Charles Yeo

Prince Edward Island

After a year at Prince of Wales College, and fully aware of the hardships of the thirties, Charles Yeo still had sufficient love for, and faith in, agriculture to take it on as his life career. Charlie was not satisfied merely to operate as an individual farmer; he saw great need for farmers to work together.

He became the leader and secretary of the Sherbrooke group of the National Farm Radio Forum and got involved in a new farm organization, the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture.

He became president of that organization in 1951 and for two years attended numerous farm meetings across the province. Charles represented the Island on the board of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture for two years, and was the Maritime Executive member for 1952-53. He remembers with pride working with other Canadian farm leaders to obtain legislation and policies enabling farmers to compete with other economic sectors and to expand export markets for Canadian food products.

Charles served as chairman of the Farm Credit Corporation Appeal Board for P.E.I. for thirteen years, and as secretary of the advisory committee of the Canadian Livestock Feed Board for fourteen years. He was appointed from the agricultural sector to the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, represented producers on the Provincial Marketing Council for ten years, and was a representative to the Maritime Food Council for several years.

He was prominent in establishing the local co-operative in Summerside and served as president of this organization for eight of its early years. He also served the Co-op movement through his membership on the Board for the Maritimes from 1964-78.

Nominated by the P.E.I. Women’s Institutes, Charles Yen is a most deserving candidate for induction into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame.