Five new members will be enshrined recognized later this year
By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com
Five members of Saskatchewan’s ag community make up the province’s Ag Hall of Fame’s class of 2018.
The group includes cattle breeders, producers, and representatives from the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Biosciences.
Dr. Henry Classen, a poultry researcher from the university, is among the inductees.
He has taught and researched poultry welfare, nutrition and management for 40 years.
Becoming a member of the hall of fame is a nice early parting gift for Classen, who plans on retiring in July 2019.
Henry Classen
“I was very excited to get the news – I certainly wasn’t expecting it,” he told Farms.com today. “I was born and raised in Saskatchewan, so to be recognized for contributing to the province’s agricultural industry means a lot to me.”
Classen earned his Bachelor of Science and Arts (BSA) from the University of Saskatchewan in 1971. He received his Master of Science (MSc) and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts between 1971 and 1974.
And the poultry industry has seen substantial changes in the poultry industry since Classen graduated university.
For example, today’s birds are genetically superior to those in the past, Classen said.
“For me, the genetic change in the birds we’re utilizing – their growth rate and feed efficiency – is quite noticeable,” he said. “The direction of the breeding is another big change. There have been some negatives along the way but it’s been mostly positive.”
Another noticeable development over his career is the emphasis on animal welfare, he added.
Rounding out the 2018 induction class are
- Dr. Brian Fowler, whose research focuses on the breeding of winter wheat rye,
- Vernon Racz, who served as director of the Saskatchewan Feed Testing Laborator and founder of the Prairie Feed Resource Centre,
- Douglas Howe, a producer and Charolais and Red Angus breeder from Moose Jaw, and
- Joan Heath, a producer and canola advocate from Radisson.
Farms.com extends is congratulations to all the inductees!