Appreciating leaders in agri-food history

The Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame is now home to 224 individuals

By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer
Farms.com

The industry honoured five leaders for their contributions to Ontario agriculture yesterday.

The Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame (OAHF) Association inducted the individuals into its gallery during a celebration at Country Heritage Park in Milton.

• William Harvey Beaty: This founder and chairman of Cold Springs Farm Ltd. created thousands of jobs in Ontario and contributed to the “fields of product development, swine and poultry genetics, and production quality,” a February OAHF release said.
• Harvey John Graham: This farmer from the Durham Region “has spent much of his career supporting the beef industry on local, provincial and federal levels,” a Farms.com article stated after the induction announcement.
• Barry Hill: This producer grew Brant County’s first soybean crop in 1979 to address his community’s dietary needs, as “many First Nations people are lactose intolerant (and) thought soy milk was going to be a hit,” he told Farms.com in February.
• Gordon Clifford Leitch: As a general manager of the first elevator on Toronto’s waterfront, Leitch created a grain handling system to support the province’s farmers and allow Canada to become a world leader in agriculture, the OAHF release said.
• James J. Morrison: This farmer, who was also inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1962, helped to create many groups and organizations, including the United Farmers of Ontario, United Farmers’ Co-operative Company and the Ontario Chamber of Agriculture, this article stated.

During the ceremonies, the audience celebrated the leaders “and the impact they’ve had on the advancement of agriculture in the province,” Reg Cressman, secretary-treasurer of the OAHF Association, told Farms.com today.

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The Hall of Fame, which is now home to 224 inductees, allows the industry to acknowledge and preserve individuals’ contributions to Ontario agriculture throughout history.

“By recording their lasting legacies, we’re recognizing the tremendous impact that (these people) have had on food production in Ontario and beyond,” Cressman said. “Without their leadership and innovation, we certainly wouldn’t enjoy the quality of life that we do today.”

Members of the OAHF Association can nominate candidates for next year’s awards until October 31 this year. 

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