B.W. Kennedy Memorial Award Presented to Lee Whittington

Ottawa, ON – Lee Whittington, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, was awarded the B.W. Kennedy Memorial Award at the annual general meeting for the Canadian Centre for Swine Improvement (CCSI), held in Ottawa, Ontario on July 4, 2019. CCSI presents this award to recognize individuals who, through their involvement in scientific research, program development or program implementation, have made a significant contribution to the Canadian Swine Improvement Program and swine industry.

 

Lee Whittington graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. He began his career as the Swine Nutritionist and Swine Products Sales Manager for ShurGain Feeds in Ontario. He then became the Manager of Information Services at Prairie Swine Centre (PSC) in 1992. He moved into the role of President and CEO in 2008 where he provided leadership and innovation in how research would be embraced and utilized by industry and governments, until his retirement in 2018. Through his work at PSC, Lee was able to strengthen the organization’s brand, and the influence of new knowledge to improve the net income of pork producers across Canada, as well as significantly strengthening the resources in research, especially in the area of welfare and behaviour. By ensuring a strong connection and focus on serving the commercial pork industry, and linking the outcomes of science to communication, Lee was able to place PSC in an enviable position of having its outcomes known and adopted quickly by pork producers, transporters and the packing/processing industry. During Lee’s tenure the base funding grew from industry and government groups across Canada. Since PSC began in 1992, the dedicated scientists and staff have provided outstanding leadership in applied research, starting a new experiment every 9-11 days. The research at the centre has contributed to many improvements throughout the Canadian swine industry.

 

Lee has held positions on the Board of Directors and working committees for several organizations and events including CCSI, Ag-West Bio, Banff Pork Seminar and Ontario Pork Congress, among others. Even in retirement Lee continues to sit on several Boards and committees, including CCSI. He has received several awards, most recently the Industry Leadership Award at the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium in 2018. Lee and his wife Grace own and operate the Riverbend Plantation Saskatoon Berry Orchard and the HomeQuarter Coffeehouse in Saskatoon.

 

CCSI would like to take this opportunity to thank Lee Whittington for his contribution of knowledge and his dedication to the Canadian Pork Industry and congratulate him as this year’s recipient of the B.W. Kennedy Memorial Award.

 

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.