For Lowell Lindsay, the prospect of entering the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame wasn’t even on his radar.
“I never once thought of it,” said Lindsay from his home in former Guelph Township, just west of the City of Guelph.
Yet this fall Lindsay will be one of four 2013 inductees to the hall at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, marking the culmination of a career in the dairy cattle industry that has spanned over five decades.
“It was a real honour and I’m very, very happy,” Lindsay said of his reaction last week when he received the News of his induction.
“For me, it’s an indication of the accumulation of the respect the industry has for you.”
Judy Shaw, president of the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame (CAHF), said some inductees are nominated for their work in one area or another, but Lindsay is a “very broad-based” inductee.
“He was a mentor to youth, he was an excellent judge and he really influenced the genetics in the dairy industry,” Shaw said. “He had a huge number of supporters for this induction.”
She highlighted Lindsay’s travels across Canada and the world for both genetic work and to judge numerous cattle shows.
Lindsay was nominated for the hall of fame by EastGen and Semex, two companies for which he has done extensive work over the years.
Brian O’Connor, general manager at EastGen, said he first met Lindsay as a 4-H member years ago, long before the pair became colleagues as bull buyers.
“[EastGen] and Semex felt he’s been an icon in our industry and was worth consideration for induction into that prestigious hall,” O’Connor told the Advertiser.
“What makes Lowell a hall of famer is … he basically turned our genetic improvement industry into a world powerhouse.
“His work in sire selection, in genetics promotion and as a judge was instrumental in helping Canada obtain that status as a world leader.”
Paul Larmer, Semex chief executive officer, said in a press release, “It is impossible to measure the economic impact that Lowell has had, however, his career spanned 53 years, and when one looks at the genetic progress made in Canada over that time period, it is immense.”
Lindsay’s life will come full circle with this fall’s CAHF induction ceremony in Toronto.
He was born in that city and lived there for a short time until his family moved north to Markdale when he was a child. His aunt had a nearby dairy farm where he spent childhood summers.
“I loved the farm,” he said, adding, “It’s been cattle ever since – and I’ve been involved ever since.”
A young Lindsay was also a member of various 4-H groups growing up, and his interest in agriculture was further piqued by his father, who while the family lived in Markdale, was a manager at an institution that had a large herd of dairy cattle.
“It was a natural jump for me to go into the artificial breeding business,” recalled Lindsay.
It wasn’t long before he was hired as an artificial insemination technician in Grey County. He later did some work in the Halton and Peel regions and in 1970 he became a sire analyst and moved to Guelph.
Eight years later he purchased the home in Guelph-Eramosa Township in which he still resides with longtime partner Joan Lau.
Decades of work locating and purchasing young dairy bulls took Lindsay all across Canada and the U.S.
“I wore out a car every year and a half, for all those years,” he quipped.
Lindsay’s involvement in showing dairy cattle began when he was a teenager. As luck would have it, almost right away he got involved with several top-quality holsteins that won championships.
“I had a good start as an 18-year-old,” he said.
From that point on his name seemed to become synonymous with champions, leading owners of some of the top show herds in North America to seek him out to show their cattle.
Success in the show ring and his knowledge of the breed led to Lindsay’s involvement as a show judge – and his showing prowess translated quickly into success in the judging sphere.
He has judged over 215 major shows in about 14 countries across the world, including repeat trips to Japan, Australia, Brazil, Europe and all over the U.S.
Lindsay has judged every major holstein show in North America, including the World Dairy Expo and the Royal Winter Fair – but his judging is not limited to holsteins.
“For an experienced judge, the bigger the show, the easier it is to judge,” he said, though he adds he has fun regardless of the venue.
“I love them all … I like the small 4-H shows as much as the biggest shows in the world,” he said with a smile.
In addition to his work in genetics and in showing and judging cattle, Lindsay has also owned some cattle with friends and has been a mentor to many youths through 4-H and other avenues.
He is a founding member of the committee for the Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic at the Royal Winter Fair and is also a trustee for the Ontario Dairy Youth Trust Fund, which provides scholarships and other opportunities for youths involved in the industry.
His work as a sire analyst will come to a close this year, as he officially retires from Semex.
He plans to relax and do some travelling, and will keep busy tending to his property, though he said he will still attend various industry events, shows and sales.
Larmer said producers will miss the steady influence of Lindsay, who never lost sight of the bigger picture.
“Working for a ‘producer-owned’ company for his complete tenure, Lowell always knew who he worked for: the dairy producers of Canada,” Larmer stated.
O’Connor echoed that sentiment, saying, “Lowell’s goal was always to work hard for his employers, but at the end of the day, it was really the producers that benefitted from [his work].
“We’re very pleased for Lowell, but it’s also big for our industry to have one of us recognized as a hall of famer.”
Lindsay will be officially inducted into the CAHF on Nov. 3 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.
