Herbert Henry Hannam

Herbert Henry Hannam

Herbert Henry Hannam, educator, farm leader (b at Swinton Park, Grey County, Ont 27 Sept 1898; d at Ottawa 12 July 1963). After attending Ontario Agricultural Coll, Herb Hannam taught school and was livestock editor of The Canadian Countryman. He joined the UNITED FARMERS OF ONTARIO as educational secretary in 1928, becoming its secretary-treasurer in 1933 and secretary of its sister organization, the United Farmers' Co-operative Co, in 1936. He wrote Co-operation: The Plan for Tomorrow which Works Today (1938) and Pulling Together for Twenty Five Years (1940), 2 pamphlets widely used in co-operative and agrarian circles. He helped organize the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Canadian Chamber of Agriculture (later Canadian Federation of Agriculture) during the mid-1930s. In 1939 he was elected to the latter's presidency, which became a full-time, paid position in 1943. Hannam was an effective spokesman for Canadian agriculture. He was also a strong supporter of FARM RADIO FORUM which he helped start. Following WWII, Hannam was one of the first to see the importance of food production and marketing in a world with a rapidly growing population.