Art Gorda – 2025 Honorary Life Award

Art Gorda, a dedicated crop inspector from Willingdon, Alberta, has spent his career ensuring the integrity of pedigreed seed production across Western Canada. After graduating from Olds College with a Diploma in Plant Science in 1970, he began his lifelong journey in agriculture.

In 1974, he joined Agriculture Canada as a Primary Products Inspector, covering a vast region of Alberta North, where he worked for 35 years before retiring in 2009. Retirement, however, did not slow him down—he continued crop inspection with Westgreen Crop Inspection, where he remains actively involved to this day.

Art has played a vital role in training new crop inspectors, sharing his passion and expertise with over 70 trainees. He also contributed to modernizing Circular 6, focusing on forage and turf grasses, as well as forage legumes. Looking back on his career, Art remains grateful for the many summers spent walking fields and working alongside dedicated seed growers—an experience he wouldn’t trade for anything.

Married to Lillian since 1973, Art credits her unwavering support, especially during the summers he spent on the road inspecting fields. Together, they raised three sons who, while not farmers themselves, still cherish their deep ties to agriculture.