The Rural Voice, 1998-04, Page 78People
Bob Down Corn Producers' President
Bob Down of Hensall was re-
elected to his third term as
president of the Ontario Com
Producers Association when the
corn producers held their annual
meeting in London in March.
"It's been a very busy year and
the outlook for the next 12 months
indicates the pace of change and
challenges facing the Ontario corn
industry will not diminish," Down
predicted.
Down and his wife Pat have a
beef, hog and cash crop farm in
Usbome Township. Both are
active in the agricultural
community with Pat currently
serving as vice-president of the
Huron County Federation of
Agriculture and Bob previously
serving as a regional director. He
Bob Down — third tern: as president
was also a past president of
United Co-operatives of Ontario.0
Top swine breeder Warren Stein dies
Warren Stein — Thames
Bend president dies
Ontario's swine industry lost one of its most
prominent members when Warren Stein, president
of Thames Bend Farms Ltd. of Tavistock, died
March 7.
Warren and his brother Richard had taken over
the family farm after their father died suddenly in
1960 when Warren was 17 and Richard was 12.
Over the years they changed it from a mixed farm to
purebred breeding herd and created one of the most
respected genetics firms in the world with
multiplication herds across Canada and the U.S. The
company had many large customers in the industry.
Stein was also a director of the National Swine
Improvement Federation of America and the
recipient of numerous swine industry awards.
Warren Stein is survived by his wife, Rosemary
(Ropp) Stein, daughters Karen Stein of Tavistock and Kristine Ankenman of
Shakespeare, mother Olive Stein of Woodstock, sister Joyce Jones of Vancouver
and his brother Richard of Woodstock.
As a tribute to Stein, the Canadian Swine Breeders Association has announced
the establishment of a Warren Stein Memorial Fund for Swine Genetics
Research. Contributions may be made through Ontario Pork.O
Tricia Reid retires from Dufferin OMAFRA
Tricia Reid, the Rural Community Advisor working with Dufferin County
clients of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs since 1970, has
taken the opportunity to retire.
Reid had brought expertise in leadership and organizational development to
rural groups such as the Dufferin 4-H Association, the Agricultural and
Horticultural Societies and the commodity organizations.
Her knowledge of the rural communities in Dufferin, and experience working
with groups, made her a valuable contact for local groups interested in
community economic development.0
Hepworth's Bob
Carson hired by
Cattlemen's Assoc.
The Ontario Cattlemen's
Association has hired Bob Carson of
Hepworth as Market
Communications Officer.
"Bob will be responsible for
gathering price information front
auction market operators, beef
packers, cattle dealers, livestock
transporters, cattle feeders,
backgroundcrs, and cow/calf
operators to assess and establish<
current prices and trends for all
classes of cattle," said Linda Barker;
outgoing president of OCA.
"Unlike the swine and poultry
industries where each producer has
homogeneous product, the beef
marketing system has to handle a ".
large range of animal maturities, <`
production techniques, weights,
dressing percentages and carcass
yields," Carson says. "With some ofz
the new technologies on the horizon;,.;:
the marketing system will be able to
recognize individual animals and {;
accurately report to the producer on
the good and bad points which
determine the relative values of
individual animals."
Carson has been involved in the
production of beef cattle since
completing his BSc in Agriculture at
the University of Guelph in 1969. He
completed his MBA in 1981 at
McMaster University and currently
maintains a cow herd of 60 on his
farm near Hepworth.
He has served as a director to the
Ontario Beef Cattle Financial
Protection Plan, the Ontario
• Livestock Auction Markets
Association and the Grey County
Cattlemen's Association. For the past
three years Carson has worked as a
field service representative for Beef
Improvement Ontario and for the
• past 12 years has been the treasurer
of the Grey -Bruce Livestock Co-
• operative in Wiarton. He has also
written computer programs to assist
sates management for the Northern
Cattle Sales Network.°