Kirk Rankin of R.B.R Fur Farms Limited and Carl Schade of Advanced Dairy Systems are the newest names to the Stratford-Perth Museum’s Agriculture Wall of Fame.
Rankin of Perth South has been a leader in the mink and fur industry for decades with his family raising minks since the 1930s.
Kirk has held a list of local leadership roles including;
- President of the St. Marys Mink Breeders Association
- Director of the Perth County Federation of Agriculture (1994–2020)
- President of the Ontario Fur Breeders Association
- Board member and President of the Canadian Mink Breeders Association (2013–2015)
- Chair of the 2013 CMBA Code Committee for the Care and Handling of Ranched Mink and the Certifur Canada certification program
Carl Schade of West Perth passed away this past fall who served as a pillar of the local dairy sector, providing support for Perth County famers for nearly 50 years.
Carl began his career with Debus Dairy and went on to own and operate Advanced Dairy Systems becoming known for his knowledge of Bou-Matic milking equipment.
Carl was also instrumental in setting up the stabling and milking systems for the Stratford and District Agricultural Society.
General Manager of the Stratford-Perth Museum, Kelly McIntosh says its always great to hear the stories from the nominations they receive.
“When the nominations come in, its just fantastic. There’s a committee that reads about all the unique individuals who’ve been working so hard in agriculture and if you’re nominated you’re in the ring for a few years and the committee works really hard to make sure we celebrate all these fantastic individuals and their familes.” said McIntosh
Both will be honoured at the Stratford-Rotary Club’s Rural-Urban dinner on March 27th.