Abner Bauman Martin

Abner B. Martin was born in St. Jacobs. He was an outstanding breeder of Holstein-Friesian and Limousin cattle and judged these breeds in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. He was part owner of the K-W Stockyards and manager for sixteen years. He raced standardbred horses at local tracks and bred and showed Black Minorca chickens.

He was reeve of Woolwich Township 1951-52, director of the Woolwich Agricultural Society, director for fifteen years of the Holstein-Friesian Association of Canada and president 1971-72; president and treasurer of the Limousin Association. He was on the committee that purchased the first bull (Jersey) for artificial insemination in Canada (1941). Thirty years later, he was a partner in Modern Ova Trends Ltd., the first in Ontario to offer embryo transplants.

Waterloo “Farmer of the Year” in 1960, Martin was also first president of the Waterloo Farm Business Management Association and president of the Waterloo-Wellington Milk Marketing Board. Martin is also an inductee of the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame.