Born in Simcoe on September 22, 1941, Tom’s drive to become a farmer was well established as a youngster despite being warned of its many hardships. After graduating from Simcoe High School, Tom apprenticed as a millwright, working in Delhi and later at Borg Warner Auto Parts in Simcoe. In 1966, he married Joan Collin, a nurse at Norfolk General Hospital, and the two saved enough money to purchase Tom’s grandparents’ farm near Vittoria. The couple raised their family, continued on with their own careers, and invested everything into the 50-acre farm. Their hard work and dedication meant continual growth for T&J Haskett Farms Inc. and with the help of family and friends, the enterprise grew into a diverse 200-acre operation.
Tom’s support of Norfolk County’s agriculture saw him take on leadership roles through a variety of organizations. This included the Norfolk Fruit Growers Association where he served on the Board of Directors and as the provincial representative to the Canadian Horticultural Council for the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association. Understanding the importance of crop diversification, Tom worked with the University of Guelph and the Ontario Horticultural Institute on best practices and development. During this time, he chaired the Processing Strawberry Research Corporation and formed a partnership with local berry farmer Gary Cooper to establish Granny’s Best which supplied strawberry puree to companies like E.D. Smith.
Tom’s innovative approach to the industry included continued education with courses in resource management. This led to his long-standing involvement with the Long Point Regional Conservation Authority. Innovation was also a driving factor in the farm’s expansion of apple production which lead to the creation of Uncle Tom’s Farm Inc.
The family had always enjoyed making apple cider and over the years had developed their own cider recipes. Putting his millwrighting skills to good use, Tom installed the necessary equipment to go into full production. To support this new branch of the farm, The Cider Keg was opened on highway 24 in 1990. The retail outlet provided a much needed direct market for the farm’s produce along with the carbonated non-alcoholic ciders. In short order, the brand became a household name and put Norfolk County on the map with sales to major grocery and retail chains across Canada. During the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, toasted the nation with a glass of Uncle Tom’s sparkling apple cider. Today the Cider Keg wholesale production line and the Cider Keg Farm Market continues to operate with Tom’s children, Mike, Cheryl and Tracy playing important roles with operations.
“I tried at least one new thing every year. Some have paid off and some have been duds, but you keep trying.” –Tom Haskett
- Arthur Loughton (2015)
- Richard Walker (2015)
- Harry B. Barrett (2016)
- Larry Chanda (2016)
- Monroe Landon (2016)
- Andy Zei (2016)
- Ronald Judd (2017)
- David MacLaren (2017)
- St. Williams Forestry Station (2018)
- Hellyer Ginseng (2018)
- Bauke Vogelzang (2018)
- Norfolk Fruit Growers’ Association (2019)
- Ken Porteous (2019)
- David Reid (2019)
- Jim and Mary Field (2020)
- Robert Laning (2020)
- Annie Zaluski (2020)
- Raymond E. Anderson (2022)
- Ag-Awareness Program at the Norfolk County Fair & Horse Show (2022)
- Henry Harris Groff (2022)
- Irene Anderson (2023)
- John Strickler Martin (2023)
- Kernal Peanuts (2023)
- Tom Haskett (2024)
- Jacob Joseph Proracki (2024)