In 2017, four industry icons will be inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame. Robert (Bob) Lang, Arthur Loughton, John (Jack) Riddell and John (Jack) Charles Steckley have all been selected by the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame Association as worthy candidates based on their life-long commitments to agriculture.
To qualify for this prestigious recognition, inductees must have demonstrated visionary leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the advancement of agriculture in Ontario.
“We are constantly impressed with the calibre of nominations we receive each year,” said Mary Lynn McPherson, President of the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame Association. “The four inductees for 2017 are indicative of this. They have all had a profound impact on the sectors of agriculture that they worked within and championed.”
Inductees for 2017 and their nominators include:
Robert (Bob) Lang, (1944 – ). Bob Lang is well recognized for the impact he has had in helping livestock farmers learn about programs and technologies that will improve their management skills, increase their efficiency and productivity. He has also travelled the globe speaking on genetic improvement and developing new markets for Canadian livestock. With a career spanning time at OMAFRA and Eastern Breeders Inc., Lang was also a key influencer in both the International Livestock Management School and Ontario Association of Animal Breeders. (Nominated by EastGen Incorporated.)
Arthur Loughton, (1931-2013) It’s not everyone that has a variety of cabbage named after them as recognition of their great contributions to the horticultural sector but the Loughton cabbage continues to be sold commercially to this day. Arthur Loughton was dedicated to horticultural crop research and investigating new technology that would benefit vegetable crop production in Ontario. As the long serving director of the Horticultural Research Station in Simcoe, Ontario, his research focused on a wide range of vegetable crops including seedless English cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage and broccoli. (Nominated by Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Ontario Institute of Agrologists, Stokes Seeds Ltd., Dr. Neil Miles and Byron Beeler.)
John (Jack) Riddell, (1931 – ) Known as a farmer, teacher, auctioneer, Member of Provincial Parliament and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Jack Riddell focused his many decades of service to the betterment of Ontario agriculture. While Minister of Agriculture, his innovative and long-term vision for agriculture led to the introduction of more than 30 new agriculture programs for farmers and his hands-on approach to the job gave him a deep understanding and appreciation of the agricultural sector. (Nominated by the Land Improvement Contractors of Ontario.)
John (Jack) Charles Steckley, (1887-1965). Anyone who has been part of the Junior Farmer Association of Ontario or who has attended Ridgetown College (now the Ridgetown campus of the University of Guelph) owes much of their experience to the leadership of Jack Steckley. Working as a Department of Agriculture employee more than a century ago, Steckley taught winter short courses each year for young farmers. Graduates then formed a group to continue the lessons that they had learned – now recognized as the first Junior Farmers club. Later, he championed the need for a Western Ontario Agricultural School in Ridgetown. It was the fulfillment of his long-time dream when the first class graduated in 1953. (Nominated by Junior Farmers’ Association of Ontario and the Westag Alumni Association.)
The 2017 induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 11, 2017 at Country Heritage Park in Milton. Details on how to purchase tickets are available on the Agricultural Hall of Fame’s website at www.oahf.on.c.
It is the mission of the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame Association to acknowledge, record, and preserve the contributions made by leaders to the growth and development of Ontario agriculture and agri-food industry. Currently 215 individuals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame gallery. The gallery is located in the Ontario AgriCentre, 100 Stone Road West, Guelph.
