John Arthur "Art" Griffith (1941-2008) had farming in his blood. At the turn of the twentieth century, his grandfather, Arthur Wellington Griffith, rented a log cabin and seven acres of swamp on Lot 3 Concession 11 in Brooke Township. A.W. Griffith dug in tile by hand to drain the land and make it suitable for farming. By 1920, he had cleared 150 acres. This became known as ‘The Home Place.’
Griffith was born and raised on ‘The Home Place.’ He was a proud descendant of the Jackson, Page, and Saunders families of Brooke, Enniskillen, and Warwick townships. After graduating from Watford High School, he went to work at the Toronto Dominion Bank in Petrolia. Three years later he was asked to relocate for a promotion. Griffith resigned. He returned full-time to the mixed farming operation run by his father and grandfather.
Griffith was a highly respected egg producer. In 1978, he and his wife, Carolynne bought ‘The Home Place’ from his father, John Griffith. A poultry barn for 5,000 birds had been built at the site in 1965. By 1968 it had doubled in size. In 2016, the expanded and renovated barn housed nearly 30,000 laying hens in an automated, computer-controlled environment.
For thirty years, Griffith was a councillor to the Lambton County Egg Producers. He assisted at Agriculture in the Classroom initiatives at schools and fairs in Lambton County. Griffith encouraged Carolynne in her agricultural pursuits. She was elected as director for Lambton, Kent, and Essex counties to the Egg Farmers of Ontario in 1996 and served as the first female chair from 2002-2012. Carolynne Griffith was featured as a leader in her community and a Guiding Beacon in the 2013 Lambton Heritage Museum exhibition Shine: Spotlight on Women of Lambton. You can read more about her career and influence on at Municipality of Brooke-Alvinston Guiding Beacons.
Griffith was passionate about seeds. He achieved and maintained select seed grower status. In 1982, he was asked by Peter Hannam to be a founding shareholder of Guelph-based First Line Seeds. The company was committed to innovation and research. They delivered high-yielding seed varieties that growers could trust. Griffith was a seed dealer. He attended monthly board meetings and was able to keep on top of the latest developments in seed research. First Line Seeds was the first Canadian company to breed early-maturing and genetically-modified soybeans. They sold the first Roundup Ready soybean varieties in Canada. These are soybeans genetically modified to be resilient Monsanto’s herbicide, Roundup. Monsanto bought First Line Seeds in 2004. Griffith was also a top salesperson for Northrup King Seeds with over 1,000 customers. He “was always available for seed orders and consultations on the newest and best yielding varieties of seed.”
Griffith was a meticulous record keeper. His detailed notes included planting dates, seed varieties, harvest dates, yield and fertilizer information, and chemical programs. His poultry records documented production, lighting programs, feeding regimens, and costs.
Griffith was a gentleman farmer. His sunny disposition attracted people to him and he was always willing to give someone a chance. Over the years he hired many young people to help out on the farm. After suffering a serious heart attack in 1991, he took on more managerial and mentorship roles. He was precise in his teachings and insisted on doing things right, and not taking shortcuts.
Together, Griffith and Carolynne purchased over 1,000 acres of land. In 1975 they built five houses for resale in Inwood on ten newly acquired lots along an extension of Queen Street. Griffith enjoyed buying century homes and renovating them to restore their beauty. You can read more about the work this couple did restoring the century home Charlie’s Place in this article from The Observer, published June 12, 1999. That home was featured during the Doors Open Lambton County heritage home tour in 2012 and you can read the interpretive flyer about the home. According to Wyoming farmer, Scott Helps, “Arthur loved farming, working on the land and he felt it an obligation to leave the world a better place”. This included improving the land (tiling, reforesting) and the buildings he owned. Griffith left behind a rich legacy of quiet determination, hard work, and dedication to the land.
Community Contributions
- Ontario Federation of Agriculture
- National Farmers’ Union
- Crop and Soil Association
- Councillor, Lambton County Egg Producers (30 years)
- Councillor, Egg Producers’ Marketing Board (1970s)
- Member, Secan Seed Organization (supplier of certified seed to Canadian farmers)
- Chair of the Board of Stewards, Clerk of Session, and Board Trustee for St. Andrew’s B. & E. United Church
- Inwood Firemen’s Association, volunteer with 30 years of service, held several positions including President
- Chair of the Board of the Saunders Family Cemetery
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