Apple grower named to Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame

A past chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA), Brian Gilroy has been named as an inductee into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame. He is an apple grower from the Meaford area who has been serving on the OFVGA board in various capacities since 1990 and was chair of the organization from 2010 to 2012. The OFVGA nominated Gilroy for induction this year.

“Brian’s career has been marked by a lifelong passion for the apple industry and a love of agriculture, people and farming,” says OFVGA executive director Alison Robertson.

“Over the course of more than 30 years of involvement and leadership with farm organizations, Brian’s contributions and legacies are marked by his willingness to do the hard  -- and often unnoticed and unappreciated --  work that’s needed to encourage collaboration and bring people together for the greater good of growers and the fruit and vegetable industry.”

In addition, Gilroy has served as president of the Georgian Bay Fruit Growers’ Association, vice chair of the Ontario Apple Marketing Commission, chair of the Ontario Apple Growers’ Steering Committee, chair of the Ontario Apple Growers, president of the Canadian Horticultural Council (now Fruit & Vegetable Growers of Canada), chair of the FVGC Apple Working Group, and chair of Farm & Food Care Ontario. He’s also a long-time director with the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Following the dissolution of the Ontario Apple Marketing Commission in 2001, Gilroy worked tirelessly to ensure Ontario apple growers had an organization to represent their needs, which ultimately led to the formation of the Ontario Apple Growers as a marketing board with mandatory fees to ensure its financial viability. His efforts at the national level through the Apple Working Group and knack for behind-the-scenes consensus building have helped open international market opportunities for Canadian apples and ensure stable pricing by securing orderly domestic marketing of apples.

Gilroy’s contributions extend beyond the edible horticulture sector as a champion of public trust in the food system. His willingness to volunteer countless hours to consumer outreach as a member of the Farm & Food Care Ontario board of directors has permanently changed Ontario’s public trust landscape for the better.

“We are thrilled that Brian’s accomplishments are being recognized and congratulate him on this induction into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame,” adds Robertson.

Gilroy is one of 11 inductees to be honoured at a June11 ceremony at GrandWay Event Centre, Elora, Ontario.