Don Rennie, a former dean of the University of Saskatchewan’s college of agriculture and a leader in Prairie soil conservation, died Sunday in Saskatoon at age 85.
Rennie taught in the University of Saskatchewan’s soil science department starting in 1952 and received several accolades for his work, including an appointment as a member of the Order of Canada in 1992 and membership in the Canadian Soil Conservation Council Hall of Fame and Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame. He was also a fellow of the Canadian Soil Science Society and Agricultural Institute of Canada.
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Rennie served as dean of the U of S ag college from 1984 until his retirement in 1989. During his career he published over 90 research papers and supervised over 20 graduate students.
According to the Soil Conservation Council of Canada, Rennie also served for two years as head of the soils, irrigation and crop production section of the joint division of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria.
“Dr. Rennie has made a career spreading the soil conservation message,” the council said on its website.
“He told the story of how summerfallowing, the practice that helped settle the West and made cropping possible in the early 20th century, was actually destroying the cropland. He’d follow up with the recommendation to leave the stubble on the ground in order to improve farming for the long term. Eventually, people listened.”
According to CBC News on Monday, Rennie, who grew up on the family farm east of Gull Lake, Sask., died Sunday of liver cancer.
An internment service for family members is to be held Friday morning (Dec. 28) in Saskatoon, followed by a memorial service for family, friends and colleagues later that day at St. Paul’s United Church in Saskatoon at 2 p.m. Donations to the Canadian Cancer Society are requested in lieu of flowers.
