Four OAC alumni will be inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame this year: Stan Eby, Herbert Norry, Dr. Peter Sikkema and the late Doug Williams.
A virtual induction ceremony will take place on June 13, 2021.
Stan Eby, ADA ’64, is a beef farmer from Kincardine who led both the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). During his tenure, the industry went through two significant upheavals including the Walkerton water crisis and BSE. During Walkerton, Eby, as both a local farmer and industry leader, conducted hundreds of meetings and interviews about the environmental sustainability of the beef industry. With borders closed to Canadian product because of BSE, Eby’s leadership helped CCA develop a plan to reposition the Canadian beef cattle industry which included expansion of processing facilities, development of set aside programs and other work to provide stability to the industry.
Herbert Norry, BSA ’52 and M.Sc. ’66, was a widely-known agricultural extension specialist and a catalyst for agricultural innovation. He helped to establish 4-H clubs and was a charter member of the Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario. Herb had a 32-year career with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. He was a key organizer and presenter at annual farm tax and business seminars; established an advisory review committee for an initiative designed to reduce the amount of phosphorous going from farmland into the Great Lakes basin and helped to develop a course for farm women on accounting, tax filing, insurance and record keeping.
Dr. Peter Sikkema, BSAg ’81 and M.Sc. ’83, has made outstanding contributions to Ontario agriculture as a researcher, teacher and extension agronomist at the University of Guelph. His research on weed management has impacted many of Ontario’s field crops including corn, soybeans, cereals and edible beans. He is a world leader in the field of surveillance and management of glyphosate and multiple resistant weeds. Through his work, he has made a major impact on the sustainability of crop production in Ontario, Canada, North America and around the globe. Sikkema was nominated by Dr. Nader Soltani of the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus.
Doug Williams, ADA ’41 and BSA ’49, was raised on a fruit and vegetable farm in Ottawa South. He was the Chief Inspector of Farm Products and Director of the Inspection Branch with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Williams chaired the Ontario Food Council which, under his leadership, developed and expanded international markets for Ontario produce. His work to develop a “Festival of Food” at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair was the catalyst for the birth of Foodland Ontario. His slogan “Good things grow in Ontario” was copyrighted in 1979 and is still being used to market Ontario fruit and vegetables.
Full details are posted on the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame website. [1]