Investing in Agriculture: The McCracken Family

Upon arriving at the McCracken family home in Scotland, Ontario, we are greeted by their standard schnauzer named Fritz. Friendly, regal and a big part of the family; little did we know how Fritz would play a part in our story.

Ron and Doreen McCracken both grew up on farms, and still feel at home in the country today. Their current residence, built in 1993, has some 48 acres. A neighbour farms a portion of the land with the remaining set aside for hobby farming, their garden and a place for Fritz to roam. Ron has kept bees, raised geese and ducks, and even guinea hens, but today he enjoys retirement after a long and interesting career.

Ron’s grandfather’s farm was located just outside Cobourg, Ontario. It was a general farm, with cash crops, cows and chickens. His father inherited it debt free and worked it for many years with Ron working the land beside him.  By 1964, at the age of nineteen, Ron knew he had no desire to stay in farming and pursued an advertising career in Toronto, which he continued until the age of 39. After almost 20 years, he realized the pace and demands of his job were taking a toll on his health and decided to switch gears buying a Home Hardware store in Brantford in 1985.

Doreen grew up in Lynden on her Grandfather’s farm and believes “the country never leaves you.” She has always had a vegetable garden, still preserves her harvest and fruit, and is an avid baker who makes fantastic peanut butter cookies. Meeting Ron through a mutual friend, they lived in Oakville through the early 80s until they moved to Brantford where she continued to practise nursing and raised their three children.

When Ron’s mother passed away he inherited $200,000 from the sale of the family farm. He knew he wanted to donate the money and to give back to agriculture. The problem was how?

One day when Ron took Fritz to the vet for his routine check up he sparked up a conversation about his dilemma. His vet didn’t hesitate, telling Ron to donate to the Ontario Agriculture College because that’s where “he’d get the best bang for his buck.”

Neither Doreen, Ron or their kids attended the University of Guelph, but based on advice from their trusted vet they called the Ontario Agricultural College.

The McCracken family’s transformational gift of $200,000 was matched by the provincial government, creating a bursary worth close to $500,000. Today, it supports six entering students with financial need annually.

“I wanted to give students a leg up and give back to agriculture. The public never thinks about how much we need farmers, seed development…the bees,” shared Ron. “We need to appreciate and value farmers, and help young people pursue careers in agriculture.” When asked about the gift Doreen answered, “I am proud of Ron for thinking of it. I have always totally believed in its purpose and happy it’s a success. We’ve made other donations which failed to meet our expectations. With the bursary we get to see first-hand the impact it’s having.”

As soon as we began talking about the bursary, Ron proudly shared his thank-you cards from students. Last year Ron and Doreen had lunch with five of the recipients, learning about their backgrounds and academic goals. One student’s family farm is mere miles from the original McCracken farm. Ron is already discussing next year’s lunch, where again he and Doreen will witness the difference their gift is making.

“Supporting education is critical. No agriculture means no food. We need new ideas, new inventions,” explained Rob on his choice to give back to agriculture through the University. “The University of Guelph is the only resource in the province. The only place that graduates the vets and agricultural experts we need.”

Shortly after our visit and on his 13th birthday, Fritz unfortunately passed away. But before we left that day we wanted to take a picture on the porch and Fritz decided to follow us outside. He poses proudly with his family at the front door, as if taking credit for setting his humans on this amazing path of generosity. He will forever be a part of the legacy established at the University of Guelph by the McCracken family.