Dave and Brenda Baute founded Maizex 32 years ago
By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com
The Kent Agricultural Hall of Fame class of 2017 includes ag radio personalities, the originator of the Forbes Drainage Scheme, and the founders of an Ontario seed company.
Dave Baute, president of Tilbury, Ont.’s Maizex Seeds and his wife Brenda, the company’s chief financial officer, founded the organization in 1985.
They were honoured along with their peers during an induction ceremony on Nov. 14.
And the title of hall of famer is a distinction Dave is pleased to receive because of where it came from.
“It’s a genuine honour and very humbling,” he told Farms.com today. “We have received a fair bit of recognition over the years for our success, but this one is really special because it’s from our peers. It’s also a great recognition of Brenda’s contributions over the years and that hasn’t always been the case. All in all, it was a very special day for us.”
Going into a hall of fame allows the inductees to reflect on their journeys that got them to where they are.
Reflecting on 32 years of experience shows how advanced agriculture has become in that time, Dave says.
“It seems a lot of agriculture is facilitated by technologies,” he said. “There’s equipment technology, genetic and trait technologies which can reduce a farmer workload. Agriculture has been remarkable in the last few decades when you think about it.”
Along with the Bautes, the 2017 inductees include Jack Beardall, who began CFCO, the first privately owned radio station in the province. Harry Forbes, originator of the Forbes Drainage Scheme, John Jordan, a farmer and broadcaster, and farmers Lucille and Jean Marie Laprise, round out the list of inductees.
And Canadians should be proud of the diversity within the country’s agriculture sector and the contributions of its members, says Baute.
“It’s the best industry in the world, that’s for sure,” he said. “I think Canadians are typically humble, but we should recognize that we’re as advanced as any country in the world in terms of agricultural production. Our farmers are doing a hell of a job.”
Farms.com extends its congratulations to all of the inductees and their families.
Top photo: Dave and Brenda Baute/Twitter