Five farmers spanning almost 200 years of agriculture are the newest inductees into the Peterborough County Agricultural Wall of Fame.
The five farmers were inducted on Aug. 26 at the Agricultural Heritage Building at Lang Pioneer Village at Keene, 20 minutes southeast of Peterborough. This brings the total number of wall of famers to 23.
Here are the newest inductees:
Edgar Cornish
(1945–)
A purebred Hereford breeder in Otonabee township, Cornish once chaired a county committee that lobbied government officials to develop a risk management program for non-supply management commodities, and also participated in hearings for Farm Practice Act, Walkerton Inquiry, Nutrient Management Act and Clean Water Act. He’s been a 4-H beef club leader and held executive positions in the county organizations for the Beef Farmers of Ontario, Soil and Crop Improvement Association and Federation of Agriculture.
Isaac Garbutt
(1807-1899)
Garbutt moved from England to Canada in 1832 and purchased 50 acres in Smith Township in 1835. Forty years later, he owned 800 acres. He was president of the Peterborough Agricultural Exhibition in 1871-1872, judged plowing matches and promoted bulk seed buying with other farmers. In 1840, he was a founding member of the Line Church (Gilmour Memorial Baptist Church). He was also involved in politics, becoming reeve of the township and eventually appointed justice of the peace in 1850 and warden in 1874.
Clarence Glen
(1922-1979)
and Elizabeth
(Betty) Glenn
(1926-1999)
Clarence and Elizabeth established Glen Isle Farms Ltd. in 1956, which became internationally known for its Holstein genetics through shows and breeding stock sales. The farm received Master Breeder shields in 1978 and 1995. An innovator and early adapter of farm production technology, Clarence purchased a forage harvester for corn silage custom work and delivered hay and straw to customers. He also purchased the first bulk milk tank in Peterborough County to supply bagged milk street sales for Lifloc Dairy.
Julian Suurd
(1950-2015)
Suurd ran Suurd Agri Business, which sold fertilizers, sprayers and GPS equipment. The farm was a dairy operation for 30 years until the herd was sold in 2002 when Suurd’s son wanted to focus on crop farming. His farm was an early adopter of GPS, first using the technology on their fields 20 years ago. Suurd was a guest speaker at many meetings and clubs throughout North America on land use, better farm practices, and soil health.
