An all-female slate of inductees have been ushered into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame.
Robynne Anderson, Patty Jones and Jean Szkotnicki were inducted in a Nov. 30 ceremony in Calgary. The three accomplished women are joining an exclusive group — of the more than 210 individuals named to the organization since its founding in 1960, just five are women.
Anderson began her career as a legislative assistant, working on the then-new Plant Breeders’ Rights Act. She later created Issues Ink, a consulting group that worked closely with the Canadian Seed Trade Association. She founded and published a number of agriculture trade publications including Germination, Spud Smart and the Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers’ CAAR Communicator. Anderson now operates Emerging Ag — an agricultural consulting firm and lives in Calgary.
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Jones is a livestock photographer who changed the way dairy cattle are marketed in Canada and around the world. One of the best-known livestock photographers in the world, Jones has captured a visual history of Canadian dairy breed improvements during her 44-year career. Her library contains more than 70,000 animals from all breeds, and she’s trained many aspiring livestock photographers to carry on the craft. She’s been the official photographer for major livestock shows, including 4-H and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. She’s also directly active in the dairy industry with her own Silvercap Holsteins farm where she buys, sells and breeds near Puslinch, Ont.
Szkotnicki has led the Canadian Animal Health Institute for more than 25 years, advocating for Canadian veterinary pharmaceutical companies with livestock producers. A champion for antimicrobial stewardship, she has been instrumental in ensuring antimicrobials are used properly as part of a “one health” approach to human and animal antibiotic use in Canada. Szkotnicki also sits on numerous industry boards including the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity and as chair of the animal health product regulatory advisory committee to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. She lives in Moffat, Ont.
