| Fact & Fantasy: A History of Tavistock & District | Produce, Eggs, Poultry - Page 162-163 |
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| The Tavistock Produce Company - The Canada Poultryman, Aug. 1967 It was in 1946, October 14, that the company opened for business at the rear of the old Opera House Block. Brothers Les and Roy Knights, and their nephew Fred Ghent had long been "egg and poultry" men but always for someone else. " At 16 Les was odd-jobbing around an egg-grading station in which an older brother was partner." With long hours and good service to customer, the firm aw continuo us expansion in trucks and plant equipment. They built the steel barn on Decew street for their trucks, which now had replaced the car and trailer originally used to collect the farmers' eggs. In 1957 they bought the Kay Gee Farm and combined Holstein dairying, apple growing and egg grading. In February 1965 they moved to their new quarters on the farm, where the Tavistock Dairy had operated' for some years. "Tragedy stalked nearby. Roy's heart gave out and Les almost 'threw in the sponge'. Then came a few years of fighting for survival as the farm flocks disappeared. Tragically too, during this period Fred Ghent and his wife were killed in an automobile accident." In order to assure a steady supply of eggs the Kay Gee Poultry FanTI put up two laying houses, with 2 birds to a cage, 12000 in all, at the western edge of Town to take advantage of Town water and sewage disposal. Mrs. Lester (Helen) Yantzi tends these flocks, with help from the men folk in cleaning out the droppings. The eggs are fed by vacuum cup in the hands of Fred Keutsch onto a roller machine and as they move along they are steamed and washed and fan-dried. In the next compartment Mrs. Eva Brodrecht and Mrs. Audrey Schlitt take hourly turns in quality grading to remove cracks, blood spots etc. The eggs move along on belts and are automaticalIy graded and counted. As they roll into their proper weight grade, Mr. Don Wagner and the off-lady grader pack them into cardboard cartons for shipment, mostly to the Toronto market. Four trucks are on the road constantly. Les with the help of his trusted employees now acts in a supervisory capacity, the farm operation being cared for by the Snarey family. Mrs. Les Knights takes efficient care of the bookkeeping since Mrs. Poppelreiter moved to Detroit. The other employees are: Howard Brunk and Grant Krug. The Tavistock Egg Circle- 1948 Centennial Booklet "This business was organized in November 1919 with a membership of 51 patrons under the late Duncan N. McKellar, who acted as manager until ill-health forced his retirement. In the early days he would drive out with horse and rig and collect the eggs from his customers, or they would bring them in on Saturday night. Mr. McKellar could count eggs almost as fast as the modern machines, but unfortunately couldn't candle them at the same time. "On April 1, 1930 the business was purchased by Mr. Frank P. Corp, the membership having grown to 140. "On May I, 1940 Mr. Clarence C. Wettlaufer became the new owner with a membership of 190." Mr. Wettlaufer had twelve years of experience in the business world, with two as office and parts-manager for the Baech1er Ford agency, the rest in the cheese industry at Palmerston, Zenda, Atwood and German Union. Now trucks collect the eggs and bring them to the station, where under licence they are graded by machine, the first of which Mr. Wettlaufer installed in 1941. Here at his enlarged plant at 35 Elizabeth Street, Clarence carries on this fifty-year old business with a dealership in Master and Shur-gain Feeds. His registered number is: Reg. No. 0-133 Tavistock Poultry Farm- 73 William St. N. The owner and operator of this business is Wm. Ducklow who purchased the Adam Street plant from H.A. Wilker in 1951 and erected two more units on the South Easthope side of the Town Line, at Lichti's Creek, the old swimming-hole, that many of you will remember. Mr. Ducklow, our reeve for 1968, buys the baby chicks and raises them for about five months until they begin to lay. He estimates his turn-over to be 175,000 per year with 22,000 in his three plants and another 50,000 contracted out. His stock is of the Leghorn type with parent stock from New York State, through the co-operation of Buck Brothers Hatchery, Kitchener. Hand-servicing and daily inspection of the birds makes for quality laying stock; debeaking at six weeks and vaccination for bronchitis and Newcastle disease insure healthy birds for the laying flock, but also create steady employment for his son David and Mr. Leander Ramseyer. At the end of the five months, the first brood is moved out, the houses cleaned and fumigated and prepared for the next batch. 
Hope St. W. at western limits of village looking east, entrance toTavistock Cheese & Butter Co. to the left, Legion Hall on the right. 
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