A former Saskatchewan premier and the founding partner of a major cattle trading company are among the newest inductees into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame.
Grant Devine, Bill Jameson, Rick Holm and Bob Tyler are being recognized for their outstanding contributions to Saskatchewan agriculture.
The four men will be inducted in the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame on April 9th during a dinner and ceremony at the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon. They will be joined by members of the 2020 Ag Hall of Fame class, which was not able to have its ceremony last year due to the COVID pandemic.
A brief overview of their career accomplishments is below:
Grant Devine, premier of Saskatchewan from 1982 to 1991 and former agriculture minister, farmer, agricultural economist and university professor. Devine 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 province wide 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. Devine 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. Holm 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 play a key role in support the development and commercialization of Clearfield wheat and lentils in Canada. Holm 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, has supported the growth of the Saskatchewan cattle market and provincial economy. Jameson 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. Tyler 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. 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.
(Above picture: Bob Tyler and Grant Devine at Jan 11, 2022 news conference for Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame)
(Below pictures are submitted pictures of Rick Holm and Bill Jameson, who were unable to attend the news conference)
