Saskatchewan Ag Hall of Fame inductees cite grit as key factor in success

The Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame honours leaders in agriculture in the province who have made significant contributions.

There are four inductees this year, including:

• Rick Holm, professor emeritus in plant science at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) and former director of the Crop Development Centre;
• William (Bill) Jameson, founding partner of JGL Livestock;
• Robert (Bob) Tyler, Department Head of the Animal and Poultry Science department and professor at U of S; and
• Grant Devine former premier of the province, former agriculture minister, farmer, and university professor in ag economics

RealAgriculture’s Kara Oosterhuis caught up with Bob Tyler and Grant Devine at Western Canadian Crop Production Show (WCCPS) in Saskatoon, Sask., Jan. 11.

After summarizing his career Tyler humbly says that “I’ve been privileged to have those opportunities and every once in a while I guess, somebody thought I did a pretty decent job.”

“I always thought we could add more value to the raw products that we produce here, so rather than just sell grain we could sell flour, we could sell split peas, we could add various kinds of value,” says Devine of his career as an economist. “It was a little frustrating in about 1978 when I didn’t see any of that happening here and I was a professor, so I ended up getting into politics and saying if I do happen to win, we’re going to add a lot of value.”

Both Tyler and Devine were involved with Ag-West Bio, an organization that brought scientists and entrepreneurs together and according to Devine the multiplying effect of the organization was about “a billion-two or more.”

Despite their long lists of career accomplishments, Tyler and Devine remain humbled by the induction announcement.

“When you look at who’s in the Hall of Fame now, it’s a pretty impressive group, right, to know that somebody thinks you belong in that group, that’s a thrill actually,” says Tyler.

The four 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, Sask.

Watch the full conversation with Tyler, Devine, and RealAgriculture editor Kara Oosterhuis to hear more about how they got to where they are and what might be next for them:

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