Saskatchewan Ag Hall of Fame honours farm-to-table advocate

Farm-to-table advocate Joe Kleinsasser headlines the 2026 Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame class, recognized for more than two decades of consumer education and leadership in agriculture.

Six inductees were announced Tuesday, Jan. 13, during the 48th Western Canada Production Show at the NuFarm Information Theatre in Hall B of Prairieland Park.

Kleinsasser, whose family is a member of the Hutterite Colony in Rosetown, was honoured for more than two decades of advocacy educating consumers about the farm-to-table journey of food production — from producers and processors to grocery stores, markets and meals served at home.

He said he felt honoured to be included in the provincial Ag Hall of Fame. Other 2026 inductees are Cecil Werner, Terry Baker, Norbert Beaujot, Mary McKay Lindsay and Mark Picard. Lindsay and Picard are inducted posthumously.

Kleinsasser served for seven years on the Sask Pork board beginning in 2002 and was also SPI Marketing Group’s director from 1999 to 2013. He served as Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan’s inaugural chair and has been part of the Saskatchewan Agri-Food Council board since 2019.

He has worked to bridge the gap between consumers and the people who produce their food, such as grain and livestock farmers, through advocacy spanning two decades, which has helped build public trust in agriculture. His contributions will be formally recognized during the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in April.

“When I started, consumer trust really wasn’t an issue. Now it’s one of the primary issues we face. We realized at some point we had to tell consumers why we do what we do and who we are, because in the absence of good information, someone else will fill that void and not always in a way you’d like,” said Kleinsasser when asked what has changed since he began his consumer education advocacy.