John Wise Former Minister of Agriculture and Dairy Farmer Dies at the Age of 77

Jan 11, 2013

Former Ag Minister Will Be Remembered for His Contributions to Agriculture

John Wise, former federal Minister of Agriculture and dairy farmer was remembered on Monday for the contributions that he has made to Canadian agriculture.

Wise was a fifth-generation dairy farmer prior to his run for politics and was an advocate for supply management while helping to introduce his government’s free trade policies.

Wise first began his career in politics as a local politician and served as a Township Councillor and Deputy Reeve of Yarmouth from 1966 to 1967. He also served as the Warden of Elgin County in 1969. Wise dove into Federal politics when he ran in the 1972 general election in the riding of Elgin, where he defeated Liberal incumbent MP Harold Stafford. Wise was re-elected four times before he retired in 1998 after serving in opposition and the government – he served as the minister of agriculture under Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney.

Wise was heavily involved in his community and served on a number of agricultural boards such as serving as Chairman of the Board for the Canadian Livestock Exporters Association and Canadian Embryo Exporters Association, and was the honorary founder and President of the Soil Conservation Canada.

Wise died on January 9, 2013 at the age of 77 in London, Ontario.

Funeral service details:

A funeral service is set for 1 p.m. Monday at Knox Presbyterian Church, St. Thomas. Visitation at the church begins at 11 a.m. Monday.

Video: Getting Started with FieldOps™

Get started with FieldOps™ and take control of your operation with real-time visibility and data-driven insights.

In this video, we’ll walk through the essential steps to set up and begin using New Holland FieldOps™, including account creation, connecting your equipment, and establishing accurate field boundaries. Learn how FieldOps brings your machines, fields, and teams together into one connected platform—helping improve efficiency, streamline workflows, and support better decision-making in the field.

You’ll learn how to: • Create a FieldOps account (web or mobile) • Connect your machines through your local New Holland dealer • Upload or create field boundaries • Start operations and visualize agronomic data in real time

Field boundaries are the foundation of accurate data and precision farming. Setting them up correctly helps improve machine performance, guidance accuracy, and overall operational efficiency across your operation.