The Rural Voice, 2019-06, Page 50Three men were honoured as
the new inductees into the
Stratford Perth Museum
Agriculture Wall of Fame
on April 19. It’s the sixth year for the
Agriculture Wall of Fame which
recognizes contributions to
agriculture in Perth County.
The three farmers honoured were:
Lorne Fell
Lorne grew up on the family farm
in Hibbert Township where he
attended one-room school and then
Mitchell District High School. He
left school early to manage the
family farm.
Fell’s passion for agriculture
began in 1947 when he joined the
Mitchell Boys and Girls Grain Club.
Each member received two bushels
of registered seed. Lorne’s crop
received second place at the Mitchell
Fall Fair which qualified him to show
at the Royal Agriculture Fair (RAF)
in Toronto where he also won a
second.
This was the beginning of a very
successful seed growing business
known as Rosebank Seed Farm.
In 1962, Fell married Helen who
became an active member of the
business.
Rosebank became a prominent
name in the seed business and a
regular exhibitor at the RAF. In
1982, Fell won the world
championship for soybeans. Twenty-
two more world championships were
to follow including some for oats and
for white beans.
Lorne Fell died in 2018.
Ken Scheerer
Born in 1932, Scheerer was raised
on the family farm in North
Easthope. He graduated from
Brocksden school at 14 and started
farming. Scheerer married Marlene
in 1954 and together they raised five
children and built a successful dairy
farm. They faced hardship in 1968
when the dairy barn burned down.
Farming was Scheerer’s chosen
career but he also enjoyed teaching
Sunday School and was a dedicated
church volunteer. He served as
treasurer for the church, was a 4-H
leader and a school trustee. He also
sat on the Stratford Agriculture
Society board and served as
president, then managed the society
for five years.
His involvement with the Perth
Milk Committee included dairy
education coordinator and the launch
of the Coliseum program for all
Grade 5 Perth County students. That
program still exists today.
Scheerer was also a member of
the Stratford Rotary Club, seeing the
importance of being a bridge
between rural and urban members.
Scheerer died in 2004.
Paul Verkley
Verkley operated a 200-head dairy
farm in partnership with three
brothers in the Elma ward of North
Perth.
He was active in agriculture
organizations both at the county and
provincial level and developed an
ability to provide meaningful
contributions in a number of diverse
areas ranging from organizational
restructuring to environmental farm
46 The Rural Voice
People
Honoured for contributions to agriculture
Three exceptional farmers are inducted into the
Stratford Perth Museum Agriculture Hall of Fame
Lorne Fell Ken Scheerer Paul Verkley