Pig industry man of repute

THE death of Keith Palmer Fowler in August this year at the age of 87 recalled memories of one of Toowoomba’s outstanding people in the local pig industry.

Keith’s Northlea Stud Farm was one of the earliest Landrace Studs in Australia.

It was at 156 Hogg Street, close to Ron Hudson’s Rondel Stud Piggery. Northlea had many achievements. Keith Fowler was the most successful Landrace exhibitor at the Brisbane and Toowoomba Royal Shows in 1968, 1969 and 1970. His stud also offered the first Performance Tested Landrace boar by a Performance Tested sire for private sale in 1970.

The foundation stock for Keith Fowler’s Landrace Stud were the progeny of original imports from Northern Ireland or their progeny.

In 1969, Northlea, which was on 5.6ha of rural suburban land, was an intensive piggery running 50 sows. It also had 30 dry sow stalls which were partially slatted.

Keith Fowler was a forwardthinker in the pig industry.

He served on the planning committee which led to the establishment in 1970 of a major piggery and teaching complex at the Queensland Agricultural College, Gatton.

DON TALBOT, (former associate editor of the Pig Farmer magazine, Toowoomba).