The Rural Voice, 1999-09, Page 94People
Snobelen family buys Can Agra's alfalfa
dehydration plant at Energy Centre
A Bruce County family company
has come to the rescue of alfalfa
producers in the region by purchasing
the Canadian Agra dehydration plant
at the Bruce Energy Centre.
Mike Snobelen of Snobelen Farms,
Ripley, announced the purchase of the
plant which had been in receivership.
The plant will be operated as Snobelen
Dehy Inc. with Sam Snobelen of
Tiverton as general manager. Jeff
Gatke, who was sales manager with
Purina Canada, will be head of sales
for the new company. Al MacRae will
continue as plant manager while
Clarence Ackert will continue to be in
charge of procurement and long-term
contracts.
The plant had been developed by
Helmut Sieber as part of his far-flung
Ontario operation that centred on the
Bruce Energy Centre and included a
warehouse in Goderich, 5,000 acres of
black muck soil in the Thedford area, a
tomato processing plant and more.
Sieber also operated an oilseed -
crushing plant near Ste. Agathe,
Manitoba and another in Sexsmith,
Alberta. The company had
overextended and was placed in
receivership by the Bank of Nova
Scotia.
The Bruce plant created alfalfa
pellets for customers around the world,
many of them horse owners interested
in high quality feed.
Mike Snobelen said the plant "fits
quite nicely into our current practice of
producing top-quality products that fit
mass and niche markets throughout
North America and around the world."
Snobelen Farms produces various
types of seed and specialty grains and
markets them mainly in North
America and Europe.
The plant will produce pure alfalfa
cubes, alfalfa -timothy and alfamaize
— a mixture of alfalfa and chopped
corn.
"We are looking forward to
establishing long-term relationships
with both alfalfa growers within the
area and with many clients used to the
high quality products this world-class
plant can produce," Sam Snobelen
said.0
Douglases honoured again
Ron and Sharon Douglas of
Clifford were honoured again for their
contribution to the pork industry at the
Ontario Pork Congress in Stratford.
The couple was presented with the
Industry Leadership Award for their
dedication and commitment to the
pork industry in the province.
Earlier this year the Douglases were
among the winners of the "Friends of
OFAC" award from the Ontario Farm
Animal Council.
The couple has been involved in
efforts by the Ontario Pork Producers
Marketing Board to help the public
learn more about pork production. In
1987 they spearheaded setting up a
booth at the Royal Winter Fair and
have since widened their efforts with
displays at the Canadian National
Exhibition and the Western Fair.
Also at the Pork congress, Bryan
Mills of Puslinch took home the Grand
Champion Barrow, Champion Senior
Showman and the Lyle Heldman
Award at the Junior Barrow Show.
Rob Nyenhuis of Sebringville was
Grand Champion Showman and Light
Cross Bred Champion. Ian Matheson
of Embro won the Champion Junior
Showman and Kaitlan Smith from
Iona Station picked up the Champion
Novice Showman. In the Heavy Cross
Bred Champion class, Melanie Mills
of Puslinch was the winner.
Dublin's Tony deKroon won the
Landrace Champion while Darrin
Mueller of Elmira took home both the
Hampshire-Duroc and Yorkshire
Champion awards.
Ontario Swine Improvement
Showmanship Scholarships went to
Ryan Peters and Menno Peters of
Embro and Matthew Zwambag of
Glencoe.
Fred Groenestege Construction of
Sebringville won the Most Effective
Exhibit Award for his indoor display.0
Alex Connell
killed in farm
accident
Weeks after he was named
first vice-president of the
Canadian Seed Growers
Association, Alex Connell of
R.R.3. Palmerston was killed in a
farming accident July 26.
Connell, 60, who had been
honoured with a life membership
in the Ontario Institute of Agrol-
ogists this past spripg, was
apparently trapped in a grain bin
while removing a load of grain
with a suction pump. He had sent
an employee home about 9 p.m.,
saying they would complete the
job in the morning but apparently
re-entered the bin. He was dis-
covered missing about 10 p.m. by
a neighbour. Neighbours and
family members found Connell
buried in the grain.
Alex Connell, along with his
brother Jim, owned Connell
Farm Inc., a 1700 -acre, fourth
generation farm with 800 acres
devoted to the production of
pedigree seeds. They also
finished 800 feeder cattle a year.
In 1996 he received the
Robertson Associate Award, the
top award of the Canadian Seed
Growers Association, in recog-
nition of his many years success-
fully producing pedigree crops
and for his leadership to the seed
industry and the agricultural
community. His farther James
Peden Connell had received the
same award.
Alex Connell had been a
board member of the Ontario
Seed Growers Association since
1987 and served as president of
the group. At the time of his
death he was a director of the
Ontario Agricultural Hall of
Fame Association.
Alex Connell is survived by
his wide Mary Anne, a son Dale
at home, and a daughter Heather
Connell of Fergus as well as his
brother, nephews and nieces.0
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