ABOYNE – Paul Kelly was recognized last weekend by the Wellington County Historical Society for being inducted to the Ontario Agriculture Hall of Fame (OAHF).
The society held an unveiling ceremony for the Wellington County resident on Oct. 20 in Aboyne Hall at the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
Representatives from the Wellington Federation of Agriculture, Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame, Senator Rob Black, family, friends and members of the Wellington County Historical Society were in attendance.
“People get awards and say they feel so humbled but I always thought ‘wouldn’t you be thrilled’,” Kelly said.
Now he understands the feeling and expressed his immense gratitude towards everyone who has helped him get to this point in his life.
Especially his wife and daughter, he added, dedicating a portion of his speech to them.
Kelly was inducted in 2022 due to his active work in the agricultural industry.
He has managed the Honey Bee Research Centre (HBRC) at the University of Guelph since 1987, which includes managing over 300 bee colonies across 13 apiaries as well as two isolated apiaries on islands in Lake Simcoe for breeding specific stock.
He also owns Golden Glow Apiaries near Fergus and sells his personal bee stock to new and experienced beekeepers across Ontario.
“This is important work as so much of our food depends on pollinators to sustain crop quality and yields, worth at least $400 million annually to Ontario agriculture,” said his inductee statement.
Bees are subject to a number of complex stresses, diseases and pests, stated his bio.
Kelly has developed unique methods and innovations to counteract some of these, making him an internationally acclaimed bee expert known for his abilities as a gifted speaker, teacher and extensionist.
“This is an honour to be included with all of these people on the wall here,” said Kelly referring to the collection recognizing county inductees in the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame at the museum and archives.
“Paul is effectively educating the world as a global thought leader in pollinator education and research,” his description continued.
Those interested in learning more about Paul Kelly can visit the inductees portion of the OAHF website at oahf.on.ca.
