News from our rich agriculture history

The Farms.com farm and rural history website is dedicated to celebrating and digitizing the last 150 years of success in the Canadian agriculture and food industry. The agriculture and food industries in Canada have a rich heritage of innovation, and have laid a foundation of excellence upon which we continue to grow. We celebrate Canada’s food and agriculture innovations on these pages.

Haymaking at the Ontario Agricultural College

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED | JUNE 30, 1912 | THE FARMER'S ADVOCATE

Our system of making hay varies considerably with the conditions under which we are working. Some years hay will cure much more quickly than others, owing to differences in weather conditions or in the rankness of the growth. We seldom cut red clover until it is in full bloom. In favorable weather is is usually cut one day, and drawn to the barn the following day. It is very rank and full of

This cartoon first appeared in a December 1944 edition of Canadian Countryman. It depicts an imprisoned man representing “world trade” sitting in his cell,

A very important aspect of pioneer life in Canada was home butter-making. This could be achieved with the use of this device, a rocking butter churn. Butter churning was a

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Hydro For Farmers

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED | FEBRUARY 19, 1921 | THE CANADIAN COUNTRYMAN

When the idea was first conceived of harnessing up the water power of Ontario and distributing the power so generated throughout the length and breadth of the province, it was generally thought that farmers would be the chief benefactors from such an undertaking. Such has not, however, been the case. Last year of the 300,000 or more horse power generated and distributed by the Hydro-Electric

James Thomas Gordon

DECEMBER 24, 1858 - DECEMBER 21, 1919

One of the most well known cattlemen in Western Canadian history, James Thomas Gordon was the cofounder of Gordon and Ironside Company. He was born on December 24, 1858 in Tweed, Hastings County, Ontario to John and Sarah Gordon, who were Irish immigrants. Upon completing his education at Tweed’s public school he promptly took up the career of his parents- farming. In 1879 he migrated to Manitoba where he began working for a local lumber firm, Dick Banning & Company. Through this experience he was eventually able to strike out on his own and forge ahead in the lumber industry,

J. P. Griffin

J. P. Griffin was the manager and secretary of the Ontario Milk Producers’ Association. He was at the head of a movement to get cheese factories in Ontario organized and affiliated with the Association in 1929. His main objective, as stated at the annual meeting of the Ontario Milk Producer’s Association in 1929, was to keep dairy producing a profitable business, which hinged on the cheese sector, the “key” to the whole industry in terms of keeping exports high. Griffin also believed in strengthening the connection between city and town shippers in the industry and

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News from our rich agriculture history

Haymaking at the Ontario Agricultural College

IMPRISONED WORLD TRADE

Rocking Butter Churn

Hydro For Farmers

lives lived

James Thomas Gordon

J. P. Griffin