A full house of more than 400 people was in attendance Saturday evening at the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon as the members from the 2020 and 2021 classes were officially honoured.
The two cohorts entered the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame at the same time due to the COVID-19 pandemic postponing both induction ceremonies.
The list of inductees included a former federal agriculture minister, a former Saskatchewan premier as well as a handful of farmers and ranchers.
The Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame honours leaders in agriculture who have made significant contributions to the welfare and improvement of Saskatchewan Agriculture and the life of the family farm.
Biographies of all the inductees are listed below—-photos below the biographies are courtesy of Cherilyn Nagel via Twitter and Kelly Feige-submitted.
CLASS 2020
Adele Buettner has held many leadership roles during her career and is a dedicated volunteer and a sought after public speaker. She founded AgriBiz Communications Corp. in 1993, serving the management, marketing and communication needs of agriculture and food organizations and businesses. Under her guidance, the Foundation for Animal Care in Saskatchewan grew into the Farm Animal Council, then in 2014 Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan was established with a wider focus on crops and animal agriculture. Adele was executive director in each of these evolutions. She has provided leadership on many boards, including as past president of Agriculture in the Classroom and Saskatoon Prairieland Park, among other roles.
John Feige (d.2004), born and raised in Parkside, helped promote beef genetics across the globe through his involvement with the Hereford Association and has a long list of community involvement. He received the Cattlemen of the Year Award in 1991 and the Saskatchewan Livestock Association Honor Roll in 1995. He received the Canadian Hereford Association Honor Roll, and was honored at the Prince Albert Exhibition and Saskatoon Fall Fair, both in 1998. He was then honored posthumously by Prince Albert 4-H in 2005. John loved life on the farm and was proud to be a part of the agricultural business in Saskatchewan.
Jack Hay has lived in the Bradwell area all of his life and is highly active in his community and in the agriculture business. He was a board member of Prairieland Park and was instrumental in developing the Seager Wheeler Pedigreed Seed Show which started in 1994. He served on the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame board for 22 years and was a member of the Saskatchewan Maine Anjou Association for 25 years, including five as chair, and also served as chairman of the Agricore United Producer Advisory Group, the Western Development Museum, and the Saskatchewan Livestock Association.
Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame · Founded in 1971
Eileen and William Lamont (d. 2012 and 2013) – One of the Lamonts’ biggest achievements was developing the Speckle Park cattle breed, one of the few beef cattle breeds developed in Canada. The breed began when the Lamonts purchased a speckled heifer in 1959 and bred the heifer with a black angus bull. Three Speckle Park steers were shown at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto in 1972. The breed has been growing in popularity ever since; the Speckle Park was recognized as a distinct breed in 2006.
The Lamonts were posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Saskatchewan Cattlemen Association in 2016. The couple farmed near Maidstone and were very active in their community. Bill was a talented horseman and cattleman and a leader in his community in teaching humane handling. Together, the Lamont’s started the first riding club in the area called The Hill and Gully Riders. They are the first to be inducted into the Hall together as a couple.
The Honourable Gerry Ritz was Member of Parliament for Battlefords-Lloydminster from 1997 until 2017 and was Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food for eight years. He played a key role in several international trade initiatives during his tenure. He played a major role in updating legislation to improve grain transportation by rail, as well as privatizing the Canadian Wheat Board. He led the development of the first Growing Forward Initiative in 2008, where the federal government and the provinces/territories committed $1.3 billion dollars over five years to make sure the diverse needs of Canadian producers were met. He was presented the Beef Industry Innovation and Sustainability Award by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association in 2017.
Ted Serhienko has a long history in the livestock industry locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. T Bar C Cattle Co. Ltd began as a purebred Hereford operation and grew as Ted saw a need for sales management and consulting services. His knowledge of all breeds of cattle also made him one of the most desired judges throughout Canada, including at Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) and the Toronto Royal, in addition to many 4H and Junior Shows across Saskatchewan. He volunteered for more than 30 years with CWA and also brought his leadership to the Prairieland Park agriculture programs as an active volunteer for many years, including serving on the Prairieland Park board of directors.
CLASS 2021
Grant Devine, premier of Saskatchewan from 1982 to 1991 and former agriculture minister, farmer, agricultural economist and university professor, positioned agriculture throughout his career as the foundation for economic growth in the province. He brought forward policies that supported the industry through challenging production years, such as guaranteed loans to young farmers and provincewide natural gas. He championed innovation and science, establishing Ag-West Bio to lead work on biotechnology, while the province’s Agriculture Development Fund began during his tenure to advance agricultural research. He was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2015.
Rick Holm, a professor emeritus of plant sciences and former director of the Crop Development Centre (CDC) at the University of Saskatchewan, made many contributions to the industry through his research on weed control and crop development. His weed control research was applied and designed to serve the needs of farmers. As director of the CDC, he advanced expansion of the pulse lab and played a key role in supporting the development and commercialization of Clearfield wheat and lentil varieties in Canada. He made significant efforts to transfer his research results and knowledge to producers at events and conferences, with a practical, down-to-earth approach to weed science and extension that was appreciated by producers.
William (Bill) Jameson, founding partner of JGL Livestock, one of the premier cattle trading firms in North America providing a host of services for livestock producers, has supported the growth of the Saskatchewan cattle market and provincial economy. He has held various leadership positions at the provincial and national levels and has championed the next generation of leaders through programs such as the JGL Legacy Scholarship and his personal mentorship and development of others. He has a deep involvement with industry groups, having served as president of the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association and chair of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association and is always working to ensure the cattle industry has a strong, collective voice.
Robert (Bob) Tyler has been referred to as the father of value-added pulse processing in Saskatchewan. He has been involved in teaching, research and extension in the areas of crop quality and utilization, protein and starch functionality, and food processing and product development, spanning 40 years. He is a professor and department head of animal and poultry science at the University of Saskatchewan College of Agriculture and Bioresources and his many leadership roles have included chair of both Ag-West Bio and the Saskatchewan Agri-Food Council. He was instrumental in forming and developing Protein Industries Canada, and is frequently called on as a passionate educator, agri-business supporter and agri-food advocate.
The Feige family celebrating the induction of John Feige (husband, father and grandpa). Photo-April 9, 2022 at Saskatoon Western Development Museum.
(Cherilyn Nagel with Adele Buettner-April 9, 2022)
(Cherilyn Nagel making induction speech for former federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz-April 9, 2022)