Peter Hannam’s leadership and dedication honoured with new Ontario Federation of Agriculture award
Lindsay Dykeman is the recipient of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s inaugural Peter Hannam Leadership Award.
“I never had the chance to meet Peter, but it feels nice to be recognized for trying to contribute to the sector,” she said after receiving the award at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s annual general meeting, Nov. 25. “I’m really passionate about agriculture; it’s my life, it’s my work.”
Why it matters: The new award recognizes emerging leaders who embody Hannam’s vision and lifelong dedication to advancing Ontario agriculture.
Dykeman, the general manager of the Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative, was recognized for consistently going above and beyond professionally and as a volunteer, and for her strong passion and dedication to agriculture and community.
She’s been a Bruce County Federation of Agriculture director, a Bruce County Community Pasture secretary/treasurer and a Kincardine Agricultural Society director.
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Dykeman is also participating in Class 21 of the Rural Ontario Institute’s Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP).
“I’m not sure what the expectations of the winner are,” said Dykeman. “I’m certainly always trying to do my best to promote agriculture and be a good advocate.”
Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Drew Spoelstra said the award has special meaning for the organization.
“Peter Hannam was a respected voice, and I’ll say a giant in our industry,” said Drew Spoelstra, OFA president. “He’s a former OFA president (1976-79) and someone whose impact on agriculture has a deep reach. He believed deeply in the power of leadership, lifelong learning and investing in the next generation.”
In a video Hannam made shortly before his death, he said, “I really don’t know what drove me, other than an ambition to help farmers and make improvements in the agricultural industry, because farmers are a minority, they’re not going to get things given to us unless we work for them.”
Hannam’s work changed the agriculture sector in ways that continue to have an influence today, giving the award special meaning to the OFA.
“This is the first of a convention that I can remember where Peter isn’t with us, and he is missed,” Spoelstra admitted. “A key part of Peter’s legacy is his involvement in establishing the Advanced Agriculture Leadership Program (AALP).”
Spoelstra said Hannam was inspired to create the United States’ Kellogg Foundation’s rural and agricultural leadership programs in the early 1980s. He brought together leaders from across Ontario’s farming and rural organizations, and through collaboration and Hannam’s determination, the uniquely Ontarian AALP was born.
“The early years were not easy. Funding was uncertain, travel and seminar costs were high, and the program needed someone willing to champion it relentlessly,” said Spoelstra. “That champion was Peter, who took on the challenge with the same conviction that he brought to everything that he did.”
He added that Hannam’s commitment and tireless fundraising ensured AALP became a reality, and that each member, from Class One to today, had “the chance to learn, grow and prepare to lead Ontario agriculture forward.”
Greg Hannam said his father would be humbled and honoured to have an award created in his name, reflecting his strong belief in the role OFA played in Ontario agriculture and his lifelong ambition to drive leadership development.
“We were humbled by the number of tributes and articles and comments that we got from people on how their life was changed by the interaction they did have with dad,” said Hannam.
Source: Farmtario.com