The Rural Voice, 2005-08, Page 61People in Agriculture
Cohoe given Industry Leadership Award
One of the hallmarks of a leader is
recognizing a challenge or problem,
then deciding to take action, only
because it needs to be done. It's the
kind of leadership the Ontario Pork
Congress acknowledged when it
bestowed upon Dan Cohoe, the 2005
Industry Leadership Award. The
award presentation was made during
the Congress's Kick-off Gala, June
18 in Stratford.
The award is based on
contributions to the industry,
achievements and involvement in the
community. And Cohoe's list of
contributions to Ontario's pork
industry is considerable. After
graduating from the Ivey School of
Business at the University of Western
Ontario in 1970, he embarked on a
career that took him from a
partnership in a hog production unit
in 1978 to a stint with the Purina
Company in 1992. Cohoe also served
as an Ontario Pork councillor for
Oxford County. When he joined
Purina, he began working to bridge
the enormous gap that existed then
between the production side of the
industry and the packers. He
continued that work, moving to
Quality Meat Packers in 1994, where
he's worked full time in the hog
procurement department.
Cohoe's determination to create a
level of understanding between the
two sides of the industry cannot be
underrated. When he began his job
with Purina, he says for the most
part, each side was unaware of the
issues facing the other. "We needed
something to get everyone at the
same table to work together and see
themselves as part of a single
industry," he explains. In 1998, he
joined the Ontario Pork Industry
Council, in an effort to further that
vision.
As a resident of the Burgessville,
Ontario district, Cohoe is active
within the Norwich United Church
community. He's also an avid
McPhail named Ontario's Greatest
Woman in Canada Day ceremony
Agnes McPhail, who became the
first woman ever elected to the House
of Commons when she won the
Bruce -Grey riding in 1921, was
named Ontario's Greatest Woman at
Canada Day celebrations in Toronto.
Among the others on the list of
top 10 greatest women were Huron
County author Alice Munro,
Adelaide Hunter Hoodless, founder
of the Women's Institute movement
and Laura Secord, heroine of the
War of 1812.
"I think we all agree that any of
these women is deserving of the
'great' title," said Marilyn Churley,
MPP for Toronto Danforth in making
the announcement. Over 80 women
were nominated for the search for
Ontario's Greatest Woman which
Churley orchestrated in response to
her frustration that no women were
included in the top 10 list during the
recent CBC televised search for the
Greatest Canadian.
Born in Proton Township on
March 24, 1890, McPhail was active
in the co-operative movement and the
United Farmers of Ontario. She
represented the Progressive Party,
with which the UFO was affiliated in
becoming the only woman elected to
Parliament in 1921, the first election
in which women were eligible to vote
and run for office.
She served until defeated in 1940,
then was elected to the Ontario
legislature in 1943, becoming one of
the first two women elected there.
She lost her seat in 1945 but was
again elected from 1948-51. During
the years she sat as an independent
and as a member of the Co-operative
Commonwealth Federation (CCF)
though she distrusted partisanship
and did not acknowledge party
affiliation.
She was also the first woman
appointed member of a Canadian
delegation to the League of Nations,
where she insisted on serving on the
disarmament committee. She was a
friend of another woman pioneer
from Grey -Bruce, Nelly McClung.0
collector of vintage or antique
computers, and has one of the largest
collections in Ontario. Most of the
mainframes he has date back to the
1960s and '70s.
Each year, the Ontario Pork
Congress celebrates the level of
excellence afforded by the pork
industry in this province. This annual
showcase recognizes the vital
contribution made by producers and
those involved in pork production.
The Ontario pork industry is worth
an estimated $6.1 billion in direct
sales, along with indirect economic
impacts, accounting for more than
35,000 jobs created through the
dedication and work of the 3,600
producers, their dealers and
affiliates.0
OntarBio Co-op
members elect
executive
Stewart Slater of Lakeside, Ted
Zettel of Chepstow and Paul
DeJong of Dundalk were elected to
the six -person board of directors of
the OntarBio Organic farmers
Co-op at the group's annual
meeting.
Slater, an organic dairy
producer, was later elected to the
executive of the Co-op. Elected
president of the group was Pieter
Biemond, an organic milk
producer from Iroquois in eastern
Ontario while Paul Campbell, a
cashcrop farmer from Forest was
named treasurer. The other member
of the board is Francis Groenwegen
of Kingston. There were 11 people
standing for the six positions.
The grain division of the co-op
is targeting 1,500 tonnes of grain to
be delivered this year and is
seeking a manager for its
marketing. The Organic Meadow
dairy division is now selling 55
products with 18 new projects on
the go and another 10 expected by
this time next year. The company
owns no bricks and mortar but
contracts 10 processing partners.0