The CSBE-SCGAB Society placed a historical marker in Aylmer, Quebec during our 2004 Technical Conference in Ottawa (combined with ASABE). Philippe Savoie was the Author and Yves Choinière the President.  

“A historical plaque commemorating the invention of the forage harvester was dedicated on Aug. 2, 2004, in the Aylmer neighborhood of the City of Gatineau in Quebec. The plaque emphasizes the inventiveness of William Conroy (1850-1915) who lived in Aylmer and developed several agricultural machines for the family farm. In 1891 Conroy received a U.S. patent (No. 465,127) for the first field hay chopper. Conroy also served as mayor of Aylmer, 1882-1884 and 1891-1892. If you have the opportunity to visit the Aylmer area, make sure you stop at the Symmes Inn Museum in Aylmer, Quebec to learn more about local history and an important development related to hay and forage technology”.