The Saskatchewan agricultural industry is dealing with some sad news this week after the passing of former agricultural minister, Lyle Stewart.
I have fond memories of my personal encounters with Lyle as the agriculture minister. Stewart’s tenure as ag minister overlaps with RealAgriculture really ramping up in the field activities (the early to mid 2010s) covering issues in agriculture, so I saw a lot of him at different events.
His first appearance as minister was at the Saskatchewan Stockgrowers meeting in the Cypress Hills. He had been named minister at the end of the previous week. He was thrown into the hornet’s nest, because the federal government was making changes to pasture leases (if I remember correctly) and ranchers in the province were irate and looking for answers.
It was a tough first public appearance for a minister of any speaking and debate skill level, but Lyle handled it well. Speaking in front of a crowd was never his greatest strength, however it greatly improved over the years. He was soft-spoken and whether producers agreed with him or not, they knew that he was one of them and could be trusted. That goes a long way in politics.
My other memory is related to how authentic he was. At a Wheat Growers BBQ one year, I approached Lyle and asked for a quick interview. He called me by name without any introduction and said, “Yes, of course, but on one condition.” Now, most ministers or their handlers would have wanted to know what the topic was, how long of an interview you needed, and what the questions were. But not Lyle. His condition was that we would make time to have a beer together to chat, as he had just as many questions for me on ag issues relevant to the province as I did for him.
As a RealAgriculture audience member texted me last night, “he was good people.” He will be missed.
