Source: Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
The Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to Alberta’s agriculture and food industry, and to the development and sustainability of rural life in Alberta. Since 1951, more than 141 Albertans have been honoured for their leadership and accomplishments in the agriculture sector.
“Agriculture and rural communities are a foundational part of Alberta’s history and will continue to drive economic development. In a time when innovation and diversification are increasingly important, I congratulate the inductees for their vision, dedication and pioneering spirit. Their hard work to improve agricultural practices, grow the industry and educate the next generation is helping build a stronger future for our province.”
The Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame inducts individuals every two years. The 2022 Agriculture Hall of Fame inductees are:
- Bruce Beattie, from Mountain View County, for his outstanding contribution as a driving force shaping the dairy sector and Alberta Milk.
- Simone Demers-Collins, from Edmonton, for her leadership as an agriculture and agri-food advocate, educator and food champion.
- Jack Lewis (posthumous induction), from Parkland County, for pioneering new farming techniques for seed potato production, founding the potato growers’ co-operative and advancing agricultural education.
Since the pandemic prevented a formal induction process in 2020, those inductees are also being honoured this year. They include:
- Walter Paszkowski, from Sexsmith, for his instrumental vision and dedication building the canola industry into a key agricultural economic driver in Alberta.
- David Price, from Acme, for his outstanding contribution as an innovator and visionary in swine genetics, production, processing and marketing for more than 50 years.
- George Visser, from Barrhead, for his leadership in building Alberta’s pork industry and advocating for value-added agriculture and rural economic development.
