Airey awarded for agricultural ambitions
- Details
- Published on Sunday, April 19, 2015
By Sheila Runions
Banner Staff
Harry Airey is the third generation Airey to live at 27-12-22, seven miles west of Rivers. The senior citizen has been in farming all his life, and his 60 years of effort have been rewarded with a prestigious announcement. On Thursday afternoon, April 9, Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame Inc. released its inductee list for 2015; Harry is one of eight individuals judged to have made a significant and lasting contribution to agriculture in Manitoba during their lifetime.
In 1965 Harry bought the farm and seven years later, he purchased his first Charolais animal. That purchase has led to 40 years of raising quality cattle which have received many awards. Information from the Hall of Fame claims that Harry was “hooked on the breed and he saw the need to further their popularity.” First he became an artificial insemination technician so he could promote the breed. “Record of performance was important to Harry [so] he worked on several committees to make improvements to the program.” He was first a director of Manitoba Charolais Association and then became president. He has been vice-president of Canadian Charolais Association and for nine years, he chaired that group’s Breed Improvement Committee. In 1988 Manitoba’s Department of Agriculture presented HTA Charolais (Harry Thomas Airey) the Purebred Producer of Manitoba award. Ten years later Canadian Charolais Association nominated HTA as a seed stock producer, an award from North American Beef Improvement Federation.
Harry also supports his family and community. He is mentoring his grandchildren in farming, he supports 4-H beef programs and is a board director of Rivers and Area Community Foundation. “His quiet demeanor combined with his let’s-get-it-done attitude never fails to complete the tasks at hand,” reads the news release.
The mandate of the Manitoba Agriculture Hall of Fame is to recognize persons who have made an outstanding contribution to the improvement of agriculture and the betterment of rural living in Manitoba. Harry will officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony at the William Glesby Centre in Portage la Prairie on July 16 at 1:30 p.m.
