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Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Agricultural Hall of Fame inducts four new members
The Class of 2026 for the Essex County Agricultural Hall of Fame included (from left): Alyssa Thibodeau & Cole McLean (representing the late Walter McLean), Leo Guilbeault, Neil McBeth and Rochelle Deslippe. They were inducted last Thursday night at a ceremony held at the Harrow Agricultural Exhibition Hall.
By Ron Giofu Four new members have been inducted into the Essex County Agricultural Hall of Fame. Rochelle Deslippe, Leo Guilbeault, Neil McBeth and Walter McLean were honoured last Thursday night at the Harrow Agricultural Exhibition Hall. Joined by family, friends, dignitaries and fellow Hall of Famers, the new members had their photos added to the wall with the many other Hall of Fame inductees’ photographs after the induction ceremony. First to be honoured was Guilbeault, a graduate from the Ridgetown College campus of the University of Guelph in 1980. He purchased his parents farm in 1987, growing the operation from 200 acres to 2,200 acres and growing such crops as corn, soybeans,
wheat and canola. Guilbeault’s background also includes working for the Essex Hybrid Seed Company from 1980-83 as the plant operations manager and seed corn specialist. From 1983-1995, Guilbeault worked at the Stoney Point Co-op as a crop specialist and he was responsible for starting and managing the custom application business for the co-op. He was promoted in 1990 to the branch manager position and then in 1993 he was promoted to the position of Essex North Manager. Agricultural associations have been an extensive part of Guilbeault’s life, being a former president of the Essex County Soil and Crop Improvement Association. From 1998-2001, he also served as a provincial director. Guilbeault also served as president of the Essex County Conservation Club and
worked with Jerome Deslippe and Henry Denotterto to start the Holiday Beach Conservation Farm. Guilbeault was also integral in the Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), with Crosby DeVitt from the GFO on hand to help honour him. He also served as a director or chair of several provincial bodies such as the Ontario Soybean growers, OFA Policy Advisory Committee and the Ontario/Quebec Grain Farms Coalition to name a few. His background also includes contributions to the Comber Fair, the Essex County Federation of Agriculture (ECFA) “Farm Hiker Tour” and giving back to his community through athletics in St. Joachim and Belle River. His Hall of Fame sponsor was the Essex County Grain Growers. Accompanied by his family, Guilbeault congratulated his fellow inductees and thanked his nominators. He recalled in his late teens, not knowing what he wanted to do, but when his friends went into the auto plants, he knew that wasn’t for him. “That didn’t fit what I thought I could do,” said Guilbeault. “I never thought of going down that path. Agriculture was the right and only path for me.” Guilbeault said he enjoyed “every minute on the farm” and “45 years later, I have no regrets at all.” Noting he has also worked with or consulted two prime ministers, three premiers and numerous agriculture ministers, Guilbeault credited friends and competitors in the industry for his accomplishments, not to mention his family. “You can’t do this without a lot of family and friends,” he said. “A lot of my mentors and friends helped me out. Agriculture is a great career. When you love what you do and do what you love, it’s not a job. There’s no better way to spend life than on the farm.” McBeth was raised on his family farm, operated by his father Douglas and his uncle Kenneth. He was mentored in both dairy and caged layer poultry, with his early years seeing him feed cattle and chickens. He was active in sports in high school but still did his chores on the farm. He was also involved in Scouting, attending the 12th World Scout Jamboree in Idaho.
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