Peter Hannam, a farmer, farm leader, entrepreneur and visionary who played a pivotal role in the development of soybeans as a major crop in Ontario has passed away. He was 85.
Hannam was born and raised at his family’s Woodrill Farms at Guelph and attended the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) at University of Guelph. After graduation in 1962, his passion for leadership, innovation and technology led him on a journey that would see him serve as president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) from 1977 to 1979, lead a small, fledging soybean seed company to a highly influential leadership position in the seed business, and help establish Woodrill Farms as a leading crop input supply company and grain elevator business.
In 1982, Hannam and a group of 12 like-minded independent seed growers established First Line Seeds, a company for which he served as president for 20 years. The company maintained a sharp focus on genetic improvement for short-season soybean varieties. Not content with just growing conventional soybeans, Hannam pushed the development of niche markets for food-grade soybeans and the contract production of identity-preserved soybean crops. He established export markets to other countries seeking the advantages offered by First Line soybean seed.
Hannam was one of the first Canadian farmers to try Roundup herbicide in the 1970s. He was convinced that the marriage of technology and biotechnology offered promise and worked to align First Line with the Asgrow Seed Company, the leading soybean breeder, developer and distributor in the U.S.
In the early 1990s, Hannam anticipated that herbicide-tolerant crops would become an important tool for Canadian farmers and leveraged the Asgrow relationship to make First Line Seeds the first Canadian seed company offer Roundup Ready soybean varieties to growers in 1998.
Under Hannam’s leadership, First Line began Project SOY to encourage students to think about the potential of soybeans in the development of new products and business opportunities for entrepreneurs. Hannam also initiated Soy 20/20 and its mission to serve as an incubator of new ideas, connecting government, academia and industry to stimulate new global bioscience opportunities for Canadian soybeans.
The success of First Line Seeds attracted suiters, including Monsanto, which bought into the company in 1998 and bought it outright in 2004. The sale was consistent with Hannam’s vision for the soybean crop. He felt that Monsanto’s hefty commitment to technology and innovation would accelerate genetic and trait development and further elevate the crop globally.
Continuing the commitment to research and development, the Hannam Family created the Hannam Soybean Utilization Fund to stimulate innovative research in the utilization of soybeans. The results have been impressive ranging from the creation of new biofibres for the car industry to the incorporation of soybean nutrients into processed foods.
In 2005, Hannam and partner Tom Lammer opened the Ontario AgriCentre in Guelph to house as many as 17 agriculture-based tenants as part of the effort to bring a diverse industry together and to stimulate opportunities to co-operate for the advancement of agriculture.
Over a lifetime, Hannam played leadership roles in many organizations including the Canadian Seed Trade Association, the Canadian Soybean Export Association, the Ontario Agricultural College International Advisory Council, the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute and OFA.
He was widely recognized for his many achievements and contributions to agriculture, business and trade. These honours include the Ontario Institute of Agrologists’ Distinguished Agrologist Award, the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association’s Agri-Marketer of the Year, the Canadian Seed Trade Association’s Seed Achievement Award, an Honourary Doctorate of Science from the University of Guelph, and induction into both the Canadian and Ontario Agricultural Halls of Fame.
With files from the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame and the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame
