2013 Prime of Life Achievement Award

Distinguished Professor Emeritus Brian Rossnagel has been a leader in the agriculture of Saskatchewan and the prairies. He has been a pioneer in breeding of barley and oat through his research at the University of Saskatchewan. His varieties have invariably dominated the acreage for their type when released for production and have been widely used as germplasm in breeding programs in Canada and around the world. In addition, Brian has been a tireless and effective public servant. He has provided sage advice to thousands of farmers at field days, through the press, radio and TV and direct contact by phone and internet. His contributions have been recognized by honorary life memberships in the Alberta, Saskatchewan and Canadian Seed Growers Associations.

He chaired the North American Barley Workers and served on several occasions as President of the International Oat Workers. His stellar outreach and extension activities have been recognized by the University of Saskatchewan when it named him for the Outstanding Extension and Public Service Award in 2004. Brian’s research contributions in oat were recognized by the Prairie Oat Growers Kirylchuk Award for Contributions to the Oat Industry. Awards in recognition of his excellence in research include: Outstanding Young Agronomist by the Canadian Society of Agronomy, Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada, Distinguished Agrologist Award by the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists and W.J. White Professorship in Agriculture. and more recently he was made a University Professor. In 2011 Brian was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural hall of Fame and in 2012 into the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.