Mooretown, Ontario, August 8, 2005 – The St. Clair River Trail is benefiting from the Farm Credit Canada (FCC) AgriSpirit Fund with a donation of $8,000.

The FCC AgriSpirit Fund is assisting the St. Clair River Trail to expand a safe, on and off road multi-use trail for the residents and visitors of St. Clair Township. The trail will travel the length of the St. Clair River and is a combination of rural and urban sections designed for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy.

“We have 100 offices in Canada.  It is great to be able to help communities in which our staff and customers live and work,” says Gary Paling, District Manager for Essex, Kent and Lambton Counties. “Our staff are very proud to be a part of these important initiatives.  It’s this spirit and passion that makes Ontario a great place to live.”

“We are very excited and pleased to receive this donation to further Trail development and promote a healthy lifestyle,” says Mary Jane Marsh, Chair of the St. Clair River Trail.

From the 489 applications received this past winter, FCC selected 38 projects from across Canada.

In November 2004, FCC announced the AgriSpirit Fund. This Fund awarded $400,000 towards capital projects for rural communities with populations under 100,000. These projects will receive between $5,000 to $25,000 to create or enhance facilities in their community. A significant amount of time and consideration went into each evaluation including how the project would make a difference in the community.

The FCC AgriSpirit Fund will continue for a second year. Details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process will be posted this fall through the FCC website at www.fcc-fac.ca.

Operating out of 100 offices located primarily in rural Canada, FCC employees are passionate about the business of agriculture. FCC's healthy portfolio of more than $11 billion and 12 consecutive years of portfolio growth are a reflection of our customers' success.

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For more information, please contact:

Gary Paling
Farm Credit Canada
District Manager
(519) 380-8812

Nadine Hakim
Farm Credit Canada (Bilingual)
Corporate Communications
(306) 780-8572