Over 45 years, Harvey W. Beaty successfully devoted his working life to agriculture, in which he had an abiding faith. He organized farms, built farm organizations and developed people. Because he became a paraplegic in an accident in his youth, Mr. Beaty learned to build with people. Harvey was founder and builder of Cold Spring Farms Limited and affiliated companies. He purchased his first farm of 100 acres in Thamesford in 1949 and added to it until there were 60 farms containing 8,745 acres in Ontario in 1994 and further holdings in the USA.

Harvey Beaty led and co-ordinated the growth of enterprises in turkeys, beef, pork and grain. To support these operations he diversified into a feed mill, grain elevators, a processing plant, a rendering plant, farm machinery dealership, automotive workshops, fertilizer plant, fabrication, construction and development.

Harvey and his wife Erma raised three children in Thamesford.

Mr. Beaty encouraged and assisted employees to grow to their potential, including many of those who left his employ to become entrepreneurs and received continuing assistance from him. Today, some 700 persons are employed by Cold Spring Farms and ownership of the group of companies will in time devolve to some 35 managers and supervisors.

Harvey Beaty served as director of many organizations. Included are the Ontario Turkey Producers’ Marketing Board, Ontario Egg Producers’ Marketing Board, Ontario Poultry Council, Poultry Products Institute of Canada and the Poultry Industry Conference and Exhibition. He assisted in the formation of several of these and the Ontario Poultry Centre.

Harvey served as director of the Oxford and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture; and on the Thamesford Village Council, Covent Gardens Association, Western Farm Association, and the Ontario Food Council. Harvey Beaty was involved in assignments for the Economic Council of Canada, Canadian Grains Council, and the Canadian Tariff Board.