Awards & Accolades & Fun

2017

September

Grads Take Trek to Israel

Two year ‘69  Kemptville grads , Shirley (Beach) and Greg Foster were among the 26 people, mostly farm couples ,who travelled to look at the agricultural sector in Israel. They found there a so much to see and learn from the  people who have gone through so much in their centuries of existence. Greg is wearing his Kemptville vest  (front row ) and Shirley is behind him in red.

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August

One of our Oldest Graduates Receives Great Honour

Born on a farm in Peterborough, Ontario, witnessing the era of transition from horse to tractor, he left the farm to work in industry. He decided this was not his future. In the fall of 1950 he made his way to Kemptville and the Kemptville Agriculture School, graduating in the spring of 1952.

 

First working for International Harvester farm equipment then to DeLaval milking systems to finally becoming a insurance adjuster. In 1973 he became owner and president of Darling Insurance. Stepping down as president in 1997 handing over the reins to one of his sons.

 

Chair of hay west 2002. Chair of the International plowing match Keene, Ontario 2006. Now we see him inducted into the Peterborough County Wall of fame - August 27 2017. Congratulations to '52 grad Norm Blodgett, the MC for our 2017 Alumni Reunion.

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Nominated by fellow Kemptville grad Jim Glenn '70, find a picture of Jim and Norm together in the album at the bottom of this page.

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Norm – second on the left – with his family: Elizabeth, Peter  and Scott. 

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Wilkridge Farm becomes first in Eastern Ontario with GEA Monobox automated milking system

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Ken, a 81 Kemptville grad, and his wife Peggy Wilkes of Wilkridge Farm in Fournier say they are too young to quit farming. Ken is 54 and his wife is a year younger. Many of their friends have begun to retire but the Wilkes aren’t ready for that. Instead the opted to invest $2.3 million and construct a new state-of- the -art dairy barn. This will enable them to expand operations and increase yields.

 

With their former barn they didn’t have the space to milk more cows.” Unless we build, we can’t get more milk quota to grow,” said Ken

 

They decided to go with a GEA Monobox automated milking system because it requires the least amount of manpower and what they considered to be the best conditions for their cows. It is the first of its kind to be installed in Eastern Ontario.

 

The barn constructed and designed by Lawrence Dairy Supplies ( Mark McGrath ‘82 Kemptville grad) is 75 feet wide and 289 feet long.

There will be an Open Barn on Saturday Dec. 2nd , where you will be able to see the new facility.

 

Ken and Peggy purchased the dairy farm from Ken’s parents, Orville and Marie Wilkes in 1992 and have continued to expand and improve their farm. This is another success story of a Kemptville College grad!

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Photo in album at bottom of page.

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May

Three Alum Inducted into Glengarry Agricultural Wall of Fame

The Glengarry Agricultural  Hall of Fame inducted all Glengarry  Dairy Princesses from 1957 – 1992. Photo in album at bottom of page.

 

Isabel Blair Kinnear was a Dairy Princess in 1965 and 1966. She graduated from Kemptville in 1969. She then went to Ottawa Teacher’s College and  to the University of Ottawa for her Bachelor of Arts Degree.Isabel has enjoyed a teaching career and a farming career. Isabel lives with her husband Don in Pendleton ON.

 

Elma MacLeod Godden was a Dairy Princess in 1967 and she graduated from Kemptville in 1970. She enjoyed a 23 career with Nestles as a quality assurance tech, then as a microbiology technologist. She then worked at Exxonmobil in quality assurance. Elma married a classmate Charles Godden who passed away in 2012. Elma lives in Campbellford ON.

 

Nancy Vallance Mann was a Dairy Princess in 1969 and 1970 and she graduated from Kemptville in 1971. Nancy has worked as a Diabetic Educator, Director of Volunteer Services & Lifeline Program, Staff Educator at Home Depot and Certified License and Sales Trainer for Combined Insurance Canada. Nancy lives in Alliston ON.

 

All ladies are now retired from full-time careers and enjoy time with grandchildren, travelling and their community. They all continue to keep their strong Glengarry ties.

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April

Presentations of Master Breeder Shields

The presentation of Master Breeder Shields on April 8th honoured the Embrdale Farms home of the Stockdale Family, please find their story and more about their two time Master Breeder Shield winning herd on their webpage here. Embrdale Farm is located in Asphodel-Norwood, ON and is owned by David & Cathy Stockdale (both Kemptville grads) and their family. The Stockdales, along with their children Steven (Kelsey), Cameron (Emily), Brett (Erin) and Rebecca, who make up the fourth generation living and working on the family farm, received their second Master Breeder Shield. Find a gala photo below in the album.

