AHOF Members archive

Samuel Larcombe was born in the village of Musbury in Devonshire, England. In 1889, Larcombe emigrated to Canada, proceeding to Birtle, Manitoba. Upon reaching Birtle, he rented a farm which he later bought. This farm became known as the best cultivated steading in Manitoba. Larcombe set out to prove that every vegetable grown in England could be produced in Manitoba. He first exhibited at small fairs, later meeting with marked success. His own varieties of vegetables were developed by intensive cultivation and hybridization, creating new interest in western possibilities. In 1911 and 1912, Larcombe branched more extensively into the growing of grains for exhibition purposes. He started plot work and in 1916, “the year of the big rust,” he declared...

Herb Lapp was born and raised on a farm at Alameda, Saskatchewan. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a pilot during World War II. In 1949, he graduated in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. In 1962, he obtained an M.S. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Herb married Alba Dunnigan also of Alameda; they raised a daughter Cheryl and two sons, Ronald and Richard. Following graduation, Herb worked for the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) developing irrigation and water storage projects. He then spent two years with the Manitoba Department of Agriculture as an extension engineer. In 1953, Herb joined the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Manitoba, as a Professor in the Department...

Dr. Eugene Hausknecht Lange was born October 16, 1905 in Russia. He received his early education in Europe and the United States. He married Lillian Louise Schroeder and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret and a son, Frederick. A University Gold Medal winner, Eugene graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Manitoba in 1933. He obtained his M.Sc. from McGill University in 1939 and an honourary doctorate from the University of Manitoba in 1981. From the outset of his career in extension with the Manitoba Department of Agriculture, his mission was to provide farmers with the latest information and technology. His expertise was animal science, but he kept abreast of all aspects of agriculture. Eugene was appointed Principal...

John Kuhl, the second youngest of seven children, was born in 1928 and raised on a mixed farm at Gnadenthal, Manitoba. He went to school in Gnadenthal, Gretna and Winkler.  After a short-lived stint as a pre-med student at the University of Manitoba, he joined his father in the family farming operation. In 1949, John married Lillian Warkentin; together they raised two sons, John and Keith, and four daughters, Juliana, Deborah, Rebecca and Susan. Lillian passed away in 2006. In 1960, John and two family members founded the Southern Manitoba Potato Company (SMPC) based in Winkler. Besides growing potatoes, SMPC began developing climate-controlled post-harvest technology.  Eventually SMPC succeeded in meeting the most demanding industry standards for the production and storage...

Walter Edwin Kroeker was born at Winkler in 1915, to Abram Arthur and Elizabeth Kroeker, the oldest of nine children. In 1928, the family moved to a farm southeast of Winkler. He completed high school in Winkler, attended Winkler Bible Institute and took courses in agriculture at the University of Manitoba and University of Minnesota. He married Madeline Epp in 1940 and they have four children; Marlyce, Wally, Allan and Randy. Walter Kroeker was a partner in the family farm of A. A. Kroeker & Sons from 1936 on. They were pioneers in the production of corn and seed potatoes. The farm was incorporated in 1955 and today is one of the largest potato producers in Manitoba. He was a...

A.A. Kroeker was born December 6, 1892 to Abraham and Helena (Wiens) Kroeker on the family homestead in the Winkler area. This energetic, enthusiastic man contributed a lot to agriculture and indirectly to the people of Manitoba. Not only did he improve farming practices of the day and introduce new crops to the region, but he also improved the attitude and outlook of family, friends and neighbours. In 1928, after he had devoted his time to teaching and business, he bought a farm in order to allow his family to experience the rural way of life. A short time later the ‘Dirty Thirties’ brought drought, weeds, wind, grasshoppers and low prices to the farming operation. However, Kroeker showed an uncanny...

Donald (Don) Kroeker was born on January 6, 1935, in Winkler, Manitoba. He graduated with a BSA from the University of Manitoba in 1957, majoring in Agricultural Economics. Don was awarded the Gold Medal for outstanding scholarship. In 1957, Don married Eileen McGill and together they raised five daughters, Wendy, Kathy, Diane, Cindy and Donna. Don and Eileen moved to the family farm where he became Manager of Farming Operations with Kroeker Farms Limited. In 1958 he initiated 50 acres of onion production. Under Don’s leadership, potato production grew from 500 acres to 5000 acres. Other farm enterprises included sweet corn, hogs, cattle, laying hens and a machinery division. He was the first to introduce hydro-cooled sweet corn production in...

Dr. Daryl Frank Kraft was born on May 23, 1945 and grew up on the family cattle ranch southwest of Medicine Hat, Alberta. He attended Mount Royal College in Calgary. He and his wife, Myrna (Smith) moved to Winnipeg where he received his BSA (Hon.) from the University of Manitoba. He pursued his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at Washington State University where the American Agricultural Economics Association recognized Daryl for excellence in research with the Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Award in 1975. He returned to the University of Manitoba to join the Department of Agricultural Economics. Daryl had a gift for clear analysis and his work encompassed a broad range of studies on rural real estate markets, agricultural production, various dimensions...