AV俱乐部

The late Thomas Wilhelm Brown (1906-1976) was born and raised in Musgravetown, Newfoundland.

Tom Brown's contributions to the agricultural industry in Newfoundland were many. He was tenacious, hard working, honest, and a very generous man. He knew what he wanted to do in life and he was prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve his objectives. He wanted to be a farmer in Newfoundland. In 1934 he established Riverdale Farms in Lethbridge. His first piece of machinery was a Planet Jr. horse hoe. Mr. Brown's work in the area did not go unnoticed as others began the arduous task of establishing a commercial farming operation. In hindsight it is evident that Mr. Brown's pioneering efforts led to the establishment of a viable farming industry in the Lethbridge area of Newfoundland.

Innovation played a key role in the success that Mr. Brown enjoyed. He used natural fertilizers such as squid and caplin which were in abundance. Before the days of local greenhouses he started cabbage seedlings in raised beds in sheltered areas. Tom found that, without electricity, ice chopped from the nearby river, in combination with sawdust from the local sawmills, provided adequate insulation for the preservation of the crop. Mr. Brown was the first farmer in the area to grow strawberries commercially. He knew the value of technology and often was the first to introduce new equipment to the farming operation. He built the first vegetable storage facility in the area.

Thomas Brown concentrated on raising root crops rather than animals, although he imported cattle from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as feeders for fall markets. As the market for both vegetables and beef grew, the Cabot Highway opened to Clarenville and Bonavista and made transportation to market more efficient. He also began to import fertilizer for sale to smaller farmers in the area. Often he was not paid for the fertilizers until their crops were grown and sold. His generosity in this regard went a long way to furthering the establishment of the industry.

Mr. Brown gave freely of his time in promoting the agricultural industry in the Lethbridge area in particular, and Newfoundland in general. He made sure there was a job on his farm for young people about to finish high school and who wanted to further their education.

Thomas Brown was committed to his family, church and community. In his own way, he was a philanthropist. When the community received electricity, he donated the installation of lights in the church. In 1963, on the occasion of the church's 50^th anniversary, Tom wrote the book, Forward in Faith. The members of the church knew that if Tom Brown was not in church on Sunday, he was either too sick to attend or he was away from home. Thomas Brown was looked upon as a role model by many. There are those who feel they are better people today for having known him.

Thomas Wilhelm Brown was nominated by the Goose Head Farm Women's Association and his contributions to the agricultural industry are recognized by Induction in the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame.