Michael Bland
Michael Bland was born in 1936 in Yorkshire England.聽 He attended Bristol College of Navigation and received his Masters ticket in 1956.聽聽 He served in the British Navy until 1959 when he went to work on various farms and veterinary practices. 聽He returned to school in 1963 and received his Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Bristol in 1970.
After practicing veterinary medicine in England, Dr. Bland immigrated to Canada, working for a short time with Agriculture Canada in Moncton, then moving to Newfoundland in 1970 where he worked for the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Agriculture as the first large animal veterinarian in Central Newfoundland.聽 He opened and operated the Exploits Valley Animal Hospital Ltd. until 2000.
In 1975 he started Hamer Farm Ltd., a commercial egg layer production operation. In 2000, he started Elixir Organics Ltd., which produces 4,000 Sea-buckthorn trees, and in 2005 he began raising organic beef.
From the start, Dr. Bland has been involved in community life, serving on many boards and associations.聽 He has been directly involved with the Newfoundland and Labrador Egg Producers Board for over 35 years as producer, director and chairman. 聽He was Director and Chairman of Newfoundland Egg Marketing Board being chair for three terms, director and president of Mid-Island Egg Producers Co-op, director of Central Newfoundland Farmers Co-op and director of Newfoundland & Labrador Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. Bland has been a strong supporter of general agriculture in the province and was directly involved by volunteering his time to many other agricultural boards and committees, serving as president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture and president of Wooddale Agricultural Society. 聽His leadership style has always focused on the growth of the entire provincial agriculture industry.
In serving the broader community, Dr. Bland has been director of Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, chairman of Canadian Red Cross Water Safety (Corner Brook), member of Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary in Newfoundland for ten years, on the Board of Management for Bishop Falls United Church, Sunday school teacher at Churchill Methodist Church in England and member of the Grand Falls Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Bland always chooses to take the high road and to do the right thing rather than what is easy. He has the ability to persevere when challenged with bureaucracy in order to achieve a successful outcome. His high standards for animal care have carried into the industry. Dr. Bland鈥檚 involvement with exploring new and innovative aspects of agriculture shows his commitment to expanding the province鈥檚 agricultural base.聽 As an example of his dedication to developing the farming industry, Dr. Bland introduced the concept of feeding silage to dairy cows to local producers.
Dr. Bland is married to Jacqueline White and they have two children, Howard and Liesl.
Nominated by the Egg Producers of Newfoundland and Labrador for his contribution to agriculture and the rural community, Dr. Michael James Bland is indeed a worthy inductee into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame.