The late Art Mainil, the founding president of Weyburn Inland Terminal, was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame on Saturday.
A group of around 35 members of the Mainil family, along with several of his friends, attended the ceremonies held in Saskatoon at the Western Development Museum, which houses the Hall of Fame.
Agriculture minister Lyle Stewart was present for the ceremonies, with a portrait unveiled that will be hung in the Hall of Fame. The portrait was done by artist Kevin Quinlan.
Mainil farmed near Benson, and was born near Lampman. He took his schooling in Weyburn and later attended the University of Denver before becoming a full-time farmer, raising grain and cattle.
Mainil was a driving force behind the formation of the Weyburn Inland Terminal, which was built in 1976 as the first farmer-owned inland grain terminal in Canada. Mainil served as the founding president from 1975 to 1979.
He promoted protein grading for wheat, grain cleaning and the loading of 100-car unit trains, all initiatives that were pioneered at WIT.
Mainil believed that a modern, efficient grain-handling system was essential for agriculture to be sustainable on the Prairies.
Many colleagues and friends credit him as having the vision, determination and leadership skills to change the culture of the grain industry.
Many of the innovations he proposed were widely opposed at the time, but are now accepted as the norm.
Mainil was also one of the founders of the Palliser Grain Growers Association, which later became the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, and fought strongly for marketing freedom as Western farmers were subject to the Canadian Wheat Board at the time.
He was sponsored for induction by Don Olah and Phil and Joanne Babiarz.
Mainil passed away on Nov. 5, 2011.
