Kleinsasser named to Sask Agriculture Hall of Fame

By Ian MacKay

Joe Kleinsasser of the Rosetown Hutterite Colony is among six people named to the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame.

Kleinsasser and the other inductees – Mary McKay Lindsay, Cecil Werner, Terry Baker, Mark Pickard and Norbert Beaujot – “have made significant contributions to the advancement of the agricultural industry” in this province, a hall of fame statement said.

L-R: Patricia Lewis on behalf of the late Mark Pickard, Kirk Thompson & Steven McKenzie on behalf of the late Mark McKay Lindsay, Joe Kleinsasser, Allan Wiens on behalf of Norbert Beaujot. Front: Cecil Werner. PHOTO COURTESY @REALAGRICULTURE

“This award recognizes a lifetime of commitment and innovation to create new companies, new products and new markets for Saskatchewan’s agriculture sector,” said hall of fame president Blair Cummins, who lives near Saskatoon, “They have made a lasting impact on agriculture and the province as a whole.”

Kleinsasser served on the Sask Pork board of directors from 2002 to 2009, was the first chairman of Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan and has served on the Saskatchewan Agri-Food Council board since 2019.

“He is a strong advocate for educating consumers about where their food comes from and the importance of the producer’s role,” it added.

Kleinsasser served and supported Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan since its establishment in 2014, noted a statement issued in 2024, when that organization honoured him with its Champion Award. He’s also directed SPI Marketing Group for 14 years and offered advice on research funding as a member of the agriculture development fund advisory committee.

“He has been a trailblazer, helping to develop progressive policies, demonstrating the importance of working collaboratively across all sectors and has always been a champion of ‘doing the right thing,’ ” said Adele Buettner of AgriBiz Communications, who was among those who nominated Kleinsasser for the Champion Award.

Beaujot, originally from southeast Saskatchewan, started Seed Hawk, Seedmaster and DOT Technology, after developing the first opener allowing farmers to seed directly into the previous year’s stubble.

Baker, who grew up near Cactus Lake, chairs Agrivita, a national non-profit promoting health and safety research in agriculture, and has chaired Viterra and the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.

McKay Lindsay, who lived north of Lloydminster but died in 1991, imported Highland cattle from Scotland, where she was born, and helped develop the Speckle Park breed.

Pickard, formerly of Saskatoon passed in April. He founded InfraReady as a subsidiary of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and, years later, bought it with other investors.

Werner started CanMar Grain Products, which became a major exporter of mill-roasted flax, with a flax-processing plant in Regina.