Norm Blodgett was born in South Monaghan Township and attended area schools before enrolling at the Kemptville College of Agricultural Technology. After graduating in 1952 he began working with A.C. (Cliff) Curtis where he became service manager of the company that sold and serviced farm equipment throughout Peterborough County. Later he accepted a position with the DeLaval Separator Co., selling and installing insulated milk tanks. He also worked with the farmers Mutual Insurance Co. as inspector, travelling across Ontario’s agricultural sector inspecting property damage and loss. In 1973 he purchased a small insurance brokerage known as Darling Insurance and this firm eventually became the largest brokerage for the Farmers Mutual in Ontario. Today this business is owned and operated by his son Peter.

Norm spent his entire career working with farmers and serving their needs in machinery, dairy equipment and insurance. Over the years his positive attitude, expert leadership, and sense of fairness has been evident to everyone with whom he came in contact, including 4-H members, Junior Farmers, his church family, and his many clients, both in Peterborough County and beyond.

Norm’s efforts also went above and beyond his business ventures. In 2002 he chaired the “Hay West” campaign which resulted in carloads of hay being assembled here in Ontario to be sent to drought-stricken farmers in Western Canada. From 2003 to 2006 he chaired the International Plowing Match (IPM) Peterborough County Committee. Under his guidance this event was hugely successful and resulted in some $200,000 being donated to several agricultural organizations in Peterborough County, including $75,000 to the Agricultural Heritage Building at Lang Pioneer Village.

Nominated by Jim and Marg Glenn, Glen Isle Farms Ltd. 2017