Joe Hudson joins Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame

Joe Hudson, who turned Lyn-based Burnbrae Farms into a national egg-producing powerhouse, has been posthumously inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame.

Hudson, who died last year at the age of 94, was one of six people formally inducted at a special ceremony in Victoria, BC on Nov. 8.

Officials at the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Association described Hudson as “the architect of one of Canada’s most successful agri-food businesses, transforming Canada’s egg sector with his vision for a vertically integrated model.

“From humble beginnings and a few chickens, the late Joe built Burnbrae Farms into a leading pillar of Canadian agribusiness and a household name that continues to thrive with the subsequent generations, thanks to the legacy he established,” they added.

Hudson was nominated by Egg Farmers of Canada.

The Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Association honours and celebrates Canadians for outstanding contributions to the agriculture and food industry. Portraits of inductees are on display in the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Gallery, at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.

Margaret Hudson, Joe’s daughter and the current Burnbrae Farms president and CEO, recalled her time on the Royal Winter Fair board of directors, when she would walk by those portraits.

“I was always thinking that our dad should be on there,” added Hudson, who joined all her siblings, and members of the Hudson family’s younger generation, at the Victoria event.

“We’re very excited that he’s been admitted.”

“Our dad wasn’t anyone who really sought recognition, but certainly when recognition came his way, he was very pleased to be recognized,” she added.

“He loved our industry.”