A familiar face is the first inductee to appear on the Ontario Forage Council wall of fame.
Ray Robertson, the OFC’s recently-retired manager, garnered the honour at a ceremony on March 10 at the GrandWay Events Centre in Elora.
“The wall of fame celebrates the individuals whose dedication, leadership, and vision have shaped the growth and impact of the organization,” said the OFC website. “These honourees represent the passion and commitment that have advanced forage production, strengthened Ontario’s agricultural community, and supported the success of producers across the province.”
OFC member Chris Martin presented the award. Martin recalled seeking insight from Robertson — insight that eventually helped him build a career as a hay producer, exporter/marketer, as well as an entrepreneur running the Chinook Hay Dryer company. He said the legacy of Robertson, who also served several years as the chair of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association, is to give farmers across the country confidence that hay production can be a viable path.
WHY IT MATTERS: Ray Robertson built the profile of the hay-producing sector and developed opportunities for hay to be integrated into profitable cropping operations.
Robertson, who began managing Markdale’s Grey County Agricultural Services Centre in 2000, was recruited shortly thereafter by hay producers to take over as the lead staff person for their organization — a position that had been held by the University of Guelph’s Stan Young. In Robertson’s acceptance speech, he recalled having met Young years earlier during a Junior Farmer “soil and land use” tour and thought of him as “a really dynamic guy.
“I told the (hay producers) that I really didn’t think I was qualified for the job,” Robertson said. “But I had always had a keen interest in forages.”
He agreed to take the position, on the condition that he be allowed to bring on Joan McKinley, who had recently lost her Grey County crop advisor post due to Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food staff cutbacks, as communications lead.
Forage sector faced big challenges
Speaking to Farmtario after the award presentation, Robertson said he soon found out “there was a lot more that needed to be done than just keep the organization running.”
There was no funding, government extension work in forages had been decimated by provincial government cutbacks, and the council’s governance and membership structures needed overhauling. Robertson brought to the table his previous experience with Gay Lea Foods and Co-operators Insurance, and set about transforming the OFC into a strong voice for hay production in Ontario.
But Robertson couldn’t have done it, he stressed, without McKinley and later Patricia Ellingwood, who succeeded Robertson in both the Ag Services Centre and OFC roles upon his retirement in 2023.
“I had a tremendous team,” he said. “And a good board. They gave me a lot of latitude in what I could do.”
OFC past chair Terry Nuhn provided a message of congratulations for the March 10 presentation.
“Ray has been the greatest ambassador for the forage industry in Ontario. He helped raise Ontario’s profile as a forage exporter throughout all of Canada and to international markets,” Nuhn said. “He set the standard that other provincial organizations strive to meet. Future generations will reap the rewards of Ray’s tireless forage promotion and how he helped establish Ontario as a major player in the industry.”
Robertson was inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame and the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2023, and also received a CFGA leadership award among numerous other accolades. He continues to help with the annual Grey-Bruce Farmers’ Week events — which were initiated by the Agricultural Services Centre under his leadership — but noted that “my wife has taught me how to say ‘no’,” when asked if he plans to take on other ag-related roles in his retirement.
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