CALGARY, AB: The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association (WCWGA) congratulates founding President Wally Nelson on being one of five nominees to be inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame at a ceremony to be held in Saskatoon on Saturday.

Mr. Nelson was a driving force behind the formation of the Palliser Wheat Growers Association, forerunner to the WCWGA, in 1970.It was a time of low grain prices, extremely low delivery quotas and record carryovers of wheat.Nelson and other farmers knew something had to be done and decided the only way to get things done would be to get organized and take matters into their own hands.

Some of the early policy successes enjoyed by the Wheat Growers under his leadership included the implementation of protein grading on wheat, the creation of a separate CWB pool for durum wheat and maintaining the right for farmers to load producer cars.

Mr. Nelson was also among those who actively promoted increased competition and efficiency through such initiatives as the construction of producer-owned inland terminals and the shipment of unit trains of grain.The first shipment of a unit train of grain from the prairies was organized by the Wheat Growers in 1971.

Mr. Nelson served as Wheat Grower President from its inception in 1970 until he stepped down in 1975.He has provided support and advice to the Wheat Growers ever since and continues to regularly attend Wheat Grower events.

“We are all very proud of Wally’s achievements and congratulate him on receiving this well-deserved honour.” says Levi Wood, President of the Wheat Growers. “He continues to serve as a great source of inspiration for our organization.”

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