of all levels, media and the broader community.”
Currently, George chairs the Labour Issues Coordinating Committee, is a member of the Farm Products Marketing Commission and sits on the board of Workplace Safety and Prevention Services. Following his retirement from the OFVGA board in 2022, he returned to the organization shortly thereafter as an ex-officio to take on the role of chair of Labour Committee.
“Labour without a doubt is one of the most critical pillars of Ontario’s fruit and vegetable sector and Bill continues to lend his leadership and expertise to this file provincially, nationally and even internationally, ensuring the voice of growers is part of policy discussions on labour issues,” adds Brenn. “He’s a strong and well-respected advocate for our sector and we appreciate his ongoing willingness to represent growers – he truly is a deserving winner of this award.”
George’s past service also includes roles with the Vintners Quality Alliance, the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival and Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada.
In addition to his advocacy work, he remains actively involved in farming as president and owner of George II Farms, where he and his wife, Lesliann, grow 160 acres of wine grapes and harvest and process icewine juice on a farm that has been in the family since 1796. In 2001, he was named Grape King, an honour recognizing excellence in vineyard management and industry knowledge. He is a graduate of the University of Guelph with a diploma in horticulture.
The Industry Award of Merit is presented annually by the OFVGA to an individual or organization that has made outstanding contributions to Ontario’s fruit and vegetable sector in strategic leadership, technical input or innovation, and/or dedication to the industry.
Recent award winners include George Gilvesy (2025), Don Brubacher (2024), Brian Gilroy (2023), Ontario Food Terminal (2020) and Ken Linington (2019). The award was not handed out in 2021 or 2022.
The OFVGA is the voice of Ontario’s 3,500 fruit and vegetable farmers on issues affecting the horticulture sector. The sector grows produce in fields and greenhouses across the province for fresh and processed consumption. Visit www.ofvga.org, or follow @OntFruitVeg on Twitter or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ofvga.
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For more information:
Alison Robertson, Executive Director, 519-827-5716 or arobertson@ofvga.org
Photo caption: From L-R, OFVGA Executive Director Alison Robertson, OFVGA Chair Shawn Brenn, Bill George.