Peter Hannam, a visionary leader, farmer and entrepreneur has passed away at age 85.
Hannam built his family Woodrill Farms to be the thriving agriculture business it is today, but it was the organizations and businesses he led and built off the farm that had a larger lasting on the Ontario agriculture sector. He was a maker of alliances that continue to benefit Ontario agriculture.
Hannam graduated from the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph in 1962 and returned home to the farm near Guelph, where he grew the Woodrill Farms business, including dabbling in soybean breeding. He transitioned the farm from dairy to crops six years after he graduated, which was the start of his long career in the seeds business.
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In 1982, he and and 11 other seed growers formed First Line Seeds, the first Canadian company to breed early-maturing soybeans in Canada and the first to introduce genetically modified soybeans, with a partnership with Asgrow Seeds, which at the time a leader in American soybean production. In the 1970s, he was one of the first Canadian farmers to try using the glyphosate herbicide.
He continued to encourage the adoption of soybeans after First Line Seeds was sold to Monsanto in 2004, supporting soybean research at the University of Guelph and as the chair of Soy 20/20, dedicated to expanding uses for soybeans in Canada. He created the on-campus competition Project SOY which rewarded students for their creation of new uses for soybeans.
He also served as director of the Canadian Seed Trade Association, chair of the Canadian Soybean Export Association and director of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. He was an advisor to numerous farm organizations and businesses. He received an honorary doctor of science from the University of Guelph in 2007.
Hannam was president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture when he was 36, and continued to push the boundaries of agriculture leadershp in Ontario, as one of the drivers of the creation of the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program, which brought together several founding organizations. He was known for his dedication to youth and for mentoring young generations.
He also worked with a developer to create the Ontario Agri-Centre in Guelph in 2005, at the time filling a need for a common home for Ontario’s agriculture organizations.
Hannam was recognized with many awards during his life, including being inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2016.
Hannam passed away June 5, 2025 at Hospice Wellington. He lived his life at the family farm, raising three children, Rob, Greg and Carol with his wife Sandra who passed away in 2019.
Funeral services have not yet been announced. Here is a link to Peter Hannam’s obituary.
