The Rural Voice, 2001-10, Page 62People
Willy and Clara Keller (first and second from right) received the FAB Award
from CKNX radio's Farm Advisory Board at the recent barbecue of the Perth
County Federation of Agriculture. Presenting the award were board members
Bill French and Victor Roland (left) and CKNX farm editor John Beardsley
(centre).
Clara, Willy Keller win 2001 FAB award
Two of Perth County's best-
known pork producers have been
named winners of the 2001 FAB
Award by the Farm Advisory Board
of CKNX Radio.
Clara and Willy Keller, who were
nominated for the award by the Perth
County Federation of Agriculture.
were presented with their plaque at
the Federation's annual barbecue at
the farm of president Burnell Kipfer
near Stratford.
The Kellers have been active both
at the local and provincial level.
Clara has worked with the Perth
County Federation of Agriculture.
the Farm Safety Association, the
Mitchell and District Credit Union
and as a municipal politician.
Willy has been active with both
the Perth County Pork Producers'
Association and the Ontario Pork
Marketing Board. He has also
worked with the Ontario Pork
Congress at Stratford as well as with
the Federation of Agriculture.
The Kellers were pioneers in
promoting the crossbreeding of York
and Landrace pig breeds to produce
brood sows, now and accepted
practice. They also opened their
farms to researchers from Ontario's
agricultural colleges for farm tours
and research trials.°
Trip 'down under' called amazing opportunity
A six-month trip to Australia and New Zealand as part of a Junior Farmer
Exchange was described as an "amazing opportunity" by Sue Selves of the Perth
County Junior Farmers.
"It was really awesome, but it's nice to be home." Selves told the Exeter
Times -Advocate.
She visited each country for three months including a stay on a "small" sheep
and cattle station in the Australian outback with 59,000 acres. All told, she stay-
ed with 32 different host families in visits ranging from one night to two weeks.
She found a changing farming industry. Many sheep farms are converting to
dairy, most with 200 cows. One Australian farm saw two people milking 550
cows in an hour and a half. Many dairy operations use a rotary milking parlour.
Cattle are pastured year-round with some silage fed in winter when pasture is
slow growing.°
Love of trains
spawns new book
by Hanover writer
John Hardy, who as a boy fell
in love with the trains that passed
through his Goderich-area farm,
has published his second book of
photographs and reminiscences
about the object of his affection.
Hardy, whose earlier self -
published book Rusty Rails, a
photographic record of branchline
railways in Midwestern Ontario
from 1961 to 1996, has now
produced Canadian Rail Travel,
which detailsl4 different train trips
he made over a variety of branch -
line and mainline routes from a
Prince Edward Island mixed freight
traversing Northumberland Strait
by ferry to a trip across the
Badlands of Alberta on a single rail
diesel car.
Highlight of the book is the
story of Hardy's three-week, coast-
to-coast trip in 1983. The journey
involved a trip from Montreal to
Vancouver aboard the famous
"Canadian", from Montreal to
Halifax on the "Ocean" and from
Victoria for Courtney B.C. on a
Rail Diesel Car.
Hardy started out photographing
trains and this book includes 200 of
his own photos, including 16 in full
colour.°
More ups than downs
for young rodeo
steer rider
A young Lucknow-area rider
topped the junior steer riding
standings on the Dodge Rodeo
Tour this summer.
"My goal was just to make it to
the top five," Luke Drennan told
the Lucknow Sentinel.
The 15 -year-old son of Alian
and Susan Drennan amassed
$2,000 in winnings against other 8-
15 -year-olds in the Ontario Rodeo
Association standings. He started
riding five years ago when he went
to a cowboy camp at Strathroy.0