Jim Duffy is a fifth-generation farmer who grew up on a farm in East Lambton. He attended Ridgetown College of Agriculture and Technology (RCAT) where he was heavily involved in student politics and met his future wife, Anne. He received the United Cooperatives of Ontario Leadership Award at graduation in 1969 and has acted as chairman of the RCAT Alumni Association.
Duffy has had a lifelong dedication to 4-H. He has completed twenty 4-H projects in field crops, beef, and swine. He was president of the Brooke Township Junior Farmers. After graduating from college, Duffy moved to the Stratford area and worked as an Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs extension assistant in Perth County. Here he consulted with farmers and managed youth programs. Notably, the local 4-H program grew from 10 to 24 clubs during his tenure.
Duffy married Anne in 1969. In 1973, they purchased a farm near Wilkesport, in St. Clair Township. Since then, their farm and family have grown. The farm’s clay soil must be managed carefully to be productive. Soil management and crop rotation have yielded success. Now 1,000 acres, the fields are planted with grains, oilseeds, and alfalfa. Since 2007, Duffy has farmed in partnership with his children Ryan and Gord and their families. He has two other married children, Randy and Lisa, 11 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.
Over the years, Duffy has played an active role in many agricultural organizations. In 1981, he won the Ontario Pork Producer Award for service to the Lambton County pork industry. He has been president and vice president of the Lambton Federation of Agriculture, director and chairman of the Lambton Soil and Crop Association, and director of the Lambton soybean and wheat commodity boards.
He has also been active in his community. In 1976, Duffy joined the Wilkesport Community Centre board, focusing on fundraising to build the centre. He continued oversight of the board until 2005. He was on the Lambton Mutual Insurance board for 27 years including terms as chair and vice chair. He coached his children in hockey and baseball and contributed to those organizations as a board member. He even dabbled in municipal politics in the early 1980s, as a Councillor for Sombra Township. In 2002, Duffy received a Queen’s Jubilee Medal for outstanding contributions to the community.
Community Contributions:
- United Cooperatives of Ontario Leadership Award (1969)
- President, Brooke Township Junior Farmers
- Ontario Pork Producer Award (1981)
- President and vice president, Lambton Federation of Agriculture
- Director and chairman, Lambton Soil and Crop Association
- Board member, Lambton Mutual Insurance, 27 years
- Councillor, Sombra Township
- Queen’s Jubilee Medal (2002)
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