Remembering Phil Thomas

Jun 18, 2020

Phil Thomas who was known to many as Mr. Canola passed away on Saturday.

Chances are if you were involved in crop production, or growing canola, especially in Alberta, you knew him or knew of him.

He had a long career with Alberta Agriculture, working for the department for over 30 years starting out as a District Agriculturist before taking over as Supervisor of Oilseed crops in 1977.

He worked with thousands of farmers across Alberta and around the world from Australia to China, India, Sri Lanka and more.

It's said that Thomas literally wrote the book on Canola, as he did write the "Canola Growers Manual".

After retiring from Alberta Agriculture, he went on to work as a consultant with Agri-Trend Agrology.

Thomas was 77.

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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.