Frank Marinus Berkelaar
Born in Holland in 1940, Frank Berkelaar immigrated to Canada in 1953. When he was 19, Frank began work at the Truro Livestock Auction run by Veterinarian, Brian Nettleton. The first auction was held on April 24th, 1959 at the Truro Exhibition Grounds, with Frank joining Dr. Nettleton on the second week of the sale. This was the forerunner of what would become the Maritime Cattle Market. In 1960 Frank attended auction school in Mason City, Iowa. In 1964 the Market moved to its own new facilities by the railroad in Murray Siding.
In 1974 Frank purchased the Maritime Cattle Market from Dr. Nettleton and continued to build the business and reputation of the Market, expanding its services to include sales of all types of farm animals, farm machinery, hay, milk quota, etc. Frank is known and respected throughout North America for his ability as a businessman. This has enabled him to build the Market into the success it has become. He based his business on the premise that all involved in a sale must have a fair return and he worked continually towards this objective.
Frank has had other business interests as well. He and George Lacey partnered on the Island Livestock Sales in Charlottetown and also in a business known as the 鈥淏ulb Barn鈥�. As a result of their promotional and sales expertise, Dutch tulip bulbs popped up in gardens throughout the Atlantic Provinces. Frank also partnered with his brother Peter in operations on their home farm in Debert. They were involved in the production of cattle and crops such as onions and sweet corn.
Frank is an avid supporter of the 4-H movement and does whatever he can to support the activities of this organization. Since its inception, Frank routinely provided complimentary auctioneering services to the Nova Scotia 4-H Steer and Lamb Sale. In addition, church groups, firemen鈥檚 organizations, and many charitable auctions have benefitted from his auctioneering expertise.
In April, 2001 Frank was made an Honourary Member of the Nova Scotia Institute of Agrologists 鈥� an award which recognized his expertise and commitment to the local agricultural industry.
Perhaps the greatest contribution by Frank to the agricultural industry has been his role as a trusted advisor to farmers over the past 30 years. Frank is an extremely well respected voice for the livestock industry and has readily transferred this knowledge at the weekly sales, on the farm, and at producer meetings. He served on the ministerial task force on the beef industry in the mid 1990鈥檚, ensuring a balanced approach to discussion of issues and the development of policy.
The BSE crisis caused devastation on many farms, but it would have been even more serious without Frank Berkelaar and the Maritime Cattle Market. Frank was instrumental in providing credit to buyers so that markets and prices could be maintained for local farmers selling cattle.
Nominated by the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture for his lifelong commitment to the agricultural industry, Frank Berkelaar is a very deserving inductee into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame.