Harold Crossman

Harold Crossman began farming at Stoughton in 1949 with his father. Dorothy joined them as a new bride the next year. Later they bought land and then the home farm. They had a mixed farm with cattle, pigs and a flock of Barred Rock hens supplying hatching eggs to a local hatchery. The layer flock came later but grew from 200 birds to 25,000 and was the major source of good quality table eggs in the south-east of the province.

Never ones to let others do what had to be done, Harold served as secretary of the local Wheat Pool starting in 1950 and later was a delegate from 1960 to 1973. 

When egg prices dropped in 1966, they and other producers worked hard to set up a producer organization to let them have a say in the market place. When the Saskatchewan Commercial Egg Producers Marketing Board was established in 1969, Harold was the chairman. He was also the Saskatchewan delegate to the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency when it was formed in 1972. He was acting chairman of the Agency in 1977 and again in 1980.

Poultry has been a major part of the life of Harold and Dorothy but not their only work. Harold was a delegate to and also the vice-president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Agriculture. He was also a director of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture for 5 years. The local church and the Stoughton Co-op, as well as the Federated Co-op, still see Harold often. Their two children and now the grandchildren also get help and caring.

Dorothy has always been part of the management team and was the chief executive officer. While Harold was in Ottawa during much of 1980, she managed 25,000 layers, a feed mill, a 2 section grain farm, the grading station and egg deliveries. Dorothy was very involved with the Co-op Women’s Guild while it was active. After Harold was appointed full time chairman of CEMA in 1981, they sold the egg operations and moved to Ottawa. While the work was not easy or always rewarding, it showed that those in power had the trust that a good Saskatchewan farmer could effectively run such a complex organization.

The Crossmans lived in Ottawa until 1985 when, at the end of a second two year term, they retired to the grain farm. Today they are snow birds, enjoying the farm in the summer and exploring warmer climates in their motor home during the winter.

Harold and Dorothy are typical of many farm couples in the province who give their time, talents and energy to their home area, their province and to the country as a whole. We are all richer for their efforts.