Donald N. MacKenzie
Donald N. MacKenzie’s name is associated with good farming practices and quality potatoes for the domestic and export market.
His father was a farmer in a small PEI farming community and Don worked his summers with another farmer – H. B. Willis. After graduation from Prince of Wales College and spending two years at McGill University in Montreal, the lure of farming brought him back home to work. Don became a partner in H. B. Willis Inc. in 1952. In 1953 it was decided that H. B. Willis Inc. would expand its operation in western PEI and Don moved with his family to O’Leary to oversee the expansion and run the operation. In 1969 Elm Farms Inc., an associate company of H. B. Willis Inc. was formed with Don as President and major shareholder. Don was not only involved with the North American Market, but the export market as well, which required him to visit many countries in the Caribbean, South America, Europe and North Africa promoting and selling Prince Edward Island potatoes.
Many ideas and systems for improving the capacity and quality of the potato industry are attributed to Don MacKenzie. Some examples include the double spool potato sizer, the first I00Ib bagger on PEI and the introduction of the method of using tags to accurately count potatoes being loaded on ships. He pioneered packing seed potatoes in wooden crates rather than barrels for export and running early experiments with “Green Sprouting”. He worked with Allen Potato Handling Equipment to design a new loading device for loading potatoes in bad weather.
Don was a dealer representative for many years on the PEI Potato Marketing Board, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Potatoes Canada, Chairman of the PEI Dealers Association, member of Ports and Harbours Advisory Committee for Transport Canada, and Director of the Atlantic Provinces Transportation Committee. He was one of the early promoters of the PEI potato industry hosting the 65th annual meeting of the Potato Association of America.
Don was the deserving recipient of many awards, including the Bell’s Award from the Prince County Caledonia Club for outstanding contribution to Scottish culture in 1991 and , induction into the Potato Hall of Fame in the Prince Edward Island Potato Museum in 2000. He was made Honourary Lifetime Director of the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada and recognized by the Caledonia Club of PEI and Island Petroleum for outstanding contribution to the promotion and preservation of Scottish traditions on PEI. Don was also given the Potato Industry Recognition Award in 2005 by the PEI Potato Board.
Don and his wife Marion were named citizens of the year by the O’Leary Potato Blossom Festival Board in 1993. Together, they raised three children, Heather, Janet and Margaret.
Nominated by the Prince Edward Island Potato Museum for dedicating his life to the potato industry, Donald N. MacKenzie is indeed a deserving inductee into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame.