Rodney Dingwell
Rodney Dingwell was born in 1948, and grew up working on his family’s small, mixed farm in Marie, PEI. He graduated from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in 1967, becoming a 7th generation farmer when he returned home to farm with his parents Walter and Phyllis Dingwell. In 1970, the family expanded their dairy operation to include a farrow to finish hog farm, adding grain and turnip production. Three years later, Rodney and his father incorporated under the name Mo Dhaicdh, which in Gaelic means ‘my home.’
For more than fifty years, Rodney has run the farm upon the tenants of responsible stewardship, diversification, and the adoption of innovative practices. In 1987, Mo Dhaicdh became one of the first farms in PEI to invest in computerized record keeping systems to better manage farm recourses. In 1995, the farm further diversified by including potatoes, and after eight years, Rodney increased this crop’s acreage. This came shortly after the passing of his younger brother Brian, and the subsequent sale of the dairy component. Rodney passed on the hog operation to his son Scott in 2008, and then purchased a cow/calf operation and custom baling service. The farm is now operated by Rodney, brother Blois, and son Craig, and comprises potatoes, mixed grains, soybeans, a cow/calf operation, and baling service.
Rodney is a leader in sustainable practices, and his farm has been well recognized for its environmental stewardship. Among the distinctions are the Hon. Gilbert Clements Award of Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture, the Island Nature Trust’s Hon. Angus J. MacLean Award, and a PEI Environmental Award. The awards are a credit to Rodney’s willingness to try new crops and varieties, and implement best manage practices.
In addition to his tireless on-farm initiatives, Rodney has provided immense leadership across the province’s agriculture industry. He was instrumental in the establishment of new, producer-focused organizations, including the PEI Vegetable Growers Co-Operative in 1968, which provides collective marketing, storage, grading, and packaging for Island root crops. He provided leadership in the formation of the first PEI Chapter of the National Farmers Unions in 1969, and was one of the founders of PEI Pork Plus, which became a model for value added food production.
Rodney is well known for his thoughtful and analytical leadership style, and his commitment to organizational leadership has had wide-reaching impact. He acted as Chairman and a four-term Director of the PEI Hog Board, as a three-term Director and Chair of the PEI Potato Board, and as the first President of Garden Province Meats. Rodney also served as Director of PEI Quality Swine, Souris District Soil and Crop Association, and the PEI Marketing Council.
Rodney has also provided leadership as a volunteer with the Morell Minor Hockey Association, the North Shore Funeral Home Co-Operative, and over 45 years on the Midgell-Marie Cemetery Committee. In 2001 he participated in a development project with Farmers Helping Farmers, traveling to Kenya to work with fellow producers. As a lifelong farmer, Rodney exhibits a passion for agriculture in all his work, on and off the farm. His wife Patsy and children Scott, Randy, Craig, and Jeffrey can attest to his love of agriculture.
Nominated by the PEI Potato Board for his extraordinary leadership and commitment to strengthening the industry, Rodney Dingwell is a worthy inductee into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame.