Local man joins Ag Hall of Fame

By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on January 30, 2025.

A Lethbridge man was honoured for his work in advancing the provinces agriculture and food industry.
Blair Roth is one of three inductees to the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame at the Reynolds Museum in Wetaskiwin, on Wednesday.
The Agriculture Hall of Fame is the Department of Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation’s oldest and most prestigious award, and up to three Albertans are inducted every two years.
Roth was inducted for his pioneer work in the Canadian pulse industry, creating pulse crops as a dryland farming option.
He grew up on a farm south of Bow Island and graduated from the University of Alberta in 1976 with a degree in agriculture. Roth moved to Lethbridge, after working as an agriculturalist for Alberta Agriculture in Riley and Vermillion, to begin his career as a special crop specialist.
During his career he assessed adaptation and market potential by running trials and field scale demonstrations for a wide variety of special crops.
Roth’s influence was felt across the nation as he was an instrumental part of the establishment of the Alberta’s Pulse Growers Commission as well as the Alberta Safflower Grower’s Association and helped developed a country wide voice for pulses.
In 1990 he became the director of special crops at Viterra where he oversaw domestic and international marketing of pulses and special crops until his retirement in 2022.
Roth’s work in pest management has been vital for the success of special crops in Canada.
He was one of the six founding members of the Prairie Pesticide Minor Use Consortium and served as the chair for 15 years.
The organization worked alongside the Pest Management Regulatory Agency to facilitate the registration of Pest Management Solutions, which would not otherwise be available in Canada.
With his induction into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame his biography is part of two permanent interactive displays which include biographies and videos of the inductees.

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