Five individuals and one couple are being recognized for their contributions to agriculture in our province.

The inductees are: Adele Buettner, John Feige, Jack Hay, Eileen and William (Bill) Lamont, the Honourable Gerry Ritz and Ted Serhienko. The Lamonts and John Feige are being inducted posthumously.

The 2020 Ag Hall of Fame class has a lengthy resume of personal accomplishments and volunteer activities.

Adele Buettner founded AgriBiz Communications in 1993. A one person operation has grown into a business with ten employees.

“Starting out in business, you are told to surround yourself with the right people,” Buettner said. “Smart and ambitious people, that’s what I have in the office.

Agribiz Communications works with agricultural organizations and businesses across the country. Buettner also provided leadership on many volunteer boards, including past president of Saskatoon Prairieland Park and Agriculture in the Classroom.

John Feige was a well-known cattle producer in the Shellbrook area. He was actively involved with the Hereford Association and received the Cattlemen of the Year Award in 1991.

John passed away in 2004, but is still well remembered by many in the cattle business.

“Through this, I’ve had a few phone calls and reconnected with some people,” said Twila Fisher, John’s daughter who attended the Tuesday news conference. “The stories they told, it was quite overwhelming actually.”

“He always had a joke to tell and was the life of the party so to speak. He had a heart warming smile that everyone remembers,” Fisher said.

Eileen and William Lamont will also be inducted posthumously. The Lamonts will be the first couple ever inducted into the Sask Ag Hall of Fame.

“There are couples in the hall, but each are in based on their own individual merit,” said Reed Andrew. “It became apparent that we needed to have an area where we could have a couple go in together.”

The Lamonts were big promoters of the Speckle Park cattle breed. They purchased a speckled heifer in 1959. Speckle Parks grew in popularity and are now recognized as a distinct breed. The couple farmed in the Maidstone area and started the first riding club in the area.

Gerry Ritz is likely the most recognizable name in the 2020 Ag Hall of Fame Class. Ritz was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Battlefords-Lloydminster for two decades between 1997-2007. He was also the federal agriculture minister for eight years and played key roles in updating grain transportation legislation and privatizing the Canadian Wheat Board.

Ritz remembers his good working relationship with the different areas of the agriculture sector.

“We had a tremendous partnership and I think that is what made it work,” he said. “Our ability to sit around the value chain round tables that we created of each industry group. The chairs of those became my advisory board. So when we came out with policies, we already knew that they were going to hit the target.”

Jack Hay is the oldest member of the 2020 class at 82 years of age. He has lived in the Bradwell area, southeast of Saskatoon, for all of that time. Hay has extensive volunteer experience with the Saskatchewan Maine-Anjou Association, Prairieland Park and the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame board for 22 years. Hay was also instrumental in developing the Seager Wheeler Pedigreed Seed Show in 1994.

Ted Serhienko is very well known in the cattle business having started T Bar C Cattle Company. He was a sought after judge for purebred cattle shows and spent countless hours volunteering at 4-H events and Canadian Western Agribition.

“Those young people are our future. I think you can ask any company, if you have 4-H on their background, those people have a work ethic,” Serhienko said.

The Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on April 18th at the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon.

(Above picture from left to right:  Gerry Ritz, Ted Serhienko, Adele Buettner, Jack Hay, Kelly Feige, Christine Pike and Twila Fisher. Feige and Fisher and John Feige’s children while Pike is Eileen Lamont’s sister)  Photo taken by Angela Hall