March

Kemptville Grads Hold Barn Tours

The St. Lawrence Valley Jersey Club held a barn tour on Saturday March 25, 2017. Kevin & Marleen Elshof together with Kevin's parents Theo & Ria were the hosts at Therihof Jerseys in Berwick .The Elshofs build an addition on their existing freestall barn ( build in 2010) this past summer  for the heifers, dry cows and 3 calving pens and they added a calfbarn . This was all finished in October 2016.
Jersey friends & families came out to see the new addition and enjoyed a hot bowl of chili or pulled pork on a bun. Kevin is a 2008 graduate of Kemptville College!

 

After lunch all went to see the new freestall pack barn with GEA Double
Robot milker at Jamink Farm in St. Andrews West owned by Thomas & Julia Booyink and their children Felicity & Thijs. Pies, cake and squares with coffee or tea were enjoyed by all after the tour. Thomas is a 2002 graduate of Kemptville College.

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See pictures of Kevin, Thomas and their families in the album at the bottom of the page.

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February

Bob Lang to be inducted into Agriculture Hall of Fame

Below is an excerpt from an article written by Jennifer Jackson, please click here to read the full article about Bob's accomplishments at Farms.com. 

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"The Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame Association recognizes a vast array of leaders that have shaped the agriculture industry. This year, the association will induct four new leaders into the hall of fame – among them is Robert Lang, a teacher, leader and icon for not only Canada’s livestock producers, but also producers across the world.

 

Lang was a farm boy from eastern Ontario and studied agriculture at the former Kemptville College. After the completion of his program, Lang remained on campus working as a herdsman – here, he had his first experience in training other farmers. At a time when the Government was investing in training farm workers, Lang, at 19, was teaching skills in livestock handling and dairy management.

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When the opportunity arose to continue his education, Lang travelled to the University of Wisconsin to study dairy science.  ..."

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January

Mike Visser '02 presented with Premier’s Award for Agri- Food Innovation

(see a picture in the album at bottom of page)

Mike lives in Thunder Bay close by to fellow 2002 grads, Trudy Aalbers Reid , Jason Reid and Johan Hutsma.

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Mike's acceptance speech:

"Thank you to everyone for coming today, I'm honoured to receive this award and grateful that so many people could be here to celebrate it with me.

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Thank you to the Ministry of Agriculture for providing this opportunity and

recognizing the value that Ag related businesses bring to the Ontario economy.

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It has been quite a journey to get to where I am today. I would like to take a minute to share with you some things that brought me to where I am now.

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From a very young age I have always had a passion for agriculture, I did not

have the fortune of being raised on a farm, but always dreamed that one day I would have my own farm. Growing up I spent as much time as I could on my Grandparents dairy farm. I also became involved in the local 4-H club and spent countless hours training calves and travelling to 4-H shows across Mid-Western Ontario. After high school I attended Kemptville College and received a diploma in Agriculture. After graduation I worked on a number of different farms and for Ag related businesses. While this gave me a lot of experience and knowledge, I still had a longing to have my own farm.

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Just over 5 years ago, one of my good friends and mentors was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. I was asked to step in a help keep his farm running as smooth as possible while he underwent surgery and treatments. Working on the farm and walking along side his family during this was one of the most difficult things that I have ever done. But, it also showed me that the path I was on, was not going to lead me to where I wanted to go.

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So I began seeking out other ventures. I already have a number of good

friends here in Thunder Bay, and a general knowledge of the agriculture

community. After doing quite a bit more research it became clear that there

was a huge demand for locally produced products, the land was substantially

cheaper than southern ON, and there was nobody direct marketing veal. So, I

found a place to live, a farm to rent, a full time job and moved north to begin a new chapter!

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July 2012 I began raising calves and seeking out ways to market them,

including connections with local stores, restaurants, caterers and of course the Thunder Bay Country Market. After 3 years of growing calves and developing new avenues to market my product, I was able to purchase my own farm and go full time on my own, definitely a dream come true!! Right now I am raising about 120 calves and a connected with about 19 different restaurants and stores including The Silver Birch, Bistro One and The Red Head and the Chef.

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Looking back, I'm amazed at what I have accomplished in the last 4 1/2 years. But let me assure you this hasn't been an easy road. There has been numerous hurdles to overcome and situations where there was no option but to try to grin and bear it. Thanks to some great friends for a bunch of counselling sessions, tons of coffee and a few stiff drinks, I was able to persevere. Looking forward I'm excited to see how this venture is going to continue to grow.

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Of course, none of this would have been possible without the phenomenal

support from the local agricultural community, market community and churchcommunity. I am truly grateful, thanks again!!"

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Holstein Canada Announces the 2016 Master Breeders

"Brantford, Ont. – The announcement of the Master Breeder recipients has become an annual tradition at Holstein Canada, and this year is certainly no exception. Holstein Canada is pleased to announce the 20 Master Breeders who will be honoured at the 2017 National Holstein Convention Master Breeder Banquet in York Region, Ontario on Saturday, April 8, 2017."

 

Among the 2016 recipients are grads David and Cathy Stockdale of Embrdale Farm, the KC Alumni congratulate Embrdale on their 2nd Master Breeder Shield.