SASKATOON — On April 18, six individuals were inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame. Among the inductees was former Denzil farmer, Terry Baker, a fifth-generation farmer of the 120-year-old family-owned farm, who now resides in Saskatoon.
Baker grew up on the family farm, which was settled in 1905, and later attended university for civil engineering. As a young man, Baker was often involved in various student-led societies and groups, stating he has “always been a governance junkie” from the time he was in high school. While at university, Baker had the chance to work for the university president as a special assistant, which involved student activities and faculty interactions. After his post-secondary education, he returned to Denzil in 1975, helping his father tend the cattle and farm the land along with his wife Nancy and their three children, Carey, Amy and Cam. As his children started to get older, Baker found himself joining many local boards for the church, school district, credit union and recreation.
“Five generations of Bakers have been fed, housed, clothed and educated largely by Saskatchewan agriculture. So, it's sort of always in the background that you’d like to put something back, and so that was part of it, just to make a difference,” said Baker.
Baker joined the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool (SWP) as a delegate in 1998, became a director in 2001, and was elected President and Chair of the Board in 2003, a time when the SWP was nearing bankruptcy. With fellow board members and senior management, Baker was involved in the takeover of Agricore United and saw the unity of three Prairie Pools and United Grain Growers, now known as Viterra. He was the founding Chair of Viterra, assisting the company to grow into a fully integrated operator in the global ingredient supply chain.
As the former Denzil resident began to downsize from farming in the early 2000s, he began to make strong contributions to rural and agriculture-related health and safety at both provincial and national levels. Baker was Chair of Nutrients for Life Canada for 10 years until 2022, a national charity that educates teachers and students on soil science, sustainable agriculture and modern farming techniques. Since 2006, he has been the Chair of Agrivita Canada, a not-for-profit corporation promoting the application of health and safety in the agriculture sector. From 2009 to 2014, Baker also served as the Chair of the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation.
Baker joined the board for the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) in 2013 and became Chair in 2019. During his time as Chair, GTH has continued to maintain a strong focus on agriculture, attracting several agricultural-related businesses. With a talented and dedicated board and management, GTH has evolved into a highly successful transportation hub and economic asset for the province.
“The best board I‘ve ever worked with was with GTH. When I started there, it was at rock bottom. We were left with three board members and a part-time CEO due to some issues that were in the background, and the place pretty much ground to a halt. Now, I’ve got literally, the best board that I’ve ever worked with as far as qualifications, continuity and ability to get along and be on the same page. I would match this board up against any board, including corporate boards I worked on,” said Baker. Baker continues to sit on five boards, where he is Chair for three, including GTH, meeting with the CEO weekly.
Baker’s induction came as a surprise to him. He said, still to this day, he doesn’t know exactly who submitted letters of support, but figured there were a few individuals who put up the nomination.
“I had no sniff that this was going on, because these people were sneaking around in the background. The main drivers were Lionel LaBelle, and a gentleman from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation that I worked with many years ago, and Dr. Jim Dosman, a researcher who does health and safety in agriculture, and a fellow inductee in the Hall of Fame as well,” said the recent inductee.
Baker was joined by his wife, his two sons and their families, along with friends and many of those who sat on a board with Baker at the event, where the inductees were piped in.
“Like I said in my speech, nobody gets up there all by themselves. It was the family, and all the fellow board members, CEOs, and all the people I have worked with over all these years. I guess I would say I accepted it on their behalf. Most of it is the people, that’s the high point of all of this.”
