Saskatchewan Agriculture: Lives Past and Present

Michael Payne is the City of Edmonton archivist and the co-author of A
Narrative History of Fort Dunvegan.

Saskatchewan Agriculture is the fifth in a series of reference books on
subjects ranging from First Nations to sports figures. Each book
consists of short biographies of notable Saskatchewan residents arranged
in alphabetical order. In this case, the people featured all made
substantial contributions to agriculture in Saskatchewan.

The biographical sketches, adapted from biographies produced for the
Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame, are thoughtful and well
researched. The basic source material for most of the biographies is
detailed, and most of the entries are accompanied by a photograph of the
subject.

A notable feature of this book is its inclusiveness. There are several
profiles of First Nations agriculturalists (a reminder that Aboriginal
peoples have had a much stronger involvement with farming than popular
myth allows) and of women who contributed significantly to agriculture
in Saskatchewan.

The close relationship between agriculture and politics in Saskatchewan
becomes apparent as one reads the biographies. However, the volume’s
editors do not explicitly identify broad themes or conclusions about
agriculture or the leading figures in Saskatchewan agricultural history.
Instead, in good populist tradition, readers are invited to draw their
own conclusions.