Guelph- Four men and one woman will be added to the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame at a ceremony at Milton this spring.
They are Marie Pick, John Maaskant, Kenneth Porteous, Wilfred Schneller and Peter Twynstra.
Marie Elizabeth Pick, (1913 to 1986). After immigrating to Canada from Czechoslovakia in 1938, Marie and her husband Otto established Otto Pick Agricultural Service in 1947 to promote advanced pasturing systems based on seed mixtures of varying legumes and grasses. When Otto died in 1959, Marie took over with her sons, Tom and Martin and the company expanded across Canada and into the United States.
John Maaskant, (1948 - ). John Maaskant began his farming career at the age of 16 and since then, has been extensively involved in many agricultural organizations, known for his strategic leadership and consensus building skills. He served as chair of Chicken Farmers of Ontario (1992 to 1995), the Ontario Farm Animal Council (2003 to 2011) and later Farm & Food Care Ontario (2012 to 2016). As co-chair of the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition, John helped launch the Environmental Farm Plan program.
Kenneth Porteous, (1936 - ) Ken Porteous has been at the front lines of Ontario agriculture since the early 1970s. He started his farming career on Lingwood Farms, becoming an elite dairy breeder who sold bulls as far away as Cuba and Africa. When he sold his herd in 1973, he expanded expanded his orchard and today, Lingwood Farms has grown to 865 acres which Ken farms in partnership with his son, son-in-law and grandson. Ken was a co-founder of the Norfolk Cherry Company and Norfolk Growers, was president of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, vice chair of the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers Marketing Board and president of the Canadian Horticulture Council (CHC). Under his leadership, the CHC developed the Canada Gap program which is internationally recognized and used as a model in other countries.
Wilfred John Schneller (1902-1987) Wilf Schneller owned Spruce Grove Farm at Baden, recognized for its excellent herd of high producing Ayrshires. But it was his drive to learn about new practices, test them with extension and academic partners and then to inspire other farmers to adopt new technology and management solutions which set him apart as a key agricultural leader of his time. As a devoted conservationist, he began to implement new soil and water conservation methods on his farm to inhibit soil erosion. Through farm tours, demonstration plots and presentations, he showed others how to employ these practices. He became president of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association in 1954 and in 1959 was made an Honourary Member of the Soil Conservation Society of America. He planted more than 56 varieties of trees on his own farm and helped to develop an Arboretum near New Hamburg which opened in 1964.
Peter Twynstra (1939 - ) Peter Twybstra is widely recognized as an agricultural innovator, a proven marketer and for his leadership in a number of agriculture and commodity organizations. He purchased his father’s farm in 1962, incorporating it in 1967 as Twilight Acre Farms. A key part of his business was the production of edible beans. In 1978, he founded The Great Canadian Bean Company. The business grew to provide markets for more than 400 contract growers across Canada and the USA. Later, Peter travelled to many parts of the globe, developing diversified markets for edible beans. He was a director and president of the Ontario Bean Dealers Association and a director and founding member of Pulse Canada. He also served other organizations including the Ontario Farm Safety Board and as chair of the 2002 International Plowing Match in Middlesex County.
