An Okotokian is among the new faces adorning the walls of the now-permanent Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame.
Dr. Kee Jim of Okotoks was inducted into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame, recognized as the Department of Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation’s oldest and most prestigious award, in an induction ceremony on Jan. 29.
Jim, who grew up on a ranch in the interior of British Columbia, founded Feedlot Health Management Services in 1983, which was acquired by TELUS Agriculture in 2020.
According to the Government of Alberta, Jim's innovative and data-driven approach to feedlot cattle health and effective disease protocols have contributed significantly to strengthening Alberta’s cattle industry.
Jim is also an inductee of the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame and has previously been a recipient of the American Association of Bovine Practitioner’s Practitioner of the Year award.
The Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame, located at the Reynolds Museum in Wetaskiwin, was created in 1951 to recognize outstanding contributions in shaping the progress and prosperity of Alberta agriculture. Since 1951, 144 men and women have been named to the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame for their innovation and unwavering dedication to the agriculture industry.
Also inducted were Blair Roth, from Lethbridge, for his role in developing pulse crops as a dryland farming option, shaping early agronomics, variety selection and marketing strategies, and Manfred Kanehl, from Parkland County, who was posthumously inducted for his contributions and advancements to animal welfare and food safety within the Canadian egg industry and for pioneering the Start Clean – Stay Clean on-farm food safety program launched nationally and still in use today.
“I am honoured to welcome three new inductees to the Agriculture Hall of Fame. They have helped to raise awareness of the vital role of agriculture and were essential to the early development of our province," said Agriculture Minister RJ Sigurdson.
The induction, which was the 41st in the Hall of Fame's long history, was accompanied by the establishment of a permanent exhibit at the Reynolds Museum, which will showcase both new and former inductees, as well as Alberta's centuries-long history of agriculture.
"This year, I am thrilled to open the Ag Hall of Fame exhibit, a permanent space to celebrate the legacy and innovations that shape Alberta’s agricultural industry," said Sigurdson.
The exhibit will be permanently housed in the grain elevator at the Reynolds Museum and will preserve and celebrate the stories, milestones and legacy of Alberta’s agricultural history through two interactive displays that provide access to biographies, photos and videos of Hall of Fame inductees as well as a large-scale display with banners and wall mounts combining text, imagery and design elements that showcase the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame and Alberta Century Farm and Ranch Award programs.
