Charles A. Zavitz 1863-1942

Charles A. Zavitz 1863-1942. . , Assistant Superintendent of Experiments, Ontario Agricultural College, 1888-1904 , Head, Department of Field Husbandry, Ontario Agricultural College, 1904-1927, Charles Zavitz was born in Coldstream, Ontario, in 1863. He graduated from the two-year program at the Ontario Agricultural College in 1886 and was appointed assistant chemist. When the three-year degree program was introduced, Zavitz enrolled and was one of the first five students to receive a BSA, conferred by the University of Toronto in 1888. Within five years, he was solely responsible for experiments and was named head of the new Department of Field Husbandry in 1904., Using a variety of seeds from around the world, Zavitz implemented innovative selective breeding techniques, small experimental plots, and meticulous measurements and testing. He increased Ontario's crop yields exponentially by using the Ontario Agricultural Experimental Union to distribute his experimental materials throughout the province., Zavitz increased alfalfa production, experimented with potatoes and pioneered the culture of soybeans in Ontario. He is best remembered, however, for his development of cereal crops, particularly OAC 21 barley. The leading variety of barley for over 30 years, OAC 21 provided the basis for almost all subsequent varieties and became the standard malting barley in the brewing industry. Zavitz was named the first Canadian Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy in 1912. The University of Toronto awarded him an honourary Doctor of Science degree in 1916 to honour him as a scientist, teacher and a man of peace. In 1935, the University of Western Ontario awarded him a Doctor of Laws degree. Zavitz was inducted posthumously into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1974 and the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1999, he received a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Guelph to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Ontario Agricultural College., Zavitz Hall 1914 , Generously donated by The Summers Family , In recognition of the Schneller and Summers families' commitment to farming and rural activities and the four generations who attended OAC. ,