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The Rural Voice, 1997-11, Page 54People Bruce woman wins Ontario Queen of Furrow competition You might say there were two winners when Bruce County's Queen of the Furrow, Cheryl Hammell repeated her victory at the International Plowing Match in Simcoe County in September. As well as being the Bruce Queen of the Furrow, you see, she had also won the Miss Ontario Midwest competition in Walkerton in July. She'll be much too busy as Ontario Queen of the Furrow to carry the second title so she relinquished that crown to runner up Kathy Goodhue. She officially handed over her title to Goodhue at the Ripley -Huron Fall Fair in late September. Goodhue is the 19 -year-old daughter of Joe and Bev Fry, R.R.1, Ripley, and attends Conestoga College in Kitchener in the registered nursing program. Hammell is a student of radio and broadcasting at Fanshawe College in London. She won her Queen of the Furrow crown over 32 other contestants. "I really enjoyed the week," she told the Walkerton Herald -Times. Judging was based on a three- minute interview with the judges, worth 200 points; a two -to -five- minute speech on agriculture worth another 200 points; plowing ability, judged out of 100 points, and appearance and deportment, worth another 200 points. As Ontario Queen of the Furrow Hammell will be travelling the province to represent the Ontario Plowmen's Association. To help out, she received a new car to use for the next year. Her year will end when she reigns over next year's IPM in Frontenac County, in eastern Ontario.° Prominent swine breeders part of new AI supplier Several western Ontario swine breeders have joined forces to form a new Artificial Insemination service called National Swine Genetics Inc. Bob Matheson, Allan Faris, Tim Small, John Gough and Joe Kolkman were already partners in Swine Genetics Ontario Inc., a breeding stock company. They announced in September they would build a new AI unit in the Strathroy area. It is scheduled to open its doors by December 1 and will offer purebred and commercial semen as well as other swine AI services. The partners plan to encourage and promote the supply of top quality boars for AI from a variety of sources. "Our goal is to provide an industry-leading product combined with superior customer -oriented service," said Mike Day, General Manager of Swine Genetics Ontario Inc. 0 Perth companies build Hamilton elevators A trio of Perth County companies "I have a long working relationship are currently building the largest, all- with both Milverton Millwrights and commodity elevator facility in the R. J. Burnside and Associates," said Hamilton area. Stephen Cooper, president of Tacoma Tacoma Cooper Structural Cooper Structural Engineers Inc. R. J. Engineers, which has been in Stratford Burnside and Associates is located in for five years and specializes in Stratford. Milverton Millwrights designing industrial and agricultural operates from Milverton. structures such as silos, grain towers The elevator, to be completed in and liquid storage tanks, is lead mid-1998, will serve local producers company in the project for James and customers as well as a large Richardson International Limited. world-wide market.° Oxford livestock painter named to Agriculture Hall of Fame An Oxford County man famous for his paintings of animal breeds is one of two people who will be inducted to the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame at the Royal Winter Fair on Sunday, November 9. The late Ross Butler was, during his lifetime, recognized as the pre- eminent authority on farm animal portraits and was instrumental in creating the first true -type pictures and models of both Holstein and Jersey breeds of dairy cattle as well as for the American Percheron Horse Assoc. In later years he painted and sculpted a broad range of animal and bird models in addition to publishing a History of Breeds book and being active in Oxford County agricultural organizations. Also named to the Hall is William (Bill) James Small of Craven, Sask., a livestock breeder, judge and prominent agriculturalist and community leader. He was a charter director of the Canadian Western Agribition Assoc. as well as a past president of the Canadian Simmental Assoc. He was instrumental in organizing the Canadian Farm Progress Show. There are now 200 prominent agriculturalists in the Hall.° Top pumpkins grown in southern Huron Maybe it's the southern (Huron) air but two of the top pumpkins at the Port Elgin Pumpkinfest came from the Hensall-Kippen area. Grant McGregor of Hensall grew the second biggest pumpkin, weighing 785.5 pounds while Matt Klaver of Kippen was third at 772 pounds. Another Kippen grower, Steven McGregor placed in the top 10.0