The Milk Producer - July 2010 - (Page 40)

Story and Photo By Carlie Oreskovich Political savvy Past Dairy Farmers of Canada president takes pride in the effort of a cohesive industry t doesn’t take long before you realize Peter Oosterhoff is as committed to dairy farming organizations as he is to dairy farming. Peter remembers his first exposure to dairy organizations, when his father urged him to attend hearings held in nearby Vineland, even though it was silo-filling time. After all, he was a farmer, although a very young one, and knew there were priorities. Silo filling was one of them. He attended the hearings, got his formal introduction to milk marketing philosophy, and has never veered from supporting the marketing organizations since. Peter served on the Ontario Milk Marketing Board (OMMB) and then Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) as a board member from 1975 to 1999, and vice-chair from 1991 to 1999. He also served as a director of Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) from 1980 to 1995 and president from 1993 to 1995. This often put him in the complex position of having to go to different organization meetings on the same day. “I was wearing two hats at the same time which was its own challenge and it worked well,” he says. In 1999 he put all those hats aside, officially retiring from the organizations, and a little later turning his farm over to his son, Fred. Now puttering around on a landscaped plot of land with a large pond next to the farm operation in Beamsville, the spry 76-year-old is enjoying the legacy of his years of work and dedication to improving the industry. An anuerism had some effect on his life 40 | July 2010 | MilkPRODUCER I Peter and Nelly enjoy the legacy of hard work and dedication. philosophy and the strength of his face, but that does not diminish the fact he carries on with his life. He prefers to focus on the importance of the marketing organization in getting the best returns for producers. He is pleased with having played a part in developing the dairy farmers’ organization. “I think I can look back with some pride and satisfaction in playing a small role in shaping this industry. It’s taken this industry in a positive direction from the way I found it in 1960.” Peter has spent his entire life in dairy farming. His father was into mixed farming, primarily dairy, in northern Holland, and they struggled under German occupation and the dire economic aftermath of the Second World War. “Things did not look that bright,” he recalls. The family moved to Ontario. They spent time in Kent County, moved to Haldimand and ended up in Beamsville where the family farm was split. Peter and his wife, Nelly, bought the present 200 acres and had four children, two daughters and two sons. He is happy one of his sons has

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - July 2010

The Milk Producer - July 2010
Contents
Editor's Notes
DFO Chair’s Message
Diary Update
DFO
National Policy
DFC Promotion
Thrill of the Grill
Farm Finance
Foundation for Our Future
Agriculture Minister’s Message
General Manger’s Message
Overview
Then and Now:
Notable Quotes:
Grant Smith
Gordon Coukell
Peter Oosterhoff
Vera Mitchell
Bill Simpson
Lew Dunk
Albert Gauthier
Gary Marshall
Stuart Steckle
Tom Kane
Pat McManus
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Markets
New’N’Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - July 2010